Brett Favre to the Minnesota Vikings? Bad Idea

So an anonymous source told ESPN.com that Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings will meet at an undisclosed location for reasons unknown.

Forget deep throws—this year’s version of Favre’s “will he or wont he?” saga is starting to sound an awful lot like Deep Throat.

Actually, the reason for Favre’s clandestine conference with Vikings head coach Brad Childress is well documented: The gun-slinging graybeard wants to talk about a comeback that would put him in purple.

Super.

It’s not hard to spout off a dozen reasons why Favre should go gentle into that good night, for real this time. Legacy, credibility, fans, yada yada yada.

So we’ll skip that part and get to the burning question:

Why on Earth would the Vikings hitch their wagon to Favre?

He raced the Jets out to a 9-3 start last year—before throwing two touchdowns and seven picks in a 1-4 finish to miss the playoffs. He completed a troubling 56 percent of his passes for a minuscule 5.77 yards per attempt.

The drop-off was thanks in part to a bicep injury that the team thought needed surgery, but Favre has yet to go under the knife. He’s hoping the torn tendon heals itself.

That’s a fine idea for someone who plans to spend him time lounging around the farm.

For a man who throws a football for a living? Not so much.

Favre’s last handful of games in bad weather—most notably, his NFC title game defeat two seasons ago, in which he looked like he would rather be anywhere other than frigid Green Bay—suggests that his days as a master of the elements are in the rear-view mirror.

Pushing 40, Favre’s status as an outdoorsman at this point is strictly limited to his affinity for hunting.

How is that going to play when the Vikes roll into Lambeau on Nov. 1? How about when they visit Soldier Field on Dec. 28?

In fact, Favre’s performance last year suggests that at this age, he’s no sure bet to be an upgrade at all over Minnesota’s quarterback situation.

Considering the Vikings’ presumed starter is Tarvaris Jackson, that’s not saying much. Jackson completed 59 percent of his passes against the 66 percent Favre put on the money.

Jackson averaged a fumble per start—Favre coughed up 10 on the season—and was sacked on 8.6 percent of his attempts, while Favre went down 4.8 percent of the time.

But Jackson also threw for nine touchdowns and two interceptions in five starts, while Favre offered up 22 picks to go along with 22 scores.

A team built to win on defense, rushing, and ball control—as Minnesota is—puts a premium on mistake-free football. And even at his best, Favre has never been mistaken for mistake-free.

Jackson is no slam-dunk at quarterback. But at this point, neither is Favre. And only one of the two still has his best football ahead of him.

Then there’s the baggage.

If Favre attracted a media circus in New York, suiting up for a team with no ties to Green Bay, he’ll bring an outright maelstrom with him in a division in which he squares off against the Pack twice a year.

And when his annual “mull the future” routine rolls around in the 2010 offseason, he’ll be Minnesota’s problem.

Remember that Childress isn’t just coaching to win this year—heading into Year Four of a five-year contract, on a team with Super Bowl aspirations, he’s coaching for his job.

He already has taken a tremendous gamble in tying his fate so heavily to Jackson’s development.

For both Childress and the Vikings, Favre would be a bad bet.