Favre’s defenders might point out that, even despite Brett’s struggles, he nearly led the Vikings to a comeback win.  And yes, it’s true, the Vikings did miss winning the game by a few centimeters of Percy Harvin‘s foot in spite of everything.  And it’s also true that the referees made some questionable calls, including reversing a Visanthe Shiancoe touchdown that could easily have been ruled a good catch.  And it’s true that Brad Childress deserves some heat for pulling back the reins at the end of the first half when the Vikes had a chance to perhaps tack on a few more points.  And there was that hanky-panky with the stadium reply on the Andrew Quarless touchdown that Childress might have challenged but didn’t get a chance to see.  All of that factors in: but, the fact remains that Favre’s bad throws in the second half hurt the Vikings far more than anything else that went wrong.  Those throws resulted from a combination of factors, some mental, some physical, some preparation-related.  And they all point the way to the same all-too-obvious truth:  Brett Favre is now hurting the Vikings more than he’s helping them.
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Last night, their shiny new quarterback Jay Cutler, instead of shredding the Packers secondary as expected, threw four picks in leading the team to a loss at Lambeau Field (prompting some Bears backers to slightly overreact).  But that wasn’t even the worst news.  That came this morning when fans learned that linebacker Brian Urlacher is out for the season after having surgery on a dislocated wrist.

Just to put this in perspective for Vikings fans:  Imagine that, instead of Brett Favre playing a calm, efficient game in leading us to victory over the Browns, he had gone all gunslinger and ruined it for us.  Then, imagine that you woke up the next morning to learn that Kevin Williams was done for the year with an injury.

You would feel pretty rotten, wouldn’t you?  Well, that’s how Bears fans feel.

In the spirit of NFC North brotherhood, I think everyone should call, email or tweet to a Bears fan they know and offer some consolation.  Let them know that it’s not the end of the world to find out the quarterback they staked all their hopes on is nothing but a pouting turnover machine.  Let them know that losing Brian Urlacher isn’t that big a deal since their defense was aging and overrated anyway.

Mostly, just let them know that you care.

The Wisconsin State Journal says the Packers have had “legitimate discussions” concerning Vick, and are “doing thorough due diligence” on the player who once walked into Lambeau Field in the playoffs and thumped Brett Favre and the boys  (just like Daunte Culpepper).

Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy has tried to throw cold water on the speculation however, saying, “I don’t see anything there. I don’t anticipate anything happening there.  How do you say it? Much ado about nothing.”

Yes Mark, that’s how you say it.

Unfortunately, Ted Thompson, the guy everyone listens to when it comes to the Packers, didn’t say it.  Instead he gave one of those vague Brad Childress-type answers about never ruling anything out and always looking to improve the team.

All of which leaves one big question:  What earthly good would signing Michael Vick do the Packers?

Aaron Rodgers is a pretty good quarterback, last I looked – good enough to give Jay Cutler aka The Golden Pussy Boy a run for his money as best QB in the division.  Clearly, the Pack would not be signing Vick to push Rodgers.

That leaves two possibilities:  acquire Vick as a straight back-up, or acquire him as a slash-type player.  True, the Packers could use a back-up, but there are better, less-PR-nightmarish options out there.  Plus, if the Packers were so worried about the back-ups they have, why wouldn’t they have already upgraded there?

As for Vick in the slash role:  There’s always a chance the Packers are looking to jump on the Wildcat bandwagon, but really, with the weapons they have at receiver, and the quarterback they have chucking the ball, why go down that road?

Considering the Packers are in the middle of a tumultuous transition from the 4-3 to the 3-4 defense, would it really be a good idea for them to also overhaul, or even significantly tweak, their offense?  They’ve got enough on their plate as it is.

Pretty much any way you slice it, signing Vick would seem a bad idea for the Packers.  Then again, they know their personnel better than I do.  Maybe they think Vick would be a fit for what they’re trying to do.

Or, maybe Ted Thompson just figured his team wasn’t getting enough press run this off-season, and decided to stir things up.  Success.