The Minnesota Vikings Might Need More Than Just Brett Favre

With the 2009 NFL Draft in the books, Favre doing his offseason limbo and training camp right around the corner, most NFL teams have finished rounding out their rosters for 2009 andhave a general idea who will be number one on their depth charts come Week one of the season.

Although, such teams as the Minnesota Vikings, still seek an answer to their bigger problems such as a true starting quarterback, but Head Coach Brad Childress has much more on his plate then simply finding a big-name quarterback to lead his team.

After free agency and now the 2009 NFL Draft has now come full circle, the Vikings must take a moment to reflect where to focus the remainder of it's offseason as far as inward searching and free agency to fill their last roles.

Coming into the 2009 offseason, the Vikings needed to find a true replacement for Pro Bowl center Matt Birk, career interception leader safety Darren Sharper, and a starting/franchise QB to lead the team.

They need a right tackle to take the role of the lagging veteran Ryan Cook, a compliment to deep-threat Bernard Berrian in the receiving core, and a cornerback to play across from Cedric Griffin and to (potentially) be Pro Bowl corner Antoine Winfield's eventual successor.

Quite a laundry list for the NFC North champions that went 10-6 last year with hopes to improve. Especially with Brad Childress making decisions to keep his job and please a struggling fan base.

The Vikings, however, made no moves in free agency of any significance other the re-signing within the organization. The most significant of those resigned being the great run-blocking tight-end Jim Kleinsasser and fullback Naufatu Tahi. Other then that, many of those re-signed were role players.

Minnesota did make a big effort on veteran wide-out T.J. Houshmandzadeh. After his contract had expired from the Cincinnati Bengals, the former seventh-rounder thought long andhard about his possibilities with Minnesota, before eventually deciding on the much more stable QB situation in Seattle.

With that said, the Vikings aimed at answering most of their list of needs in the 2009 NFL Draft.

With the No. 22 pick overall in the draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected the talented and explosive young wide receiver, Percy Harvin out of the University of Florida. A pick many thought to be risky and very assertive for a very conservative coaching staff.

Percy Harvin was the No. 1 overall recruit as ranked by Rivals.com and the second overall receiver. His history includes much experience all over the field from out wide, in the backfield or returning kicks. He is also remembered most for his role in helping the University of Florida win their two recent NCAA National Championships.

There was and is no question that Harvin is a talent and game breaker. His speed mimics that of All-Pro runningback Adrian Peterson with a knack in the open field to take it the distance at any time. Harvin's downside became apparent in February at the NFL Combine when the young star in the making tested positive for marijuana.

This left the young receiver demoralized as his draft position plummeted from a sure top five pick to the mid 20's to even the threat of falling to the second round.

The Vikings, known for being very strict notion on "characters" in the locker room, were thought to possibly go for the offensive tackle Michael Oher to help their dilapidated offensive line, but chose to grab big on the injury plagued and risky Percy Harvin.

With that pick, the Vikings were able to compliment not only their receiving core, but their already dangerous running game in Adrian Peterson. This pick also will help the quarterback Minnesota will eventually settle on.

Withtheir second round pick, the Vikings selected offensive tackle, Phil Loadholt out of the University of Oklahoma. Loadholt's size alone at 6' 8", 334 pounds doesn't tell how valuable this tackle may become for the Vikings for their future.

Loadholt also compliments the 6' 8" Bryant McKinnie at the other side of the line nicely. It is almost likely that he will get the nod over veteran Ryan Cook at right tackle.

In the third round, the Vikings selected University of Georgia cornerbackAsherAllen. Allen's chances of jumping into the nickel scheme seem very likely considering the thin depth in the secondary.

It's believed that one day Allen will hopefully be Antoine Winfield's eventual replacement, but Allen may have to buff a bit before he can start in the NFL. At most, he may end up on the practice squad for a year just to get a better understanding of "NFL speed."

It wouldn't be until the 5th round that the Minnesota Vikings grabbed the hard-hitting linebacker Jasper Brinkley out of South Carolina. The Vikings traded for this draft pick using one of their two seventh round picks acquired from the Washington Redskins in order to move up 10 picks from 22nd in the round to 12th.

Brinkley provides a good pop and size for a linebacker. He's still learning the position as far as skill and technique are concerned, but the young man will probably find himself in a position to be E.J. Henderson's backup (maybe eventual replacement) and to avoid a another 2008 situation pulling in free agents to cover for E.J. after his foot injury.

In the final round, the Vikings grabbed Jamarca Sanford out of Ole Miss. A safety who could be considered a hidden treasure for the Vikings in the seventh roundto add depth behind second year safety, Tyrell Johnson. A move that Minnesota rightfully should have addressed.

After all the noise of the draft, the Vikings still have a list to manage heading into the quiet part of the offseason.

They still lack a quality center with second year center John Sullivan out of Notre Dame at the top of the depth chart. To those who may recall, Matt Birk was also a sixth-round pick that became a Pro Bowler, but that's not something the Vikings should bet on heading into '09 hoping to make a championship run.

The Vikings also need to address the quarterback situation heading into training camp as incumbent Tarvaris Jackson gets ready to square off with longtime backup and newly acquired Sage Rosenfels from Houston.

This battle for QB though sounds too much like the Vikings answer for the past five years since Childress became head coach. A journeyman QB or underachieving young athlete doesn't meet the needs of a talented team that is now ready to win now.

Enter Brett Favre.

Favre was drafted in 1991 by the Atlanta Falcons as the Falcons second string QB. The legend would go that Favre was traded to the frozen tundra in Green Bay in 1992 where he would start the fourth game of the 1992 season and not relinquish until he was traded to the New York Jets last year in 2008.

In his time in Green Bay, Favre lead the Packers to seven division titles, four NFC championship games, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship  against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.

He would break nearly every passing record a QB would ever desire to hold featuring the most touchdown passes, most career yards and most pass completions.

During the summer of 2008, Favre had made the notion semi-clear that he wished to be released by the Packers to sign with state rival, the Minnesota Vikings as to "stick it" to Packers owner Ted Thompson and the Packers twice a season.

To avoid a distraction and dramatic showing through Favre ending up in Minnesota, Green Bay shipped Favre out to the New York Jets.

After one season in 2008, Favre was released upon his second request after the Jets acquired QB Mark Sanchez from USC in the 2009 NFL Draft. It was at this point the Jets granted his release.

And now we sit with the temptation for Favre to come back and Minnesota to oblige his "itch to play."

Critics around the NFL world seem to have come to the central conclusion that he is the missing link and could easily lead the Vikings to a Super Bowl title, a feat that eluded him in previous years with Green Bay and New York and the Vikings in their four trips to the big game in the franchise' history.

Although the fact of the matter remains, is he truly the answer to Minnesota's prayers? Or just a big name to sell tickets? Besides Favre, the Vikings still need to address their needs at center and in the secondary before they can stamp their plane tickets for Miami.