Yes, the Vikings are playing at a very high level and Favre is certainly a reason why they have busted right out of the gates with an impressive 5-0 start. He has provided a legitimate passing attack to complement their running game and defense, something that has been sorely lacking during the Brad Childress era. Anyone who caught even a mere glimpse of the Vikings’ much anticipated matchup against the Packers two Mondays ago or the aftermath of Favre’s dramatic last second touchdown pass to beat the 49ers, it also is clear that Favre has given the Vikings locker room a shot in the arm that neither Sage Rosenfels nor Tarvaris Jackson could have given them. It is fair to say that the Vikings are arguably the best team in the NFL and thanks in no small part to Favre.

However, here is why I immediately shut Sportscenter off in frustration and went to bed when I heard Dilfer make his statement: the Vikings are doing what they are supposed to be doing anyway. Even if Favre were sitting at home in Mississippi instead of playing in Minnesota, the Vikings would probably still be 5-0 or at the very worst 4-1. If Rosenfels or Jackson were at the helm, the Vikings were still going to be the favorites to take the NFC North and be a contender to play football well into January in the NFC. Adrian Peterson and the defense led by the monstrous Jared Allen still have played larger roles in the Vikings’ early success so far. Favre is no where near the point of accomplishing what he was brought in to do yet.

Childress brought Favre in to win the games he felt the Vikings could not do so with Jackson or Rosenfels at quarterback. The combination of Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco, Green Ba and St. Louis is not exactly the most difficult stretch to begin a season. Most quarterbacks (even maybe JaMarcus Russell) would still win behind the rock solid offensive line, running attack, and defense that Favre currently has at his disposal. Remember, this team still won the NFC North with incredibly erratic play at the most important position in all of sports with the dynamic tandem of Jackson, then Gus Frerotte, and then Jackson again. I would even have to say winning just one playoff game would not be enough to truly justify the Favre signing. The Vikings went all in this year to lure him out retirement for the umpteenth time to do one thing and one thing only: win a Super Bowl. When Favre leads the Vikings onto the gridiron on Landshark Stadium in Miami this coming February, Dilfer then will be right. For now, hold your horses on being so quick to anoint Favre as the savior of the Vikings.

2. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Right now Peyton Manning is playing at a level above just about every other quarterback in the NFL. He seems like he’s in another world. And if you saw the game two Monday Nights ago you saw an impressive Colts Defense swarm and attack the Cardinals’ Kurt Warner. They played strong, physical football and have been more than good enough to let Peyton Manning take over games with his arm.

3. New Orleans Saints (4-0)
This team is downright scary. They’re the most complete team in the NFL right now. Now they need to prove that they can continue this streak of dominance. The past two weekends the Bills and the Jets have proved that Drew Brees is indeed a mere mortal, but the Saints responded by showing that right now they are the deepest team in this league. Gregg Williams is making this defense click and the past two weeks they’ve really carried the team. On offense, when Pierre Thomas went down, Mike Bell provided rushing between the tackles. When Bell went down, Pierre Thomas returned the favor. Oh and then there’s this guy Reggie Bush.

4. New York Giants (4-0)
Steve Smith and Mario Manningham have gained stardom in New York after four impressive games. Smith in particular has become one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL. Eli Manning has made some mistakes early but has delivered when it has mattered most. The defense has played well in two games after the G-Men were gashed by the Dallas running game, albeit against two teams with a combined 0-8 record. But like the Ravens, the Giants face a tough schedule. After their next game against the Raiders, the Giants have games against New Orleans, Arizona, Philadelphia (2), San Diego, Atlanta, Denver, and Dallas. Combined record: 19-9.

5. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
Jim Harbaugh’s team has taken off under the leadership of Joe Flacco in his second year under the helm. Flacco seems ready to take on the status of an elite quarterback and carry this Ravens offense. And with the emergence of Ray Rice as a “factor back” and the apparent return of Willis McGahee, it looks like he will have a strong supporting cast. Is the Ravens defense the team’s greatest concern right now? A tough upcoming schedule will show just how far this team can go.

Tier 1.a.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
See description of Saints above. No offense to Kevin Kolb, who has been very solid in Donovan McNabb’s absence, but if no. 5 hadn’t been hurt in the huge NFC showdown between the Eagles and the Saints how big a game could that have been? And with the Eagles getting healthy coming off their bye week is their a more exciting team in the NFL?

7. New England Patriots (3-1)
Tom Brady is back ladies and gentlemen. And as the season continues he’s only going to get stronger. With Wes Welker back in the slot and Fred Taylor finding early success with the running game, don’t be surprised if this team starts climbing up the list quickly as other teams above them start to lose.

8. New York Jets (3-1)
There may not be a better defense in the NFL right now. They’ve now held Tom Brady and Drew Brees out of the endzone in the past three weeks. Rex Ryan has this team believing they can go as far as they want. If Sunday was any indicator, Mark Sanchez will have to take care of the football for that to be a possibility.

Wake Up Calls
9. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
Is it just me or does it feel like this team has a lot to prove this weekend against the 49ers? The ‘09 Falcons haven’t clicked on offense yet the way they were expected to and a match up with a physical San Francisco team will be a good indicator of where this team is.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Maybe a couple early scares is exactly what this team needs right now. But they were pretty impressive on Sunday night. Strangely they’re struggling to put pressure on the quarterback, but the Steel Curtain seemed back in business and I’d expect this team to return to dominant form, especially if the offensive line can spring Rashard Mendenhall like they did the other night.

11. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
This team has some major concerns upfront on its offensive line and to an extent in its secondary as well. Favre looked a bit like he was taking an exacto knife to this defense and the O-Line gave up 8 sacks to a nasty Vikings defense. Despite these problems, the Pack is still one of the most talented in the league and I’d be surprised if they don’t come back reinvigorated after the bye week. A relatively soft schedule doesn’t hurt either.

Muddled Middle
12. Denver Broncos (4-0)
Play somebody. I dare you. I double dare you. Oh that’s right, the Patriots come into town this weekend. As you can tell, I don’t believe in the Broncos early season success. In my opinion they have yet to play a top 15 team in the NFL. Now it’s true that you can only win the games that you have on the schedule, but I need to see Denver win some big games before I crown them a contender. A brutal upcoming schedule will help determine the status of this team.

13. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)
See Denver. Shaun Hill, much like Kyle Orton in Denver, has done a good job taking care of the football, allowing above average running games and defenses to win physical football games. Despite their success thus far, the 49ers would do well to get Michael Crabtree in uniform as soon as possible to help out this offense.

14. San Diego Chargers (2-2)
When this defense decides it wants to help its offense win some games this team can be very dangerous. The Chargers have two losses to tough teams, but this team needs to decide if they can be elite with the core they have now or if they’ll be a perennial tease year in and year out. Elite teams find a way to win games. Elite teams don’t escape from Oakland with wins. Elite teams come together right now and turn things around. Only time will tell.

15. Chicago Bears (3-1)
Do the Bears have a lot of talent? Yes. Do they let lesser teams hang with them for an absurd amount of time? Without a doubt. Like the Chargers, this team needs to decide just how good they want to be. Unlike the Chargers, they play in an unforgiving Division. They have yet to play a game where they are close to reaching their potential. If they have too many more games like this it may be a long road back in this Division.

16. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Don’t be fooled by the slow start. No team in the NFL is underperforming more than the Cardinals are right now. Look for Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald to get back on track in Houston this weekend.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)
This team seems  to have everything they need to be a good NFL team; a pro-bowl caliber quarterback, a veteran, talented running back, and a disruptive defensive line. They came away with two big wins, first in Green Bay and then against the Steelers the next week. In fact, they’re a last second Brandon Stokely miracle touchdown catch away from being undefeated themselves. But I can’t buy into this team yet. Not when they need overtime to barely beat the Browns.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
Jacksonville is coming off of two division wins in which they averaged 34 points a game. Over the next five weeks the Jags play four teams with a combined record of 1-15. It wouldn’t be too surprising for this team to be 6-2 heading into what could be a crucial game against the Jets in the Meadowlands. Stay tuned, this team could be quietly climbing up the rankings.

19. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
If there’s a team in the NFL that should be panicking right now it’s this one. They have all the talent in the world and just two wins against two teams that have yet to win to show for it. Without a doubt they can compete with the best teams in the league, but can they beat those teams? Certainly not right now.

20. Houston Texans (2-2)
The Texans offense has found its stride after the week 1 debacle with the Jets. Unfortunately this team looks like the only way it wins football games is when it scores last. While exciting on offense, the Texans need to turn things around on defense if they don’t want to finish they year as a middle of the road team.

Dazed and Confused
21. Seattle Seahawks (1-3)
While the return of Matt Hasselbeck this weekend gives the Seahawks faithful renewed hope, the Hawks have a long way back to contention. The Seahawks need to get healthy – and fast. Playing in a weak NFC West always helps, but if this team is looking to return as the class of the West, it needs to start this weekend at home against Jacksonville.

22. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
The Dolphins have had a rough start to the 2009 campaign. But three straight losses to playoff teams aren’t the Dolphins major concern. Miami suffered a critical blow in a loss to San Diego when they lost Chad Pennington for the rest of the season. Ronnie Brown and the Dolphins prolific running game will pick up some of the slack, but losing Pennington may kill the Dolphins chances this season.

23. Tennessee Titans (0-4)
This team needs to continue to run the football. The Titans are second in the NFL right now with 5.5 yards per carry, but have just 99 attempts (21st). With Kerry Collins continuing to struggle, Jeff Fisher needs to put the rest of this season in the hands of LenDale White and Chris Johnson.

24. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
This team has fallen farther than any other team last year. Much like the Titans, the Panthers need to rediscover their identity as a football team which led them to 12 wins last season. This team is a smash mouth football team that had the third most rushing yards in the NFL last season. So far this season only the Arizona Cardinals have attempted fewer rushes than Carolina. With the combination of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan, it’s hard to imagine the Panthers will stay away from the ground game much longer.

25. Detroit Lions (1-3)
Almost anything is a success coming off an 0-16 season and by and large, that’s what the first four games have been for Detroit. After snapping a 19 game losing streak against the Redskins, they hung tough for half a football game in Chicago. Now the Lions need to start playing four full quarters of football. Regardless, things are looking up in Detroit.

26. Buffalo Bills (1-3)
The Dick Jauron era appears to be coming to a close in Buffalo. After being named the Head Coach of the Buffalo Bills, Jauron has had three straight 7-9 seasons and now, another slow start may have doomed him. After playing a competitive game in New England, the Bills have all but flopped. A game against the lowly Browns may get them back on track, and the return of Marshawn Lynch can’t hurt but they have a long road back.

27. Washington Redskins (2-2)
This team maybe .500, but when you have two wins against the St. Louis Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a combined total of 5 points, it doesn’t matter what your record is – you have problems. In two years, with largely the same supporting cast, this team has gone from a dangerous playoff contender, to a disaster from an organizational standpoint. The Redskins have a lot of question going forward, with both personnel and from a managerial standpoint.

Knocked Out
28. Kansas City Chiefs (0-4)
This team has a lot of young talent, both on offense and on defense. What’s apparent however, is that this team has not bought into first year Head Coach Todd Haley’s system and his sporadic, public emotional outbursts on the sidelines have been met with a lot of negative media attention. When your team is 0-4, the last thing you need is to create more negative attention.

And speaking of negative attention from the media directed at 0-4 coaches…

29. Oakland Raiders (1-3)
The Raiders have been atrocious on offense. They’re last in the NFL in total offense, have a quarterback with a 42.4 rating and just lost Darren McFadden to a knee injury. To make matters worse, their head coach is being investigated by the NFL into an alleged fight he had with an assistant coach.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4)
Tampa appears to have some of the pieces to the puzzle in place. They have three running backs, all of whom have been successful at the NFL level, an emerging cover corner in Aqib Talib, and a talented wide receiver Antonio Bryant. Now they need to figure out both who their signal caller of the future will be and that small problem of how to stop other teams on offense.

31. Cleveland Browns (0-4)
This team has looked miserable through the first four weeks of the season and the only reason why they’re not 32 is because they have two quarterbacks who are starters in the NFL. Surrounded by the right players, Derek Anderson has shown what he can do (earn a spot in the Pro Bowl) and Brady Quinn certainly isn’t lacking for talent. But other than a lone bright spot in Mohamed Massaquoi, this team has had an abysmal start to the 2009 season.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-4)
This team needs help at almost every single position on the field. They have top picks in Chris Long and Jason Smith at Defensive End and Left Tackle respectively and a pro-bowl caliber running back in Steven Jackson, but after those three, are looking to improve at virtually every other position on the field.

Though Favre has just a 6-10 career record at the Metrodome during his Packers days, he has played exceptionally well there during his last few visits. Since the 2003 season, Favre has a 4-1 record, while averaging 313 passing yards, 2.4 touchdown passes, and a 108.9 quarterback rating, per game. Plus, being indoors would protect him from the elements that he was exposed playing outdoors at Lambeau Field and the Meadowlands, keeping his body fresh for later in the season. Playing in the Metrodome could potentially be a fountain of youth for Favre. Childress has not had such legitimacy at the most important position in all of sports since he became head coach in Minnesota in 2006. Considering the team won the NFC North title with mediocre play from Jackson and Gus Frerotte last season and has not made any major changes since then, Favre makes the Vikings even more of a candidate to be playing football deep into January.

However, with all of the upside that comes with signing a legend, there is also just as much downside. For the Vikings, you can’t say with absolute certainty that you know exactly what you are getting. The main concern was and still is shoulder that has a lot of mileage on it and bothered him down the stretch last year, leading to his poor play that cost the Jets a shot at the playoffs and Eric Mangini’s job. Though Favre repaired the biceps tendon that affected him last season this offseason, he will still be playing with a slight tear in his rotator cuff. Clearly, Favre thought this will not be an issue and that shoulder is in good enough condition to hold up for the season, which is why he decided he wants to play yet another season. However, he is 39 and will be 40 in October, so nothing is for sure. It could be just fine for the season, or it could hinder his performance late in the season when his team needs him to step up yet again.

The Vikings will have to be careful with how they use Favre during the season if they hope to have a passing attack that is as potent as their running game. Although the Vikings seem to all be in support of their team’s decision to bring in Favre, especially since some of the team’s best players—Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen—actively courted him and expressed disappointment when he declined to join them at first, I still refuse to believe that Favre will fit in with the Vikings as seamlessly as he and the organization seem to believe. This goes beyond becoming comfortable with the offense, getting his timing right with his new receivers, and familiarizing himself with his new city and fan base. Favre’s job as the Vikings’ new starting quarterback is not only to pass the ball, but also to be the team’s leader on the field and in the locker room. Despite his legend status and all that he has accomplished, the Vikings players should not just give him their unconditional respect. Like everything in football, he should have to earn it. When Favre flip-flopped and did not sign with the team at the eve of the start of training camp, he already left the Vikings in a tough position. Now that the dog days of training camp are over and the preseason is well under way, Favre now feels it is the right moment to join the team because he would have the starting job anyway and this is the time that suits him best.

This sure sets a nice example for the young players on the team who Favre will have to lead by example starting yesterday. Unlike Michael Strahan, who pulled a similar stunt two seasons ago with the Giants, Favre has not done anything with the Vikings to prove that he should be able to have such authority to call his own shots. Although I cannot in anyway find out what the Vikings players think, I feel it would be naïve to think that something along the lines of “who does this guy think he is?” or “does he think he is too good for training camp?” did not cross the minds of some of the veterans of the team when Favre first walked into the Vikings locker room, especially since he told them he did not want to play for them just three weeks ago. Maybe these thoughts never crossed their minds at all, no one except for the players themselves will ever know, and they were a marriage made in heaven.

However, all I can say is, just do not forget how some Jets players, especially Thomas Jones, blasted Favre at the end of last season for not being a team player. If things do not go as planned in Minnesota by the end of the season, it would not be surprising to hear something similar in January from an ESPN report. Ultimately, the Brett Favre signing is a major gamble for Childress and the Vikings. He thought it was the right move for his team even a year ago when Favre pleaded for his release from the Packers and clearly, Childress still believes it now, since he brought Favre in so late into the team’s preparation for the upcoming season. It could pay huge dividends if Favre does in fact prove to be the key to Minnesota’s elusive first Super Bowl title. However, if Childress, Favre, and the Vikings do not make the most out of this year, if that is all Favre wants to play, this decision could have major repercussions that could hurt the franchise in the long run.

Before I begin, let me just state that I fully agree with the Vikings decision to chase Favre. In Adrian Peterson they have the best running back in football, but with Tavaris Jackson (and probably with Sage Rosenfels too) under center, teams are completely willing to put eight in the box to counter Peterson and it obviously makes it much harder on him. By adding even just Favre’s reputation, it would at the very least free up space for Peterson to do his thing.

But now, just days before the Vikings have gone to training camp, Favre says he doesn’t want to play anymore. After dragging them along this whole time, he’s calling it quits. Done. Personally, I was shocked. I thought for sure that between his shoulder surgery and all of his workouts, we’d be seeing Favre donning the purple. Apparently, not so. So how does this leave the Vikes? In complete disarray. Where all offseason they basically have been telling Jackson and Rosenfels that the organization wasn’t confident in them (probably rightfully so) they all of a sudden need to pick one of them to lead the football team to victory. And how do you think they feel about that? Or the rest of the team. I mean obviously they want to play, but no one wants to be a team’s backup plan. Had Favre made this decision earlier, the team might have either been able to make improvements in other areas, or at the very least go into the season on a united front. Not now. I won’t be expecting to see the Vikes in the playoffs in 2009.

And, if all that wasn’t enough, late last night Favre decided to say that while he didn’t think he would play again, he couldn’t rule it out. Please. Doesn’t he realize how much he is angering the entire country’s fan base? We know now what he wants. He wants to start the season five or six games in, so he doesn’t have to play the whole time. I get it Favre. Now I know. But even though I’m by no means a Vikings fan, I feel bad for them, they were deceived and tricked, by the Hall of Famer, Brett Favre.

To start off, let me tell you what I would do if I was a team that is considering going after Vick for next season: find another option. I just don’t see how it can be in a team’s interest to get a guy like Vick. Let’s face the facts, Vick was always an average quarterback at best who was glorified for his playing style. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching the man play, it’s incredibly exciting, but he lacked the actual quarterbacking skills to make him effective. So to me, Vick is a high-risk low-reward play. I can’t possibly see him being any better after coming out of prison, and it would definitely be possible that he has gotten worse and will need some adjustment time, so it’s probably not a good move. And sure, he might motivate the fan base somewhat, but he’s also going to cause major controversy, any big-time NFL fans that also happen to be serious animal rights activists (can’t imagine there a ton of these people, but still) would be quite put off.

Even if a team wants to have Vick play for them, the real obstacle lies in the hands of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell/Harvey Dent. You know Goodell is going to want to punish Vick beyond his time spent in the penitentiary, so on or somewhere soon after July 20, when Vick’s sentence is up, we may find out that all of this is moot because he is being suspended further.

Now beyond all that, let’s take a look at who might be interested. The leading candidate right now is the Miami Dolphins after former NFL coach Dennis Green said that Bill Parcells wants to go after him, and being the wily fox that Parcells is, Green thinks he can convince Goodell to let Vick play. With all of the wildcat-type things that the Dolphins did last season, Vick actually seems like a pretty good fit there, so if he’s going to play in the NFL. Another option might be the Vikings, assuming that the Favre stuff falls through. Since they’re looking for a temporary quarterback, if Vick can’t find a big offer, taking a one-year contract and then “proving” he’s still got it would be smart. Other teams could try this too, particularly ones that are going to be “training” young quarterbacks, like the Jets, though to be honest I don’t really see that happening at all. Destination: Miami Dolphins.

So yeah, I’ll make this brief. Favre has apparently been given some sort of deadline to decide whether he will be under center for the Minnesota Vikings this upcoming year, though he wants more time to find out if his surgery worked. Apparently, those close to him think he’s going to play, because a ton of them booked a hotel near Lambeau Field for the Vikings/Packers game this November

I just hope that Minnesota is doing this for the right reasons. Clearly, Tarvaris Jackson did not work out last year, and they need a new quarterback. They don’t need anyone amazing to compliment Adrian Peterson, just someone that can get the job done. Obviously, Favre is a temporary fix, and calling him a fix might be pushing it. He’ll be better than Jackson was, but at his age the injury risk is incredibly high, and that would just ruin a whole season for the Vikes. If the Vikings have explored all other options and don’t see a way of nabbing another QB, this might make sense for them, but if there is a long-term viable option for them, it would be worth a little sacrifice now to secure the future.