Anyone following the Brett Favre situation knows that the 40-year-old quarterback is going to play this season with the Vikings provided that his shoulder feels good enough. All indications are that it does, and sources told PFW that a decision was expected in the days immediately after this issue went to press.

The most solid evidence came from the man who performed surgery this offseason on Favre’s torn biceps, noted sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

“I’m not supposed to say anything,” Dr. Andrews told the Clarion Ledger, “but Brett kind of let that cat out of the bag on that HBO show,” Andrews said. “I did his shoulder (arthroscopic surgery) a few weeks ago. I visited him in Hattiesburg two weeks ago. He wants to play and he wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings. He wants to end his career on a high note, and I hope he can. He’s a tough guy, a great guy. I’m pulling for him. He wants to play. He just wants to make sure his shoulder and arm are healthy enough.”

That combined with reports that Favre recently has shopped for a place to live in the Minneapolis area, and the quarterback’s addition to the Vikings is all but a slam dunk.

The interesting development on the side has been the play of Tarvaris Jackson, who, lost amid the Favre hype, has had an excellent offseason. WR Bobby Wade, who spoke with PFW a few weeks ago, praised the way Jackson and Sage Rosenfels have handled themselves amid all the hoopla but also noted that Jackson was having one of his best offseasons.

Other reports have filtered in that some veterans are not crazy about the idea of a new quarterback, whether it’s Favre or Rosenfels, and that Jackson should be the starter based on the way he has performed. But nothing short of a Favre injury is going to keep him out of the starting lineup, assuming he does decide to join the team.

That assimilation process could be the most interesting part of Favre joining the Vikings. This is a veteran team predominantly, and Favre has said he regrets the timing of how he joined the Jets last season in a flurry following a trade from the Packers. But with more time and speculation leading up to a Vikings deal, sources think that team veterans have braced themselves already for the media and fan crush that almost certainly will come with Favre’s arrival.