I might be nuts for saying this, and I am sure to get a dirty, ugly earful from Vikings fans on this. But Brad Childress might have planted a bad seed Monday night, one that ultimately could cost his team in the long run.

Brett Favre was magnificent tonight. Amazing. He might be one of the best athletes of our generation at generating the most hype and then living up to the moment.

But you can't overlook the fact that he has not been a great finisher in recent seasons, long before last year's biceps injury.

It happened in 2001, the six-INT playoff game. It happened in '02, when Michael Vick beat him at Lambeau in January. It happened in '03, the awful fourth-quarter playoff INT at Philly. After three years out of the playoffs, it happened in '07 with the two late picks against the Giants. And last season, the Jets went from Super Bowl sleepers in Week 12 to out of the postseason as an injured Favre slumped down the stretch.

Tonight he was magical. Favre delivered a vintage performance.

But the problem is that, now, Favre is empowered.

He has won over the city. He has won over his teammates. And Favre has convinced Brad Childress that he made the right decision, dancing with the devil for the better part of two years.

After all, could Tarvaris Jackson have made that last-minute drive — and that TD throw — against the 49ers? Could Sage Rosenfels have put on the kind of performance that Favre did Monday night? Signs point to no.

On a night in which Adrian Peterson was bottled up and actually cost his team seven points on a fumble, Favre stole the show.

And that might be the worst thing to happen to the Vikings.

Hey, I'll eat my words if Favre plays at this level for the remainder of the season, after turning 40 this week. I'll hand-deliver an apology to Childress if the Vikings win the Super Bowl and Favre avoids injury.

But the worst thing that happened tonight is that Favre gave the Vikings a glimpse of his old self. He teased them with his Hall of Fame ability. He restoked the legendary fire. And with that, he might have changed the way the Vikings draw up their offensive game plans the rest of the season.

Not in a good way, I am afraid.

It's not Favre's fault; it's in his nature to want the ball. I don't blame the competitor one iota.

Go back to the 3rd-and-10 from the Packers' 45-yard line. The Vikings were up 30-20, and the Packers had zero timeouts. A handoff takes off another 30-40 seconds, and hey, maybe the Vikings even get a first down. Unlikely, with 10 yards to go, but at worst it keeps the clock running.

I know it's hard to remember amid the Favreapalooza that they do have the best running back in the world. Bottled up or not, Peterson will get you positive yards and will hang on to the ball when he absolutely has to.

So, what did they do? The Vikings threw the ball. Repeat: They threw it. And not a safe, high-percentage pass that likely wouldn't be incomplete and stop the clock. They called for the home run, the hero shot, a 40-yard bomb down the field. Favre wanted a cherry on top of his night. For all we know, Childress might have wanted a coronation. This was his guy out there, after all.

Childress let Brett have that one. It's the respect that the great players get. I'll be interested to hear in the next few days if Favre talked his coach into going for it all.

But either way, you know what? That's an awful coaching decision right there, the kind of move Childress has been ripped for, without Favre on his team, for years.

That one play almost certainly will be buried under the waves of adulation that will rain down the next 24 hours, the next week, however long this afterglow lasts. Favre deserves the praise tonight for the way he performed, but it will be hard not to remember what the greater significance is if this thing ends up poorly.

Tonight was the night, and that third-down play was the play, where Favre took control of the Vikings. This is his team now. Whom are you talking about tonight? Favre. And whom will you be talking about when the Vikings crash-land? Yep.

With this defense, the Vikings have a chance to be great. Peterson changes the way teams defend the Vikings, and he'll have one of those games like he did in Week One or like the one when he broke the all-time rushing mark in a game two years ago. He's the most special element of this team, or to use a Reggie Jacksonism, the straw that stirs the drink.

But the mixology has changed. When Favre came in, Childress made it appear that his new quarterback was that delicate drop of bitters to finish off a perfect Sazerac. And it even worked for a couple of weeks as Favre was getting his feet wet. But now he is the drink, that 151-proof rum drowning out the other flavors.

Again, let me be clear: I am not bashing Favre. He played better tonight than I could have imagined. He helped win a game, amid ridiculous hype and emotion, on a night when Peterson was more than forgettable. Favre did what special players do in these situations.

But in the long run, forgetting about Peterson and handing the keys to the riverboat gambler who has a long-running history of ending on a cold streak could be suicide. Remember this night not only for what Favre did but also for how the Vikings changed. If Childress lets the control slip away — and he might already have — he had better know what lies ahead.

It's not pretty.

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