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Farve a Viking: What it Means for the Bears

by Sean Heffernan

The on again off again saga of Brett Farve is entering yet another chapter as the 39-year-old quarterback is set to sign with the Minnesota Vikings pending a physical. The former Green Bay Packers QB is rumored to sign a 10-12 million dollar contract today with the Vikings. Three weeks ago Vikings head coach Brad Childress told the press that Farve was going to stay retired. However, last night two unnamed players leaked rumors to the media that the Vikings were expecting Farve to join the team soon. Today, Farve and his wife flew to Minnesota to meet with team officials. Farve's return to the NFC North seems inevitable at this point, but what does this mean to Bears fans? ...

If Farve's arm is healthy enough to actually play this year the NFC North will become one of the most watched divisions this year in the NFL. The Bears have their first franchise quarterback in modern history in Jay Cutler. The Vikings welcoming the Brett Farve circus to the Twin Cities won't help division rivals the Packers who are still struggling to expel the ghosts of #4 still lingering around Green Bay.

Should Bears fans fear the purple now that they have Farve? The simple answer is yes. The scary thing is that the number one thing holding the Vikings back last season was the lack of stability at quarterback. The "Williams Wall" of Kevin Williams and Pat Williams along with all pro Jared Allen anchored the NFL's best run defense. Adrian Peterson is the best young running back in the league and has had a number of monster games against the Bears already in his short career. If Farve can keep from throwing interceptions the Vikings' offense can put up some serious numbers. Last year teams were able to focus on shutting down Peterson and make the Vikings' beat them with the pass. Who remembers Gus Frerotte's 99 yard pass to former Bear Bernard Berrian last season?

The question marks remain the same for the Bears: Will Jay Cutler live up to the hype or did the Broncos do the right thing releasing their franchise QB? Can the Bears rediscover their defensive form after a disappointing 2008? Who will step up and be Cutler's go to receiver? If the Bears can answer these questions they will have a chance to contend for the NFC North division title. Like Cutler, Farve brings more attention to the division, but doesn't force the Bears to rethink their keys to success. Anyways, it looks like Jay Cutler won't be the most speculated quarterback in the NFC North this year.