I remember seeing a recent ESPN SportsNation poll in which Wisconsin was the only state that a majority of voters thought that Brett Favre should return for another year. That makes sense, because Packer fans understand that Favre gives them the best chance to win games, and if he wants to play another year, the Green Bay faithful want him on the field.

After an offseason of wavering back and forth, the quarterback told the team yesterday that he wants to play another year. He said all along that he wanted the Packers to make a splash in free agency, and when the team failed to make any big signings, many thought that Favre was on the way out.

The Packers’ two most high-profile free-agent signings have been former St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Ryan Pickett and former Seattle Seahawks safety Marquand Manuel. The team has also re-signed fullback William Henderson and wide receiver Rod Gardener.

The Pickett and Manuel signings will bolster a defense that was horrible against the run but great against the pass in 2005. The article failed to mention the re-signing of Aaron Kampman, one of the league’s hardest working defensive ends. Throw in the #5 pick (probably LB A.J. Hawk, but possibly DE Mario Williams) and the Green Bay defense should be markedly better this season.

The offense is a bigger question. Once the strength of the team, the unit took a hit last season with the loss of their two starting guards, Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera, which made running room hard to find for most of the year. Still, fifth-string RB Samkon Gado averaged 104 yards in the five games where he was given 20+ carries, so the offensive line started to show some life in the second half of the season. The team re-signed Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport, so they have some depth in the backfield. The bigger question at the moment is the status of WR Javon Walker, who has said he will retire before playing another game in a Packer uniform. If he stays true to his word and the team is unable to get a good WR to line up with the ever-consistent Donald Driver, moving the ball is going to be tough. Walker is coming off a knee injury that has diminished his trade value. He’d be smart to prove himself healthy by playing this year in Green Bay and then try to make a splash on the free agent market after the season.