Brett Favre’s desire to play for the Vikings has led him to undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair his injured passing shoulder but that doesn’t mean the quarterback will be wearing purple in 2009.

ESPN cited two sources Sunday in reporting that Favre had the procedure performed last month, but also added that Favre remains unable to make a commitment because subsequent throwing sessions indicate the shoulder is not yet 100 percent. Favre retired from the New York Jets in February at least in part because of a partially torn biceps tendon in his throwing arm.

Favre, 39, has thrown on a limited basis since the surgery, according to the all-sports network, but has not felt close to “100 percent” and would not come back unless he makes significant progress.

The Jets released Favre from their reserve/retired list in late April and at that point speculation began that Favre would attempt to end his second shot at retirement by playing for the Vikings in 2009. The Vikings have done little to end that talk by not dismissing the fact they have interest in Favre.

Coach Brad Childress said on Friday that he wasn’t even thinking about Favre when asked if there might be a deadline on when he would want an answer on if Favre is going to try to play. “I’m thinking about the next four OTAs next week,” Childress said, describing his mindset. Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels have been splitting snaps with the first-team offense in offseason workouts in anticipation of battling for the starting job in training camp. Obviously, that wouldn’t happen if Favre signs.

According to the ESPN story, Favre started considering his options to repair the injury in May when he met with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. The two discussed both surgical and non-surgical options, but it was believed that Favre had serious reservations about undergoing any type of surgical procedure. The non-surgical option was for Favre to attempt to complete the tear on his own. But ESPN reported that cortisone injections and exercise therapies, that included weight lifting, failed to release the damaged tendon naturally and Favre consented to the surgical procedure.

Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, declined to confirm or deny the surgery when contacted by ESPN. “That’s a confidential client privilege,” Cook said. Cook told the Associated Press on Friday that while he speaks with Favre on a daily basis he was unaware of any pending change in his client’s plans. However, Cook added that, “We’ve all changed our minds, I guess.”

The AP story also found it interesting that Cook then began touting Favre’s ability. “I would think [the Vikings] would pull out all the stops if they want to get the guy,” Cook said. “I think Brett Favre just brings a whole new ballgame to any ballclub. That’s no reflection on the guys that are on their team at quarterback right now, but Brett’s in a different league than most.”

The timing of this news is not a surprise given that the Vikings are close to wrapping up their Organized Team Activities. It’s long been assumed that if Favre is going to attempt to play for the Vikings he wasn’t going to participate in the team’s offseason program. The Vikings hold four more OTA practices this week (Monday through Thursday) and although they have two more scheduled on June 15-16, Childress usually cancels those. The Vikings are scheduled to begin their training camp practices on July 31.

While Favre would need to become familiar with the Vikings personnel, he already knows much of their West Coast scheme. The Vikings run an offense that is very similar to what the Green Bay Packers used during much of Favre’s 16 seasons with that team.

 

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 7th, 2009 at 4:52 pm and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.