By: Dan

By now, I’m sure all of you have heard that Brett Favre is mulling yet another return to the NFL. It seems like this has become a yearly event, and frankly, I’m sick of hearing about it. But with all the stories about Favre surfacing, it’s clear that he still commands a lot of interest and respect from the media and fans.

The latest rumors have the 39-year-old quarterback contemplating a comeback with the Minnesota Vikings, a huge rival of Favre’s old team, the Green Bay Packers. I wonder if Favre is just trying to stick it to his old bosses, or if the fire to compete is really there.
Anyway, for Gator fans who like to keep tabs on players who make it to the next level, the question is, would having Favre in a Viking uniform benefit or hurt rookie receiver Percy Harvin?

On the surface, it would seem pretty evident that the veteran quarterback’s presence could only help Harvin along. Minnesota’s quarterback situation is not very rosy right now. The Vikes did pick up Sage Rosenfels, but the nine-year veteran is really nothing more than a journeyman. They also have Gus Frerotte, who, at 37, has to be close to retirement, and Tarvaris Jackson, a young gun who has shown flashes of competent QB play but lacks the consistency at this point to be the man.

Upon further examination, however, I’m not sure how much Favre would help Percy for two main reasons. First, regardless of who is under center, Minnesota is going to be a run-first team. When you have arguably the best running back in the NFL in Adrian Peterson, you’re going to give him the rock early and often. In 30 career games, he has carried the ball 601 times. You can bet that number will continue to rise as Peterson begins to reach his prime.

The other thing to consider is Favre himself. If you followed the Jets down the stretch last year, you know that Favre looked like a shell of his former self. In the final five games of the 2008 season, Favre only completed 56 percent of his passes, had nine interceptions to just two touchdowns and never threw for more than 247 yards in a game. New York went 1-4 in that stretch and missed the playoffs, and a good deal of the blame for the collapse falls squarely on Favre’s shoulders.

It has been reported that he suffered a torn biceps muscle at some point in the season, and that led to the decline. Doctors recommended he get surgery or try and rest it. He went the rest route, but it’s not known how he will come back, if he ultimately decides to come back.
Regardless of who is at quarterback for the Vikings, the team would be well served to get the ball in Harvin’s hands as much as possible. I really think that Minnesota can use him in many of the same ways he was used at UF. With his size (5’11”, 192 pounds) and injury history, it probably wouldn’t be wise to run him up the middle like he was accustomed to doing at Florida. But you could give him the ball on wide receiver sweeps, throw him screens and get him involved in the return game, something the Gators didn’t have to do because of Brandon James.

Looking at Minnesota’s roster, the most accomplished receiver is Bernard Berrian, who is, for the most part, strictly a deep threat. That means Harvin should get the opportunity to step right in and make an impact. While Favre’s presence in Minnesota might make for some drama, I don’t think he will have a huge influence on Percy one way or the other.