From KFAN.com

Winter Park was greeted by a sea of reporters on Thursday, most of whom buzzed about the latest Brett Favre locker room division reports. A “schism,” as ESPN’s Adam Schefter describes it.

Even though nearly every local beat reporter has written and/or reported over the last two days that no locker room rift exists (see: Pioneer Press, Viking Update, Star Tribune), the national perception remained the same heading into Thursday.

The player perception, however, was different.

“Uh oh! There’s a schism in the camera crew!” joked punter Chris Kluwe during individual drills.

“Schism! Schism!” yelled linebacker Chad Greenway as he walked toward the locker room.

“A schism is blocking the door!” shouted long snapper Cullen Loeffler as he left practice.

Jared Allen, when greeted by a mob of reporters, also spoke up.

“I’m not taking any schism questions because it’s a bunch of [expletive].”

And then there’s mild-mannered safety Madieu Williams.

“Brett has fit in great. He’s one of the guys. Everybody has welcomed him with open arms. He’s fit right in. He’s been a great locker room guy.”

How many more players need to be stacked on non-schism side?

“I have no idea what [schism] means,” Favre said. “I’m assuming it’s controversial.

“You guys have to keep stirring the pot, I guess, so somebody’s got to make up a story like that. I can assure you, I don’t think anybody in that locker room, me included, would use that word. We’d probably come up with something a little different. You guys have to come up with something a little more locker room-related.”

Of course, as reporters left the practice field and headed back to the media room, Kluwe threw yet another zinger.

“There’s a pretty big schism in the parking lot. Don’t trip!”

If the quarterback competition still involved only Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, Schefter and Mike Florio’s reports of locker room division (and “schisms”) wouldn’t even scratch the surface of relevance.

Are the reports incorrect? Not necessarily. But they are hardly newsworthy. If the Vikings weren’t projected to make a deep run in the NFC, and if Brett Favre wasn’t the quarterback, none of this pseudo-controversy would exist.

What about the Jets? Is it possible a “faction” of that locker room would rather see Kellen Clemens start over Mark Sanchez? Almost certainly. But where’s the story? Same for Detroit. Members of the Lions’ locker room probably side with both Matt Stafford and Daunte Culpepper. But their “schism” won’t register on the radar.

The headline might as well read, “Breaking News: 80 Men May or May Not Agree 100% on Everything.”

The next question, then, would be, “So, what?”

And that’s where this non-story can be put to rest. The key veterans on this team have all spoke up over the last three days – to KFAN, to the Pioneer Press, to the Star Tribune, to Vikings Update, to the Associated Press – and said no division exists in the locker room. Is it possible some players have more faith in Tarvaris Jackson? Possibly, and probably. Does that mean the locker room is divided?

Absolutely not.

As far as fitting into the locker room, Favre characterized it as “a work in progress.”

“To be here eight, nine days, whatever it’s been, I’d be a fool to sit here and tell you I’ve won everyone over in the locker room, and that’s not what I’m trying to do,” Favre said. “I was brought in here to help this team win, not to make friends, even though I felt like that’s an easy thing for me to do. Once again, I will continue to work on that part of it. I think my experience can only go so far on the field, but it can pay huge dividends off the field and in the locker room, how to adjust. You know what? You’ve got to be yourself, and I’m pretty content with my personality. I think it’s able to fit in with just about everyone.”

Moving forward, the only way division will exist is if the Vikings start losing football games. End of story. There are too many hungry veterans to let drama creep in before games are decided between the white lines.

Notes

- As Favre alluded to, it’s highly unlikely – based on reaction Thursday – that any player would describe their own locker room by using the word “schism”. Therefore, any anonymous source that spoke on behalf of the Vikings locker room regarding “division” was probably an outsider of some sort. Second or third-hand information.

- On Thursday morning, the Vikings released WR Glenn Holt. Holt was supposed to compete for a kick/punt return job, but after the Vikings drafted Percy Harvin, Holt’s chances of earning a roster spot decreased significantly.

- After taking a few reps during practice on Wednesday, WR Bernard Berrian (hamstring) was back mixing in on Thursday. It looks more and more like Berrian may suit up on Monday night.

- Favre and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell have spent the last two or three nights watching film until 10:00 p.m. at Winter Park.

“We’ve watched tape from last year, watched some tape from training camp, some plays that are going in, some plays that are already in, some plays maybe that I already know but where I’m trying to adjust to how Percy runs a corner route as opposed to the next guy,” Favre said. “How [TE Visanthe Shiancoe] runs a crossing route as opposed to Bubba Franks. To me, that’s the most important thing. It’s good that terminology and the plays are the same. The big difference is there’s a guy behind me that runs pretty good.”

From KFAN.com

One of the main questions lingering, both before and after the Brett Favre signing, is whether or not the Vikings locker room has suffered a divide. Are some players ticked off about this addition? And what will it take to make sure everybody is on the same page come week one?

Well, during halftime of Monday night’s preseason game between the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said there are players in the Vikings locker room who still aren’t 100% on board with the decision to bring Brett Favre in. These players are “TJack Backers,” if you will.

This is a storyline that simply won’t go away until the Vikings start winning games with Favre at the helm.

Jackson played out of his mind against the Chiefs last Friday (12-of-15, 202 yards, 2 TDs), and Favre came out looking like a rusted statue. Because of this (whether valid or not), TJack Backers both inside and outside the Vikings locker room have a few rounds of ammo. For now.

But ponder these points:

1.) A large chunk of Jackson’s performance on Friday night came against the Chiefs’ second-team defense. The entire chunk of Jackson’s performance on Friday night came in the preseason (i.e. no pressure).

2.) Jackson has been given numerous chances to grab the starting job by the proverbial horns, but here we are in Jackson’s 4th year, still wondering if he’s capable of holding up when the pressure mounts. And, believe it or not, preseason games do not provide enough pressure…

3.) There are literally 80 players in the Vikings locker room right now, and 53 will remain when the season starts. How often, in any given scenario, do 53 people see eye-to-eye on the same issue? How often do 53 people nod their heads in agreement? Of course some of the players will be skeptical of Favre. He’s only been in town for a week. But if and when Favre begins to integrate and mesh with this offense, the Vikings will score points, win games, and any semblance of drama or ill feelings will drift away.

The main point? Even though Jackson showed signs of life down the stretch last year, and even though he tallied a perfect QB rating in Friday night’s preseason game, his credentials simply aren’t anywhere near the radar in a conversation that includes Favre.

Regardless, is it such a big deal that a few players may still be stuck in “wait-and-see” mode? Last week, it sounded like Favre had a feeling he may have to slowly work his way in.

“Even though I have played for a long time and have been around, played against a lot of guys with a lot of coaches, you still have to earn respect from this team,” Favre said at his introductory press conference last week. “What you have done in the past is great, but it means nothing here. I like to play and carry myself a certain way. I feel like you don’t do that the first day, second day; I don’t know when that happens. You pick your spots. You earn respect with these guys and that is what I intend to do.”

After practice on Tuesday, key figures in the Vikings locker room also chimed in on locker room gelling.

“You can already see Brett being comfortable with the guys in our locker room,” said WR Bobby Wade, who for the last two years has also preached about how Jackson is and will be a solid NFL quarterback. “Now, as far as the learning in the classroom and things like that, that’s much different from building a camaraderie in the locker room. But that’ll all play itself out as the more opportunities you get a chance to actually play in a live game, and I think that’s what builds real camaraderie on a football team.”

When asked if he senses that camaraderie building between Favre and teammates after one week, Wade said, “Absolutely.”

CB Antoine Winfield echoed similar thoughts, basically saying the Vikings have too many experienced players to allow any drama-filled distractions to creep in.

“Brett’s been in this league a long time,” Winfield said. “We have a very solid locker room. A lot of core players a lot of veteran players. We all enjoy each other. We’ll be here every day it seems like for the next six months, so we’ll all get to know each other.”

Former NFL head coach and current NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci visited Winter Park last week, and he spent 15 minutes talking with reporters. “Mooch” was Favre’s quarterback coach for a chunk of the mid-90’s, and he had a logical explanation regarding rumblings of malcontent in the Jets locker room at the end of last season.

“Let’s be real here. Brett Favre has a daughter that’s the same age as the rookies and some of those young guys that come out early,” Mariucci said. “He’s just simply not going to hang out with guys that age after practice or at night. When practice is over and his meetings are over — he studies film as much as anybody if not more — he goes home because he has a wife and he has a daughter at home. His oldest daughter is graduated from college.

“He’s not going to be one of the guys like he used to be as a younger guy. This is a different generation. As far as being a teammate in practice, in meetings, in the games, during the time at the facility, he’s terrific. He may choose now to be a little distant at times because of his age and his other responsibilities, which I hope is understandable with everybody.”

Not to mention, if the Jets hadn’t melted down in the final six weeks of the season (much of which had to do with Favre’s biceps), would the rumblings and grumblings have gone public? If the Jets had finished the season 11-5 and earned a playoff berth, would players have griped to the media?

It’s all relative. Wins cure almost everything in the NFL. If Favre leads the Vikings to victories, his teammates will love him. If not, he’s an obvious scapegoat. That’s now the NFL works.

Until Antoine Winfield, Steve Hutchinson, Ben Leber, Jared Allen, E.J. Henderson, Pat Williams, and some of the other veterans speak negatively about Favre – an unlikely occurrence – let’s put the locker room divide talk to bed.

Practice Notes

- Bernard Berrian (hamstring) and Jim Kleinsasser (hand) stood on the sidelines, but did not participate much in practice. Sage Rosenfels (ankle) and Jared Allen (ankle) did return to practice, and both are expected to play on Monday night.

When asked about his status for Monday, Berrian said, “If I can go, I’m going.”

- TE Visanthe Shiancoe and WR Sidney Rice stayed 30 minutes after practice to work on pass-catching drills. One of the drills involved a trainer firing passes as hard as he could from 10 yards away. Preparing for Favre.

- Speaking of Favre, he stayed after practice talking with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and goofing around with a few teammates. Favre also did extra conditioning after practice.

- Sage Rosenfels isn’t sure if or how often he’ll play on Monday, but he’s looking forward to returning to Houston to face his former mates.

“It’s going to be neat. We had a great group of guys on offense. We really jelled and got along great together. I think that was a lot of the reason we had pretty good success offensively there. It’s going to be different being on the other sideline. I spent three great years of my life working and fighting with those guys.”

From KFAN.com

With the fanfare and chaos that ensued earlier in the week, it was almost impossible for Friday night to live up to the excitement. And, unfortunately, Favre’s preseason Viking debut was nothing short of anti-climactic.

The night began with Favre coming out of the tunnel for pregame warm-ups to a huge ovation. We’ve seen the Photoshop jobs of this future Hall of Famer clad in purple, but seeing him throwing passes in an actual Vikings jersey for the first time was like being stuck in some surreal, abstract dream.

Even the pre-game introductions fell short of expectations. Rather than introducing the offense – and Brett Favre – the organization chose to have the entire team run out of the tunnel together. The crowd still went nuts when Favre came into sight, but the team missed a golden opportunity for an historic ovation.

That historic ovation eventually took place after the Chiefs turned the ball over near midfield on the game’s opening possession. Favre trotted out to the huddle to a deafening roar accompanied by a flurry of flashbulbs.

After a 4-yard handoff to Adrian Peterson on the drive’s first play, Favre dropped back for his first pass attempt – a short, dump-off over the middle to FB Naufahu Tahi, which, if you poll fans, is possibly the most maligned play in Brad Childress’ playbook. Tahi was screened by an official, and the pass fell incomplete.

On third down, Favre fired a 5-yard bullet to Percy Harvin, who made his first catch as a professional. Instead of punting on 4th-and-1 from midfield, Childress elected to go for it, possibly feeding off the energy from these frothing Favre fans, but Peterson was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage.

The second drive didn’t turn out much better. Peterson ran for six yards on first down, and Favre fired an incomplete missile that whizzed by the ear of Jaymar Johnson on second down. After Visanthe Shiancoe jumped early to make it 3rd-and-9, the Chiefs sent their entire roster on a blitz, and Favre threw incomplete over the middle after being drilled in the ribs.

The final stats: 1-for-4, 4 yards, 0 turnovers, 0 touchdowns, 0 first downs.

After the game, Favre sounded like a man who was just happy to have this first game under his belt.

“Today, sitting in the meetings in the hotel… all of the sudden I started having butterflies,” Favre said. “I’m like, ‘Man I haven’t felt this in a long time,’ which was probably the oddest thing today.

“I didn’t expect much today. [I] practiced two and a half days. I just didn’t want to fumble a snap. I wanted to make sure I got the handoffs, and if you complete passes, great. But I was nervous about that.”

The Vikings wound up beating the Chiefs 17-13, thanks to a fantastic goal line stand by 2nd and 3rd string defenders. When Favre left the game, the Vikings trailed 3-0. But even though Favre has a strong command of the playbook, the fact that he only practiced 2 ½ days with his new teammates made it almost impossible for him to be on the same page as everybody, thus the miscues to Johnson and Harvin.

The important things Viking fans can take from Favre’s debut on Friday night:

1.) His presence in Purple is indeed a reality.

2.) He didn’t hurt himself.

The Vikings have a long week of practice, starting early next week, before a Monday night game at Houston on August 31st. By then, the butterflies will likely have floated away, and Favre will have had more time to gel with his offense.

Jackson’s Redemption?

Tarvaris Jackson’s miserable performance against the Indianapolis Colts in last Friday’s first preseason game may or may not have contributed to the signing of Brett Favre (we may never know), but Brad Childress lived up to his end of the bargain this week, allowing Jackson to take reps with the first team offense.

Jackson relieved Favre late in the first quarter to a chorus of boos, although fans may have simply been voicing their displeasure with Childress not sending Number Four back out. Jackson didn’t exactly help his cause on the second play when he, for whatever reason, fired a pass to Jaymar Johnson while running five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. This was just one play after he awkwardly scrambled and pump-faked before lobbing a ball toward Sidney Rice down the right sideline.

But Jackson made up for his shaky start by finding a groove in the second quarter. With the Vikings stuck inside their own 5-yardline, he 4th-year quarterback strung together multiple completions and eventually scrambled right to find TE Visanthe Shiancoe on a 13-yard touchdown pass to cut the Chiefs’ lead to 10-7.

“The first team, those guys have more continuity, and they’ve been through it before,” Jackson said. “I’ve been there with those guys before, and it was nothing new.”

It appeared Jackson’s night was complete after a 9-for-11 first half, but rather than sending John David Booty out to play the entire second half, Childress gave his former “project” a few more snaps in the third quarter.

Jackson responded by hitting WR Darius Reynaud up the seam for a 64-yard touchdown strike.

“He played extremely well, as expected,” said Bobby Wade. “We all have a lot of confidence in him, regardless of the situation. He’s a guy who’s going to be able to stand up for this team and win a lot of games if need be, and he really showed that today.”

Jackson ended up completing 12-of-15 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, and he seemed to gain confidence as the game progressed.

“I would hate to say that, ‘OK, I’ve got it in my head I’m going to be the backup,’” Jackson said. “I’d be cheating myself if I settled for being the backup. So I’m just trying to go out here and get better and try to improve myself.”

In reality, Jackson knows full-well that he is battling for the backup job. He has been given plenty of chances over the past three years to take full control of this offense, and he could never climb over the hump.

He deserves credit for a solid preseason performance, but be careful putting any stock into it. This is the preseason, and many of the players the Chiefs had on defense in the 2nd and 3rd quarters will likely be looking for other employment opportunities within three weeks.

And really, hasn’t this been the knock on Jackson all along? Inconsistency? Bad against the Colts last week, fantastic against the Chiefs this week. Bad at the start of last year, good when called in from the bullpen. Good against Arizona, bad against Philadelphia in the playoffs.

If nothing else, Jackson may have helped increase his stock and trade value after Friday night’s performance.

News and Notes

- Favre provided some interesting insight on his final snap of the night. Facing 3rd-and-long, Favre dropped back to pass only to see an all-out blitz by Kansas City. The Vikings called a double post, which Favre said is a decent call when a defense sends the farm, but he threw incomplete over the middle to Harvin.

“I thought Percy would go inside the safety, and he actually stuck the guy and went around the top, which is what he had been coached to do,” Favre said. “I didn’t know that. So that’s where I need to catch up.”

Knowing the system is one thing, but knowing the hot routes and wrinkles takes time.

Favre also took a pretty big hit to the ribs on that same play. When asked if he and Childress talked about playing a third series, Favre smiled and said, “After that hit, I thought maybe I’d wait until next week.”

- What about the arm? And the rest of Favre’s body?

“My arm’s not in game shape. It’s hard to simulate. I’ve been throwing, but not dropping back and rolling out, and doing things like that. I feel real good about where my arm is right now. Not that I wanted to get hit, but there’s only one way to get your body physically in condition, and that is to get out and fall, get banged around, get elbowed whatever. Helmet in the chest. But I’ve always felt I could handle that side of it. Not that I won’t be sore tomorrow.”

- Some other comments from teammates regarding Number Four:

“It’s what you’d expect it to be,” said Steve Hutchinson when asked about Favre’s presence in the huddle. “[He's] a veteran quarterback that’s seen it all, knows how to handle every situation.”

“It’s special,” said Adrian Peterson, regarding playing with his new QB. “I’ve been watching the guy since I was in elementary school. To be able to be on the same team with him and for him to bring that passion that he plays with, he’s just a good guy, a funny guy. He’s a good teammate.”

“Really poised, a lot of confidence, really focused,” said Bobby Wade, “and gives you an opportunity to want to play hard.”

- Jared Allen, Pat Williams, Sage Rosenfels, Marcus McCauley and Jim Kleinsasser all sat out with various injuries. All of the above except for Kleinsasser are expected to play next week.

After 18 months of flirtation, Brett Favre finally took the plunge.

Kurt Rambis doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

Twins Weekly was awesome today. Justin Gaard and I basically mailed in our prep for the show, because we figured everyone was bored with the team after more than four months of mediocrity.

We were wrong. Twins fans are passionate, and they voiced their opinions loudly on Sunday night.

We even received calls from people who referenced Ultimate Zone Rating and Fielding Independent Pitching. You know it’s an awesome show when either A.) sabermetricians call in, or B.) people turn into sabermetricians after listening.

Check out the podcast at KFAN.com.

I’d like to follow up my rant from this morning by saying I think the Twins front office made a good move today by acquiring Carl Pavano from the Indians for probably almost nothing.

You can rip the Twins for not making a more significant move pre-deadline (as I have), but don’t rip the Twins for this trade.

Most Twins fans are pissed about this trade, which is fine, but be pissed for the right reasons. Be pissed because the Twins didn’t acquire a reliever pre-deadline. Be pissed they didn’t make a big splash previously.

But don’t be pissed about the acquisition of Pavano, because he’s not as bad as you think he is.

Pavano’s 5.whatever ERA is a bit deceiving. He currently sports a 4.26 FIP (scaled to equal ERA, for those not familiar), and he rarely issues free passes (1.65 BB/9), while striking out a respectable 6.3 batters per 9.

Pavano’s problem comes with his 19 HRs allowed this season, and his propensity to get shelled (six starts of at least 5 ER allowed).

Is he a top-notch starter? No. Is he “the answer?” Probably not. Overall, however, Pavano is probably now the Twins’ third-best starter behind Blackburn and Baker. Not to mention, he replaces R.A. Dickey on the roster.

So, while there are many things to rip this season, the acquisition of Carl Pavano is not one of them.