There were plenty of people who were rubbed wrong by the Vikings' long and well-chronicled pursuit of QB Brett Favre this offseason, saying it was upsetting team chemistry even before he joined the club. There were doubters about drafting Percy Harvin, who came equipped with questions about his maturity and character and whether he could adapt quickly to the pro game as anything more than as a specialist. And there were more still who wondered if letting C Matt Birk walk in free agency, handing the job to untested John Sullivan, was the right call.

So far, the 7-1 Vikings, who only suffered a late loss in Pittsburgh, have been three-for-three on their three toughest offseason decisions.

You could add Darren Sharper to the list and point out that he is having a Pro Bowl-type of season for the Saints. But Sharper has been reenergized with the Saints, in part, because they are having him do a lot more in that scheme than he would be in Minnesota as a half-field defender. The Vikings drafted Tyrell Johnson high in the second round in 2008 and paid big money to Madieu Williams, getting decent results from both. There really was no home for Sharper, who had fallen out of the starting lineup by the time the team lost in the playoffs last season.

It's difficult to say whether Favre or Adrian Peterson — or Harvin, for that matter — has been the Vikings' best player to date. Nearly every opposing defense has aimed to stop Peterson first, but Favre has delivered. He has taken fewer sacks since the first two games and turned the ball over only four times, twice against the Steelers.

Harvin, though, has been the secret weapon, perhaps not so secret anymore. His work on offense (369 yards receiving, 39 rushing, three TDs) has been very good, but his tremendous job as a kickoff returner (NFC-best 30.7-yard average, two TDs) makes you wonder just how talented Florida is that Harvin never returned kickoffs or punts in college. Credit the Vikings for seeing that ability and putting it to work quickly.

Sullivan has been a nice performer, too light in the pants to push around heavy nose tackles, but he gets good position and has meshed well with Favre, who likes to change plays on the fly.

So far, everything has gone according to plan.

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