With Brett Favre and the Vikings Set To Meet, the Writing Is Already on the Wall

It's all over ESPN. He's all over ESPN.

Reports from both John Clayton and Chris Mortenson on Tuesday say that the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre have apparently scheduled a late meeting for sometime this week.

Normally, what the Minnesota Vikings do in the offseason has nothing to do with Green Bay, but considering the player that's involved in the rumors, this one hits especially close to home.

Favre, who retired from the New York Jets, his second retirement in a year, appears to be seriously considering a marriage, if only for one season, with the Vikings. His strong connections with Darrell Bevell, as well as Brad Childress, suggest there is a very good chance a return is in the making.

However, there are several concerns flying around, and most of them are geared toward Favre's late-season slump, in which he threw only two touchdowns against nine interceptions, as the Jets dropped four of five games and missed the playoffs.

Oh, and then there's that whole "torn biceps" thing.

And even when the Vikings and Favre get past the money issue, the idea of Favre showing up for all of the off-season activities is as unlikely as him playing for the Packers again. Still, despite all of these questions, the un-retirement hype is buzzing, and it's buzzing loudly.

ESPN has been extremely conservative with it's Favre coverage this time around, afte devoting much of it's time to the "Favre saga" over the course of the summer before last season.

The fact is, if Favre and anyone from Minnesota are headed for a meet-and-greet, you can be certain it will end in contract talks. If this meeting does in fact happen, you can put your money safely on a bet that number four will be wearing purple this fall.

Then again, we're dealing with Favre here, and no words, or lack thereof, apparently, can be taken for granted.

Ever since asking the Jets for his release (twice, mind you), Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, have vehemently denied rumors about him coming back to the game for a third time. But that's the kind of run-around information they fed us last time.

The truth is, this isn't just "too good to be true." This is perfect. Favre admitted after the 2008 season ended that he had returned at last half-way to "spite" Ted Thompson. And after the way everything unfolded, rightfully so.

After ending his New York debacle on sour terms and being deemed an all-around failure, the question remains, does Favre still want to play, and can he play well?

If you're judging by the first 11 games of last season, the answer is a resounding "yes."

If he shows up with a weak arm and is ill prepared, then the final five games could be strewn out across a 16-game schedule. That, or we'll see the great Favre finally succumb to injury in mid-season, or worse, see his consecutive start streak ended by a benching.

Ultimately, the only thing that will matter is the concept of "need." The Vikings need a quarterback, and Brett Favre needs redemption. If we're being honest with ourselves, as football fans, as experts, and as fans, we want this. Hell, we need this.

Favre has a shot to take a very well-balanced team far into the playoffs, and he won't even have to do it by himself. He has arguably the best running back in the league on his side, as well as a stout offensive line, a supporting defense, and two explosive receivers in Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin.

That, and he gets to face the team that forced him into his first retirement, twice.

If you're an NFL fan, this is either your worst nightmare, or a dream come true. However, as a Packers fan, somehow it's a mixture of both.