According to a report by Profootballtalk.com and their unnamed sources (does PFT ever have sources who aren’t unnamed?), the Vikings have already signed Brett Favre and have authorized Reebok to begin making No. 4 jerseys. But Favre’s agent Bus Cook has denied the report and says that his client has not signed a contract yet.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune states that the Vikings might have to wait another week before making an official announcement regarding Favre because Minnesota head coach Brad Childress is off on a wild Alaskan adventure with his colleague and friend Andy Reid. Wait…Childress and Reid are on a wild Alaskan adventure right now? Together? That has to be more of a story than Favre, right?

Anyway, Peter King of SI.com is also reporting that Favre is throwing the ball with zip. Of course, King’s source is Oak Grove High School (Miss.) coach Neville Barr (whoever the hell that is), so take that information with a grain of salt.

It’s up to you to as what to make of all this. Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time before Favre signs with Minnesota, regardless of the scouting report by Oak Grove High School’s head coach, which we all know is incredibly valuable. Favre has stated all along that he wanted to wait to see how his surgically repaired arm would hold up in workouts before he makes a decision, but the bottom line is that he wants to jam a football square up Packers GM Ted Thompson’s rear end more than anything so that’s what he’s going to do (his arm be dammed).

The agonizing thing is that we may have to wait another week before anything is officially announced.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that it’s up to Brett Favre whether or not Minnesota signs Brett Favre, so essentially the team is waiting on Brett Favre. (Brett Favre.)

While Minnesota waits to hear whether or not Favre is healthy enough to come back (apparently he threw at a local high school recently and still had pain), Vikings beat writer Judd Zulgad wonders aloud if the team would release Tarvaris Jackson if good ol’ No. 4 comes aboard.

In a recent chat, Zulgad said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson got the axe if Favere were signed. The fourth year player is in his final year of his contract and the Vikings apparently don’t want to cut former USC QB John David Booty because they like his potential. Plus, the Vikes traded for Sage Rosenfels in the offseason, so that would leave Jackson on the outside looking in.

Whether the Brett Favres sign the Vikings or not, it looks like Jackson’s time in Minnesota is running out. If the team still had confidence in him, they wouldn’t have traded for Rosenfels and wouldn’t be so hell bent on signing Favre if they thought Jackson could still have a bright future in Minnesota.

Maybe Jackson should be secretly hoping for a release. He would certainly catch on somewhere and sometimes a change of scenery is exactly what a struggling player needs. He has always been talented, but he remains unpolished despite entering his fourth season. Maybe a different setting and a good coaching staff could get Jackson to realize his potential.

Brett Favre.

Brett Favre appeared on “Joe Buck Live” on Monday and spoke about his possible comeback, the health of his arm and meeting with the Vikings.

Here are the nuts and bolts of what Favre said in the interview:

“If it ever gets to the point where it feels like it did before it started hurting, then the biggest question mark is out of the way,” Favre said.

Favre said Vikings coach Brad Childress wanted him to attend Minnesota’s recent organized team activities, but he declined.

“I figured there would be a media frenzy if I was there,” he said. “And there would be a media frenzy if I couldn’t play, if we had to say three weeks later, ‘You know, his arm’s just not up to par. He can’t play.’

“So why not have just one media frenzy, and that be later on?”

Asked by Buck if he would play this season, Favre replied, “Um … ” After a pause, he said, “Maybe.”

“I know people are tired of it, really,” Favre said earlier of the drama that accompanies his annual waffling over retirement. “My intentions are not to — although it’s good for you — create controversy.”

“It makes a lot of sense because the pieces are in place,” Favre said.

He said he met with a Vikings trainer Sunday to go over some arm exercises as part of his rehab, but the team has not made plans to evaluate his readiness to play. Favre said his conversations with Vikings officials have been infrequent and limited.

“Nothing other than, ‘Are you interested?’” he said. “And vice versa.”

Favre didn’t really say anything new in the interview. We already knew he wants to play for the Vikings and the Vikings only, but can’t make a decision until he sees how his arm will react to the surgery. The Vikings want him to play, but are in a holding pattern because of his arm.

So now everyone waits until Favre tests out his arm. And while we wait, the media should have daily reports on which way Favre parts his hair, what kind of pillow he chooses to sleep on and whether or not he prefers grape or strawberry jelly.

According to a report by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Vikings will sign free agent quarterback Brett Favre if he’ll agree to a contract that is largely incentive-based.

Yes, this is it: If Favre is willing to sign a contract with an option that will determine his pay based on how he performs and how much he plays, the Wilf family will go all out to add Favre to the team. The contract will not be guaranteed. It could have some good incentive clauses that will pay Favre well if he can perform like he did in 2007, when he led the Packers to a 13-3 record and was an intercepted pass away from going to the Super Bowl. On the other hand, if he fails to produce, he will get paid for just the time he was with the team. With the economy as poor as it is, the Wilfs aren’t going to sign Favre to a guaranteed contract and then find out he can’t perform. But they are willing to pay him big money if he can produce.

Once Favre agrees to that option clause in the contract, some coaches will meet the 39-year-old star here or at a mutually decided site, and he will work out to demonstrate to the coaches that his recent shoulder surgery was a success and he is ready to perform in the NFL like he did in the first eight games last year for the Jets until he was injured. Of course, he will have to pass a normal physical.

This is news, but then it isn’t. Of course the Vikings would sign Favre if he would agree to an incentive-based deal – why wouldn’t they? They would be signing a player they want, all while protecting themselves in the process.

It’ll definitely be interesting to see if Favre would be willing to play on an incentive-based deal. If he truly just wants to play for the love of the game (and stick to Packers’ GM Ted Thompson as he’s already indicated) then he should be willing to accept a deal in which he only gets paid if he plays and/or performs well. If he wouldn’t be willing to do that, then I question his motives for wanting to return.

Hey, did you hear the latest on Brett Favre? No?!

Well apparently his family booked hotel rooms for the same weekend that the Vikings are in Green Bay to play the Packers next season. So you know what that means right?!

Absolutely nothing. Or maybe it means he’s going to sign with the Vikings. Or maybe he’s going to return to the Packers. Or maybe his family is just outright f’ing with us and decided to book a bunch of hotel rooms for that weekend just for the sheer joy of watching writers everywhere scramble to their computers believing they have the mother of all stories, when in fact they have something about as useful as Jose Canseco without steroids. (And if that’s the case then – touche, Favre family.)

Either way – I don’t care.

Read the rest of this entry »

On Monday, ESPN.com released a report that stated that the Vikings had given Brett Favre an ultimatum and a deadline of this week to tell them whether or not he wants to play next season.

But according to Sirius NFL Radio host Pat Kirwan, the story is untrue and Kirwan even went as far as to say it was made up.

Here’s the conversation between Kirwin and his co-host Tim Ryan today.

Kirwan: “I heard you talking about Brett Favre, every show has been talking about him. I’ve got a couple of things to say. First off, let me make sure I’m clear on this to everyone who is listening. There is no deadline for Brett Favre to come in by Friday. There is zero deadline. The story was made up, it’s not true and trust me on that.”

Ryan: “I still think he’s coming July 15. By then he’ll be signed up for the Minnnesota Vikings. ESPN calling it shoulder surgery, the biceps tendon attaches to a point up on the shoulder, did have that thing cleared out. We’ve been talking about it for a couple of months. That if he had the surgery he was coming back. It’s clear Favre’s on his way to Minnesota.”

Kirwan: “Favre is on his way to Minnesota and it may be around July 15. It might be earlier. Remember how we said [that] first Step 1 is he healthy enough to play? He’s in the process of having that resolved. Step 2, get a contract done. We don’t think that’s going to be a problem either so the first two hurdles are going to be easy to fly over and then come in and be part of this program. With the OTAs winding down, and maybe that’s a good thing because he’s not ready to throw, and all the business that goes on with football. Maybe it’s better if he comes in at a quiet period of time and gets ready to roll. But I think you’re right on it, I think he’s on his way in. Friday may come and Friday may go and it will have nothing to do with him in a purple uniform.”

I wrote yesterday how I thought if the Vikings did set a deadline of this week, that it was a little premature. I highly doubt ESPN made the story up, but obviously something isn’t right here. When you go on ESPN.com, their story is still at the top of the page, so clearly they’re sticking to the report.

It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the week plays out.

According to a report by ESPN.com, the Vikings want a decision from Brett Favre on whether or not he wants to play for them sometime this week.

This is a smart move by the Vikings. They know Favre is the king of waffling and they can’t continue to wait on him and keep current quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson in limbo. The season is still months away, but OTAs wrap up this week and training camp will begin in about a month so they need a decision.

But this hardly seems realistic. According to the ESPN article, Favre has done some light throwing following recent surgery to repair a tear in the biceps of his throwing arm, but he doesn’t feel confident enough yet to definitively say that he’s coming back. And if Favre doesn’t believe he’s at full strength, why would the Vikings rush a decision from him?

If Favre believes he’ll be healthy in two to three weeks and the Vikings truly want him, then they should allow him that time and then hold a workout. If he’s ready to go, then they can sign him in time for training camp. If he doesn’t feel that his arm is 100%, then they can move on without him and go with Rosenfels or Jackson. But even after all of this will-he-or-won’t-he-come-back discussion that has been drummed up over the past couple weeks, the Vikings giving him a deadline of this week still seems a little premature.

Then again, Favre can’t be trusted when it comes to making a firm decision, so I don’t blame Minnesota for giving him an ultimatum with a deadline. The Vikings have an entire team to think about – not just a decision about whether or not to sign Favre.

I just don’t know if a couple of days is a long enough for Favre to know whether or not he’s completely healthy. I can certainly understand the Vikings wanting to put pressure on him to make a decision if he were healthy, but it’s out of his hands whether or not his arm will be completely ready by the end of the Vikings’ supposed deadline.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Vikings hold him to this deadline and more importantly, whether or not they’ll officially move on if he tells them he still needs more time.

According to a report by ESPN.com, Brett Favre underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn biceps in his throwing arm, but it’s still unclear at this point if he’ll comeback this season.

A month ago, Favre tried some non-surgical procedures in efforts to get back onto the field this season. He had cortisone injections and also tried exercise therapies that included weight lifting in efforts to release the damaged tendon naturally. But neither worked because he was still having trouble in throwing sessions and that’s why he opted to have surgery.

If the surgery worked and he’s able to throw at or near 100% without any pain, he’s expected to come back. But if he were still limited after testing the arm, then his most recent comeback would appear to be dead in the water.

One thing is for sure: Favre wants to come back. He wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble if he didn’t have intentions of playing. But the problem (outside of whether or not he can still throw the ball without pain) is that the Vikings want to see him throw in one of their camps. They wrap up their OTA sessions this week, so that means if they’re going to sign him, it’ll be before training camp starts in another month.

It’s a waiting game now; if Favre can throw without pain, then the Vikings will probably sign him and get him into camp. If he’s still having trouble throwing, then his comeback will be derailed, possibly forever. It’s all on Favre’s biceps now. (Or so it would appear.)

On Monday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Brett Favre would have surgery at the end of the week to repair a tear in his right biceps so that he could eventually sign with the Vikings. But ESPN.com’s Ed Werder is disputing that claim and says that Favre doesn’t want to have surgery.

Favre, however, remains focused on non-surgical options, including cortisone injections and natural movements like light throwing and bicep curls that might cause the tendon to release naturally, the source told ESPN. If the tendon releases and the pain subsides, Favre is virtually certain to play again. If he has surgery and his arm strength diminishes or the pain remains, he will remain retired, the source said.

At 39, Favre believes the less he has to do to correct the problem the better as he believes he still possesses the arm strength he had 10 years ago. The difference now is the injury is causing pain. According to the source, Favre will return to the NFL to play for the Minnesota Vikings if the tendon ruptures and it makes him pain-free. If he submits to arthroscopic surgery and it fails to resolve the problem, then Favre intends to remain retired.

Either way, Favre is losing patience, causing the source to say the shoulder problem must be overcome soon or Favre is likely to abandon his effort to play a 19th NFL season.

It’s past the point where we should question anything the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports about Favre. It’s almost becoming second hat that when they report something, it’s going to be disputed the next day by a major media outlet, although ESPN did take the bait yesterday in regards to this story, because they linked to the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Favre-surgery report themselves.

It’s getting harder and harder to decipher whether or not Favre will play next year. One moment it looks like he’s doing everything he can to return, and the next it looks like he’ll stay retired. The key hurdle seems to be his health and whether or not he can play without having surgery. In the end, maybe he’ll throw his hands up to the situation and stay retired after all.

According to a report by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Brett Favre is scheduled to meet with Dr. James Andrews to discuss having a procedure done to repair his torn right biceps tendon.

Surgery to release the tendon is considered routine and is expected to be performed by Andrews later this week. Rehabilitation for Favre would be six to eight weeks.
If it goes well, Farve, who will turn 40 in October, is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
Favre missed a scheduled appointment with Andrews last week.

The torn biceps tendon is one of several sources of pain in Favre’s shoulder, but could be the most correctable. If cutting the biceps tendon doesn’t eliminate the pain, Favre would have to consider whether other more complex surgical procedures are worth undergoing. That could hinder chances of him signing with the Vikings.

The St. Pioneer Press has been hit and miss with its Favre coverage so far, but ESPN.com cited the same story so there might be some truth to this.

What’ll be interesting to see is if Favre does have the surgery, will the Vikings sign him before they see him throw? That would be a ridiculous notion, but maybe they already have an agreement in place that if he has successful surgery, they’ll sign him no matter what. I would have to imagine that the Vikings would want their doctors to check him out before they sign him, but who knows. Favre seems hell bent on playing and if the Vikings are hell bent on signing him, then there might be nothing stopping him from donning purple and white next season.