Steve Mariucci: Brett Favre Consulted Physician at Vikings' Request

An item from a Steve Mariucci live-chat on NFL.com possibly confirms – as if we really needed confirmation – that the Vikings have been speaking to Brett Favre about his shoulder:

"Keith, OntarioSteve, you seem to be one of the only TRUE authorities on Favre. As a huge supporter, can you please provide me with some factual information on his current position, i.e., are we going to be blessed with another season with Favre?Steve MariucciWe might be. He’s trying to determine if his shoulder is going to allow him to throw the ball well enough. Of course, the Vikings want to know, and are trying to determine, if the torn biceps tendon will be healed enough to play well. So both sides are evaluating the situation.Brett prefers not to have surgery unless it’s a last resort. He has consulted a physician to get another opinion. I supposed that was the Vikings’ request. There’s enough time for him to get in shape and get ready if they can work it out."

All right, I think we can put to bed any doubts we had that the Vikings are interested:  they definitely are.  And Favre would not be seeking second opinions at their request were the interest not mutual.

And then there’s this from an NFL.com story, also on Favre’s process of shoulder evaluation:

"The NFL Network confirmed Tuesday that the retired quarterback, who is in the process of determining if his right shoulder is healthy enough to let him return next season, had a cortisone shot and threw the ball last week."

This would seem to be in line with everything else that has been reported about Favre’s determination to seek non-surgical solutions to the shoulder issue.  Maybe he can make it through a whole season just shooting the damn thing up.  The worst-case scenario, from the Vikings point-of-view, would be for Favre to come back, make it part of the way through the year, then decide the pain is too much to tolerate.  What a rip-off that would be.