Vikings Want Favre Back, Even if They Must Wait

As noted by JJ Cooper after the NFC Championship Game, we have no way of knowing what Brett Favre will decide regarding his future in the NFL.

What we do know is this: His Vikings teammates want him back for the 2010 season. Not only that, but they're more than willing to let him take his time and make a decision.

After all, Favre walked in the door in Eden Prairie, Minn., the afternoon of Aug. 18, practiced, and played three days later. He went on to have one of the best seasons -- if not the best -- of his amazing career.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, players who were around for media availability Monday were vocal in their support of Favre. Among them was rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin, who may have benefited more than anyone from Favre's presence, leadership, and savvy.

"I don't want to hound him with that," Harvin said. "I know he's been hounded already about that. Mine was just appreciation for everything. I know everybody on this offense took something from him. Whether he comes back or not, he's taught this team so much. The strides that this offense took, I think a lot of the credit goes to No. 4. I felt bad that we couldn't go out with him on top this year. I just wanted to tell him thank you. We'll talk later on in the offseason and maybe I'll start convincing him then."

Remember, Favre missed all of the Vikings' offseason workouts last year, then didn't sign until after training camp broke following Minnesota's first preseason game. The results? Incredible.

Favre threw for 33 touchdowns, was intercepted just seven times, and he led Minnesota to a 12-4 season that included two convincing wins over rival Green Bay. While they had to be sweet wins for Favre, and had to feel like a huge deal because of the circumstances surrounding his departure from Wisconsin, he kept an even keel about himself and didn't get too high or low over the Vikings' other 14 games.

Yes, he threw an awful interception at almost the worst possible time, but it doesn't diminish what was a great season for the 40-year-old. That he did it without taking part in training camp isn't lost on defensive tackle Kevin Williams. He just doesn't seem bothered by it.

"This guy doubles up years on about everybody on the team," Williams said. "He's had his share of training camps, he's done that. It's not a big issue with him, you can tell, he still came out and had a great year and [missing camp] wasn't even a factor. So it really won't matter at all to me."

We'll see if the players have any influence on Favre's decision. He clearly enjoyed himself in Minnesota, and the feeling was mutual. The team eschewed all the preseason "schism" talk and produced one of the best seasons in franchise history.

With all that as a backdrop, why wouldn't the Vikings want Favre back, at any cost?

Of course, the support didn't stop guys from harpooning Favre's famous waffling. Wide receiver Bernard Berrian -- who had a very strong game Sunday in New Orleans -- told the paper, "It's still early. Way too early. Brett is liable to change his mind five, 10 times down the road."