There’s no reason to take Favre seriously at this point, given his history of going back-and-forth on his retirement plans during the past few offseasons. But it’s easy to understand why he might be serious about hanging ‘em up this time; Favre took a serious beating against the Saints on Sunday, and on numerous occasions was slow to get up and limped off the field. It’s not difficult to imagine him waking up on Monday morning and not want to move ever again, let alone play football.

For the Vikings, however, Favre’s return is essential. He silenced the skeptics by having a Pro-Bowl season and, had it not been for the team suffering from a severe case of “fumblitis,” he’d be playing in the Super Bowl in two weeks. He delivered on all the hype and was everything Minnesota hoped for and more. And if he doesn’t return, the team is back to square one with Tavarus Jackson and Sage Rosenfels battling for the No. 1 spot, neither of whom head coach Brad Childress felt comfortable with as his quarterback heading into this past season.

Don’t expect this to be the last post related to Favre’s potential retirement. A dozen more might be more likely.