The Red Zone Report

Just last week, it seemed like a good possibility that it was only a matter of time before the Minnesota Vikings signed Brett Favre, but it‘s all going to come down to a shoulder X-ray that will decide whether Favre comes back as a Viking, or if he calls time on his career for good.

Let it be known that I’m all for Favre coming back for another season (or more if he wants), but if he’s coming back to be a starter, he needs to only if he’s going to be more like the Favre we saw in his first 11 games with the New York Jets last season and less like the one we saw in the last five.

His shoulder problems are a concern, and so is how he finished last season. But if Favre truly has something worthwhile to offer the Vikings on the field over the course of a 16-game season and the postseason – which you have to give him the benefit of a doubt that he does, then I’m all for him returning.

But, one thing is painfully clear if you’re a Vikings fan – Minnesota needs Brett Favre much more than Brett Favre needs Minnesota.

Sure, Favre would no doubt relish one last chance for a championship, but he could just as easily stroll into the sunset, work on his Hall of Fame induction speech, and spend some quality time with Deanna and the kids.

But, Minnesota needs Favre. Well, to be more specific, a healthy, productive Favre. There’s no telling what we’re going to see from him if he does come back, but it’s easily a gamble worth taking for the Vikings.

Minnesota made a huge defensive addition last offseason by trading for Jared Allen, and they finished with a defense that was tops in the league against the run and was one of the better overall defenses in the league last season.

The Vikings also have one of the best, if not the best, running game in the league, with the duo of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. When you pair up good defense and a quality running game, you’re well on your way to being a force to be reckoned with.

So what’s missing? I’ll give you one guess to figure it out, and if you’re having trouble, just look at Minnesota‘s last two seasons.

Brad Childress can’t rely on defense and the ground game to take him all the way to a championship, and he and the organization both know that all too well. That’s why the Vikings went out and signed Bernard Berrian to a big-money contract last season and drafted speedster Percy Harvin in the first round this year.

And that’s why they’re going after Favre. You can load up your team with talented receivers, but if you don’t have someone that can get them the ball on a regular basis and take some of the attention and pressure off of your running game, you can only dream so far.

For all of the time that the Vikings have invested in him, it’d be nice if Tarvaris Jackson could just have the breakout season of breakout seasons, but thus far, just when it seemed that Jackson was set to make a big step forward, he’s taken two back.

Case in point, last season’s wild-card game against Philadelphia. Jackson finished the regular season on a great run over the last four games, completing 64% of his passes for 740 yards, eight touchdowns, and only one interception. Then, at home against the Eagles, Jackson looked more like his old self, completing only 15 of 35 passes and throwing a pick-six in a 26-14 Eagles win.

Minnesota did work a trade with the Houston Texans for veteran QB Sage Rosenfels, who got regular playing time with the Texans in the last few seasons. And, along with Jackson, they also have Gus Frerotte, who had a nice run as the Vikings’ starter last season before getting hurt against Detroit in Week 14.

But, they‘re just going to be another face in the crowd as long as they have an unstable situation at quarterback, and if the sooner they rectify that, the better for their championship hopes and for Brad Childress‘ job security, for that matter. The NFC North got a lot more competitive with the Chicago Bears trading for Jay Cutler, and you can expect the Packers to rebound from a poor 2008, so the Vikings are anything but a shoe-in for the NFC North title, much less a serious Super Bowl contender.

Will the Vikings get their man in the end? They’re going to be sweating on the results of Favre’s X-rays, and if they come out favorably, maybe we can start looking at Minnesota as a serious threat to win the NFC this coming season. If not, expect nothing more than 10 wins and another first-round exit…if that.