Favre Dollar Foot Long

Brett Favre signing with the Vikings hit the news wires a week ago now. That’s one full week of overflowing garbage cans of meaningless conversation, dumpster piles of speculation and landfills of excitement. It’s time to take a real look at the impact of this signing. Brett Favre signing with the Vikings is a bargain basement deal for a franchise in desperate need of a publicity push. The 12 million dollar contract paid for itself in the first 3 days of coverage.

Favre jerseys on websites and in local Minnesota shops instantly improved those profit lines by 150% in the first three days. Ticket sales skyrocketed over the last week, both season and individual game seats. National media coverage will buy the contracts for our games to be televised to a broader market as well as having headlining highlights on national sports broadcasts. All this exposure allowing for more profits to the Vikings, Minnesota, and ultimately allowing the Minnesota fans to get the new Vikings stadium they have been waiting for.

Now let’s look at the on field angle. The offensive game should be impressive as well as the defensive game, however, it is hard to rule the Vikings favorites in the NFC. The prospect of having Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor running behind a Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson wall, while having a quarterback able to throw more than a screen pass, 5 yard out route, or a bootleg rollout is something Vikings fans have not had in a long time. Anyone can tell you, a capable quarterback that can read defenses and throw the ball over the middle of the field and to the outside past 15 yards is something Minnesota has needed. Favre, plus Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe has a standard versatility to keep defensives on their heels with the running game occupying their minds first. The offensive line has some new additions, but veterans Artis Hicks, Anthony Herrera, Ryan Cook, Hutchinson and McKinnie should be a stable unit with rookie Phil Loadholt coming in for relief. The offense as a whole will be dominating in the running game and has the potential for an explosive passing game when necessary.

The defense could even be improved over its impressive 2008. Pat and Kevin Williams form the best interior in football and with Fred Evans and former number one pick Jimmy Kennedy filling in gaps, the Vikes are insured. Jared Allen, Ray Edwards and Brian Robison on the outside give consistent pressure to allow the LB to move in and out of the box freely. EJ Henderson returns from injury, Chad Greenway is now two years removed from surgery, to go along with stable veteran Ben Leber. Perennial pro bowler Antoine Winfield returns with more experienced Cedric Griffin and Marcus McCauley to play opposite and nickel respectively. Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson have the power and speed to play strong and free safety in a system like ours, dominated by a heavy front line force. The defense shows little weakness with strong rotations on the front line, athletic linebackers and a hard hitting secondary.

The paper trail looks great for the Vikings in 2009-2010. The two problems are, one, the old sports cliché “The games aren’t played on paper”, and, two, we don’t know what Brad Childress is capable of with a fully loaded gun. For years, he has developed this system around the limitations of his quarterback. Calling bootlegs, screens and three step drops to limit mistakes. This is what I thought, but now, without that handicap, we will actually see if that was Childress just calling plays designed for the talent he had on the field or if he has a poor play calling and in game coaching ability. Childress has called a 3 yard hook route on a third and 8 many times, and heard the “boos” from the crowd in the Metrodome. The Vikings success is not so much determined by the talent on the field, but the director instructing that talent.

No longer can Vikings fans look at their team and wish for a better quarterback, defensive end, wide receiver or any other position as they have for many years. Now, all the pieces are in place and we can really see if we have a coach capable of leading a team to victories. Will we have a masterpiece of performances like The Godfather, brought together perfectly by Francis Ford Coppola? Will we have a talented group fall short due like in Suicide Kings, with the director Peter O'Fallon being unable to capture the potential talents? Brad Childress gets to put on his directors pants for this year with no excuses. The budget is there, the talent is there, the story is already written in the heads of both Vikings fans and the national media. After years of failure, including four super bowl losses, the Minnesota Vikings can reach the summit on the back of a living football legend.

These questions will be revealed to us each week beginning September 13th and we are all anxious to see the results. In the meantime, the one thing we do know for sure is that Brett Favre signing with the Vikings brings dollars to Minnesota, brings exposure to Minnesota, and brings hopes of football’s future in Minnesota.

- J Filth