He's back: Favre to Vikings

Breathe easy Michael Vick. You are no longer front page news.

Brett Favre touched down in Minneapolis on Zygi Wilf's private plane and signed a 1-year, $12 million dollar deal plus an option with the Vikings.

The NFL's real life Jason Voorhees instantly makes the talented team a Super Bowl contender, credibility issues aside.

The Vikings entered training camp on the heels of a 2008 season in which they rattled off nine wins in their final 12 games to capture their first division title since 2000, and the franchise's first NFC North crown since the NFC Central was realigned in 2002.

Capping off the team's first 10-win season in eight years, Minnesota also hosted its first home playoff game since 2000 and made its first postseason appearance since 2004, welcoming the Eagles to the Metrodome in an NFC Wild Card playoff game. Despite possessing more talent, the Vikings fell to the Eagles' superior coaching and quarterback play.

Since headstrong coach Brad Childress arrived in Minneapolis from Philadelphia with the tag of "quarterback guru," the signal-calling in the Twin Cities has left much to be desired. It's been a revolving door at the game's most important position since Childress arrived. His hand-picked choice for the job, fourth-year pro Tarvaris Jackson, has all the physical skills, but has been injury-prone and has struggled mightily with his accuracy and decision- making. The veterans brought in to caddy Jackson, players like Brad Johnson, Brooks Bollinger, Kelly Holcomb and Gus Frerotte, have all been pedestrian.

Sensing that his employment may hang in the balance, Childress did an about-face this offseason, selling out in the hopes that Favre would end another tap-dance with retirement and play for the Vikings in 2009.

Known for his controlling ways, Childress gave Favre a free pass, allowing the veteran to skip each and every offseason workout while he rehabbed from offseason shoulder surgery in his native Mississippi, under the watchful eye of Minnesota's training staff. In fact, Childress bent over backwards for the narcissistic Favre, allowing the veteran to put together his own timetable in hopes that he would don the purple once training camp opened in late July.

Instead of rewarding Childress, Favre, citing his questionable health, waffled in the final days before camp, leaving the Vikings' mentor at the altar with egg on his face or so it seemed. In late July, just before camp was to start, Childress received a phone call from Favre and announced that the veteran would remain retired.

Just like the campers in a Friday the 13th movie, the assembled media in Hattiesburg, Miss. bought Favre's declaration hook, line and sinker despite his now comical history of waffling.
Now it's clear that Favre just wanted to avoid the grueling two-a-days and just like the fictional Voorhees, reappeared when you least expected it.

Already the narcissistic Favre has weaved a safety net, revealing that he has a partially torn rotator cuff.

"(A partially torn rotator cuff) is often an overuse injury due to repetitive overhead throwing or lifting motions but can be due to one acute injury," Dr. Ben Wedro told The Phanatic Magazine. "The symptoms of a rotator cuff tear include pain with lifting and lowering the arm (painful arc) and with throwing. If the injury were long standing there might be muscle loss and decreased power.

"But all rotator cuff injuries don't need surgery and many can be treated with strengthening exercises and physical therapy. If function can be returned then surgery may be forestalled. Presumably, Favre's injury is so minor that he was able to rehabilitate his bicep injury, return to full function and not have his throwing motion affected.

"Time will tell if his shoulder can hold up to the grind of NFL throwing."

Childress will now have to convince a skeptical locker room that Favre is indeed a team player and the kind of leader that can lead the team to its first Lombardi Trophy.