Vikes Negligent if Favre stays away

The definition of "negligence", in a general sense, is as follows: the failure to act with the attentiveness that a rational person would exercise under the same circumstances.

Does this not sound exactly like what the Minnesota Vikings will be accused if the sainted Brett Favre does not return to the Twin Cities for football this upcoming season?

Vikings coach Brad Childress said last week that he was willing to wait on the wishy-washy Mississippi gunslinger to make a decision on whether he will return to the Twin Cities for another NFL campaign. It is certainly no shocker that once again, Favre is "undecided" about his NFL future and that a decision will come later, almost assuredly after the NFL Draft and beyond the point where most teams will have finalized whatever planned significant deals they are going to make. However, the outrageous part is the passive manner in which the Vikings organization is dealing with the situation involving their legitimate Super Bowl contender of a team.

Last season, the Vikings were a contender from the start, opening with a 10-1 record, ultimately winning the NFC North and coming within an overtime possession of reaching the Super Bowl, something they have not done since 1976. Yes, the latest incarnation of the Purple People Eater defense needs help at corner, while the offense needs an infusion of talent up front, specially at guard, and the replacement for Chester Taylor is likely not on the roster. However, they are much better off then the vast majority of teams with studs like Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Steve Hutchinson, Antoine Winfield, The Williams Wall, etc, littering the roster that with a little luck they make the final game this year and at the very least are one of the primary contenders to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Which brings us back to Favre. Because the Vikings are so stacked in many key spots, I was one of those that a year ago thought they could actually survive a season with Sage Rosenfels at quarterback, who in my eyes was a slight upgrade over the Gus Frerotte/Tavaris Jackson combo the team used the year before to reach the playoffs. Obviously, that was a fairly low bar and one Rosenfels might have barely inched over even in the best of times, so the Vikes bold decision to bring in the former Packer star with less than a month to go before Week One was a reasonable gamble. Even if Favre proved washed-up, well, its not like the lackluster alternatives would have done better, or so the rationalizing would have gone.

What is happening now is different. Both emotionally and strategically, the Vikes cannot go back to Rosenfels/Jackson if Favre stays away. That is the equivalent of putting all your prom date eggs into the head cheerleader's basket instead of seeking out comparable alternatives. You wait to see whether she will go with you to prom, only her optimistic-sounding "maybe" turns into getting dumped at the altar and you and your rented tux and limo are stuck with that awkward girl from the AV Club who eats her hair and does not suddenly get hot when she takes her glasses off. Sometimes you just have to forge ahead and take what you can get (come on fellas, we have all been there), but that is a lot harder to do if you have already tasted the good life, as it were. If the less desirable option becomes the fait accompli, forget dreaming of some post-prom excitement. Now you are just hoping to keep down the case of Milwaukee's Best you just inhaled to help you forget about what could have been.

That is what it will feel like to Vikings fans if Favre finally hangs 'em up. Right now, the Vikes have some moves to make if they knew Favre was ready to begin his post-NFL life. Those moves include dealing with the Philadelphia Eagles, who, depending which way you want to look at their three-headed QB scenario, are either listening to offers for Donovan McNabb or actively searching them out. The Eagles have said they want at least a mid-second round pick, which the Vikes do not have, but they do possess the 30th pick overall. As fleeting as NFL title runs can be, wouldn't the Vikes be willing to part with their first round pick for at least a two-year window to make the Super Bowl? I'm guessing if the Vikes sent #30 to the Eagles for McNabb and say a third rounder, this gets done and makes sense for both sides. Maybe the Eagles settle for the Vikes second rounder with another later round or future pick tacked on. When you factor in that Childress worked with McNabb when both were with the Eagles, thus helping make the transition a smooth one, the possible deal makes even more sense.

And yet, the Vikes are waiting, in part, because they are now a featured player in the "will he or won't he" drama that is Brett Favre. And this is why the Favre backlash has become rampant in recent years. The diva behavior of putting yourself above the other members of the team, holding them hostage to your whim, is more than most sports fan without an emotional tie to the situation can stomach. Maybe he has already told the team that he will indeed return, but only after the dog days of training camp have wound down. Of course, that would not exactly be a move I'd equate with being a team leader, something every Favre apologist wants to say he truly is.

Still, can we even blame Favre at this point? I mean, him sitting out yet again is about as shocking as Ricky Martin finally coming out of closet. As much as I have grown to loathe all things Favre-ian over the years, there is no denying that the Mississippi gunslinger was all that and then some last season. In a movie world, of course the team waits on the White Knight to come back and save the day, but this is not a Hollywood version of fantasy football. This is a multi-million dollar organization with loyal fans that are still waiting for their first taste from the cup of Super Bowl glory after all these years. If Favre decides his day-to-day future this fall involves riding his lawnmower on his Kiln, Mississippi lawn, then the Vikings fans have every right to revolt, but not against the QB. Instead their ire should be directed toward the front office and coaching brass for not maximizing their chances of finally quenching that insatiable thirst.