FAVRE NAMED ONE OF FIVE VIKINGS TEAM CAPTAINS

Less than a month after announcing his return to the NFL and joining the Minnesota Vikings, quarterback Brett Favre has been named one of five team captains.  This is quite a turnaround from his first weeks with the team, when there were a number of questions about his commitment to the team and the motivation behind ending his retirement for the second straight year.  Favre joins guard Steve Hutchinson, defensive tackle Kevin Williams, linebacker E.J.

Henderson and kicker Ryan Longwell as the Vikings’ permanent captains. The Vikings will also pick a sixth captain on a game-by-game basis.

Favre accepted the role readily, and commented to the media on the importance of team chemistry:

"Chemistry is so important. I don't care how good of a player I may be or the next guy may be. In this game of football, it takes 11. Being on the same page, the unit that plays more as one than as opposed to a bunch of individuals is the one that succeeds."

Favre addressed his teammates earlier in the week with the approval of Vikings’ coach in an effort to make sure they were on the same page with him and understood that he ended his retirement for ‘the right reasons’.  Favre continued his discourse on ‘chemistry’ to explain the nature of his speech:

"You can't coach chemistry. You can't fake it. It has to happen. You have to believe in one another and that is ongoing. This is a good group of guys; it really is. As I told them, I am honored to be a part of this team."

He appears to have made his point, at least according to Vikings tight end Visante Shiancoe:

"He pretty much answered everybody's questions. Cleaned up everybody's wonders."

Whether or not Favre’s leadership ability plays out on the field, he’s never had a problem winning over his teammates.  After ending his retirement last year and signing with the New York Jets he was voted as one of their captains less than a month after joining the team.  Favre said that the way he conducts his business on a day to day basis speaks for itself:

"I think the guys from within the last three weeks have gotten a pretty good judge about what type of guy I am, what type of player  I am."

The Vikings will get their 2009 NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they travel to Cleveland for a game against the Browns.  They’ll play another road game at Detroit against the Lions the following Sunday before returning home a week later for their home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.