Posted by Will Brinson

More specifically, when Brad Childress took the podium at Vikings training camp, he discussed Brett Favre's REPORTED (can't stress that enough) retirement . Childress was clearly aware of the reports circulating today, even if he said otherwise and had no technical knowledge of Favre's decision.

"I'm not aware of any of those reports, obviously," the Vikings coach said. "I've been out here for the last three hours or so. But if or when the case is he does something one way or the other, I'm sure he'll communicate with me, I'm sure of that."

Clearly, Favre didn't communicate directly to Childress (although Minnesota's coach did say that he had "talked to [Favre] in the last 24 hours"), given the news that the reports from the media stemmed from teammates, but Childress seemed surprised at the notion that Favre would use other channels.

"Brett and I communicate ... So I don't suppose he'd call Jared Allen and have Jared pass the word to me -- that's not going to happen. I'll talk to him one way or the other."

Childress acknowledged, however, that it was entirely possible Favre could decide to hang up his cleats, since, after all, he is aging.

"He's a 40 year old man. He's just got to come to grips with it. He, his wife, kids, a lot of meetings with himself. He talks to people, he talks to teammates, so everyone of those are influences, but the guy who looks you back in the mirror is the one you have to answer to."

A key point that the media will focus on (and this is me doing it) is that Childress doesn't think Favre's potential retirement would be detrimental to the team, or, more specifically, the quarterback situation.

"I feel great about it. We got four, five good days of work here. People want to know "What's plan B?" Well, it's those guys and they've done a nice job in camp."

That's obviously a stretch -- the Vikings would take a substantial hit if they were forced to use Tavaris Jackson as the starter for Week 1. But even if Jackson starts the season opener against the Saints, Childress didn't rule out the possibility of Favre joining the team after their bye in Week 4.

"Those are kind of "if-then" hypotheses ... We're day-to-day right here."

Overall, Childress handled the slew of fully-Favre-related questions well (or as well as anyone could given the circumstances). At one point, he even joked, "I feel like this is Watergate. Have I done something wrong? Am I  own trial?"

That elicited plenty of laughter from media in the room, but the reality is, it's not entirely all that humorous -- Childress' job is wholly dependent on his team's performance. And while with or without Favre, the Vikings will still be a good football team, it's obvious that they won't be the same if he retires.

Although, as Childress pointed out, that's never a sure thing until you "hear it from the horse's mouth."

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If, as is being reported all over the place (and on the Facts & Rumors blog), Brett Favre does retire – and there’s some healthy skepticism that he will, no matter what he says – what happens with the Vikings offense?

Obviously, they’ve still got some of the best young wide receivers in the game with Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. WR Bernard Berrian is solid and dangerous as a deep threat. Those guys will make a mediocre quarterback look better than he actually is. And running backs? Two words: Adrian Peterson. Meanwhile, second-round pick Toby Gerhart – Chester Taylor’s replacement – is a Doak Walker Award winner who will take a few of Peterson’s carries, especially when Minnesota needs a physical inside runner.

At the skill positions, there’s no question the Vikings have the talent to win the NFC championship. The quarterback position is … well ... a different story.

If Favre retires, they’ll have a couple problem areas. First, Minnesota doesn’t have the greatest run-blocking offensive line – which is a bit surprising, considering the talent the team has on this unit – and without Favre, the Vikings will need to run the ball more effectively to make up for the lack of Favre-ian like talent at the signal-caller position (more on this below).

Favre, at least in my opinion, is still a top-five quarterback , especially considering the season he had last year (68.4 completion percentage, 4,200 yards, 33 touchdowns, seven interceptions), and Minnesota would lose one of the most important players in the game.

So, who would replace him? Most likely, it’d be Tarvaris Jackson – an athletic quarterback who hasn’t figured out how to become a successful NFL quarterback. He started 12 games in 2007, and though the Vikings went 8-4, he wasn’t particularly impressive. His accuracy was mediocre, and his decision-making was questionable. If you’re comparing him to Favre, Jackson is more mobile but not nearly as strong in every other facet in the game.

If not Jackson, the team could turn to Sage Rosenfels. He’s never been a full-time starter, and there’s a pretty good reason for that. In fact, if Favre stays, Rosenfels might be on his way out of town, depending on how rookie Joe Webb is performing in practice. 

Rosenfels is often too aggressive, leading to too many avoidable interceptions. He’s the prototypical backup. He doesn’t look bad on the sidelines while wearing a ballcap. But if you have to throw him in as the starter, that’s not a great thing for your team. Webb, meanwhile, was slated to be a wide receiver, but he’s played well enough in practice for the Vikings to keep him with the quarterbacks. At this point, though, you certainly don’t want Webb starting games for your team.

If Favre doesn’t return, like he’s apparently saying right now, the Vikings wouldn’t face a disaster if Jackson was their man. But if it’s Rosenfels or Webb, there’s no way this team can make a deep run into the playoffs. For their sake, the Vikings have to hope this latest Favre news isn’t true. Otherwise, their Super Bowl hopes have just taken a huge hit.

--Josh Katzowitz

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You know how everybody said that Brett Favre was coming back for his 20th year? It was basically a fact before the official announcement. Everybody – and I mean everybody – knew Favre would return. According to Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, that might not necessarily be true.

Apparently, Favre has told Vikings official he won’t return.

Zulgad writes on his Twitter account that Favre’s ankle hasn’t responded the way he wants.

But before you anoint Tarvaris Jackson the starter quite yet, Zulgad has some words of caution.

Writes Zulgad: “Favre is expected to issue a press release later today. Keep in mind this is Brett Favre and it is Aug. 3.” And this: “There is a chance ownership will go back to Favre with an offer of more than the 13 million for this season.”

We, of course, will keep you updated on this.

--Josh Katzowitz

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The Pioneer Press has a very interesting story that suggests Pat and Kevin Williams weren’t the first players to complain about unknown substances in the StarCaps diuretic.

In 2006 and '07, a rash of NFL players tested positive for bumetanide, which troubled Dr. John Lombardo (the NFL’s drug-testing administrator), who had learned that StarCaps, the diuretic they were using, was tainted with the potent drug.

(Lombardo) was so troubled that he exonerated at least eight players, including a pair of Pro Bowlers, because they told Lombardo they unknowingly ingested the banned substance — clemency that clashed with a steroids policy in which players are responsible for what is in their bodies.

Adolpho Birch was unmoved by the players' excuses. The vice president of the NFL's labor policy and its anti-doping enforcer was so troubled by Lombardo's actions that he ordered his subordinate to stop pardoning StarCaps users who failed tests and to start referring them for discipline.

By training camp 2008, StarCaps ceased to be a get-out-of-jail card, exposing to punishment another cluster of users who tested positive for bumetanide, including Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams.

The exonerated players never had steroid accusations hurled at them, and their names did not come up during the Williams trial. Three of those players are still in the league: 49ers CB Nate Clements, Jets OT Damien Woody and Dolphins OT Vernon Carey. Another five are out of football: former Chiefs/Seahawks OT Damion McIntosh, the late Patriots DE Marquis Hill, Bills/Patriots WR Jonathan Smith, Bills FB Daimon Shelton and Giants/Patriots FB Patrick Pass.

According to the Lombardo and Birch depositions, the eight exonerated players linked their failed tests to StarCaps. The controversial weight-loss pill claimed garlic and papaya as active ingredients, but actually was spiked with bumetanide, according to the recall StarCaps' manufacturer, Balanced Health Products, initiated in December 2008. The company has since filed for bankruptcy.
Bumetanide is a diuretic typically prescribed to treat congestive heart failure and renal disease. The NFL and NFLPA classify it as a potential masking agent for steroids.

The consumption of bumetanide was unintentional, the eight players claimed, and they found a sympathetic arbiter in Lombardo.
Ostensibly, the NFL isn’t thrilled that this information has become public.

--Andy Benoit

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--It looks like Dwayne Jarrett will be the No. 2 receiver in Carolina this year .


--Trent Edwards opened training camp as the No. 1 quarterback in Buffalo.


--Pisa Tinoisamoa is battling Nick Roach for a starting strongside linebacker job in Chicago (both would be better on the weak side, but that’s neither here nor there.)


--Sidney Rice’s bum hip has landed him on PUP for now .


--Giants safety Kenny Phillips is also on PUP . Phillips is trying to come back from microfracture surgery that wiped out virtually all of his ’09 season.


--David Tyree and Ike Hilliard both signed contracts with the Giants so that they could retire as members of Big Blue.


--Chester Pitts finally found a home. The longtime Texan and his surgically-repaired knee signed a one-year contract with the Seahawks. Seattle runs a zone-blocking scheme that is very similar to the one Pitts worked in under Gary Kubiak in Houston.


--Derrick Burgess has upset the Patriots by not showing up for training camp. He is leaning towards retirement.

-- Andy Benoit

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You think getting Brett Favre back into the lineup is the key to the Vikings making another playoff run? Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune might disagree with you, and he makes a pretty compelling case.

It’s because Minnesota likely will return all 22 players, assuming Favre pulls on the uniform again, who made most of the starts at their respective positions last year.

How rare is it for the Vikings – hell, for anybody – to accomplish this? Writes Reusse, “It's astounding in this era of free agency to see the Vikings positioned to have the same 22 make the most starts for two consecutive seasons. There was incredible roster stability during the Vikings' glory years from 1969 through 1977, yet there were never two consecutive seasons when Bud Grant had the same 22 get the most starts.”

Not surprisingly, Reusse also predicts – in so many words – that this will be the year Minnesota wins the Super Bowl.

--Josh Katzowitz

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Brett Favre tells USA Today that he was ready to retire last January following the loss to New Orleans. And it had nothing to do with his ankle injury.

"I can remember walking off that podium with (wife) Deanna and my family thinking, 'I'm done,' " Favre said. "I mean, my heart … it was broken."

"People can talk about the ankle and my thigh and all that stuff, but those will mend. I just said, 'I can't take this. It's just too hard to digest.' "

Favre decided to retire after the game, but the love he got from teammates opened his eyes.

Favre changed his mind and decided not to retire immediately on the Vikings' charter flight home after the loss.

One after another, Viking players, coaches and personnel walked to Favre's seat and thanked him for his valiant effort.

"I mean, there were tears flyin'," Favre says. "By the time we landed, I am like, 'I don't think I can let these guys down.' I know football is a business, but more than anything I felt like there was unfinished business. All of a sudden, 'Oh, man, as much as I don't want to go through that again, I almost feel as if I owe these guys something.'
-- Andy Benoit

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