The Vikings arrived in Mankato for training camp with big expectations.
Coming off a heart-breaking loss to New Orleans in the NFC title game, Brad Childress' team appeared to be missing only one piece to the puzzle and that was expected to be a short-term situation.
Brett Favre, who had joined the Vikings in mid-August in 2009, was again absent in late July when practices began but it was considered more of a charade than a reality that he was debating whether to play a 20th NFL season.
Otherwise, all of the Vikings starters from last season were back, with the exception being that cornerback Cedric Griffin wouldn't be ready because of a torn ACL suffered against the Saints.
If everything went according to plan, Tarvaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels and Joe Webb would take the snaps in Mankato and Favre would be at Winter Park when training camp broke.
And that's how it went sort of.
What the Vikings couldn't have anticipated was all the distractions they would have to endure. One was caused by Favre in early August when he began texting teammates and Vikings officials to say he wouldn't return.
Favre's teammates convinced him to change his mind but his wavering ways continued even after the Vikings left southern Minnesota. Finally, on Aug. 16, Childress dispatched veterans Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson and Ryan Longwell to go to Hattiesburg on a private plane and come back with Favre.
They did, and so the Vikings will have the Hall of Fame quarterback for a second consecutive season. That's huge considering Favre had one of his best seasons in 2009, throwing for 33 touchdowns with a career-low seven interceptions and a career-best 107.2 passer rating.
But there are still some questions on offense the Vikings did not anticipate. In fact, Childress has taken to describing the offense as being in flux.
It's hard to argue.
Wide receiver Sidney Rice arrived at camp with a sore hip and underwent surgery that is expected to sideline him for the first half of the season. Wide receiver Percy Harvin lost his grandmother on the second day of camp, left the team and did not return for an extended period because of his issues with migraine headaches. Harvin is back, but his availability has to be considered a week-to-week issue at this point.
The Vikings signed veteran free agent Javon Walker and dealt cornerback Benny Sapp to the Dolphins in exchange for Greg Camarillo as they tried to add depth at wide receiver.
But the reality is Rice's loss could be huge, given the success he and Favre had last season. Rice had a team-leading 83 receptions for 1,312 yards with eight touchdowns.
Then there is the issue at center. John Sullivan has spent most of the preseason sidelined because of a calf injury and did not play in the first three preseason games. The Vikings are making contingency plans to have right guard Anthony Herrera play center and rookie Chris DeGeare, a fifth-round pick from Wake Forest, take over at guard.
Even if everything went according to plan, it's going to be difficult for the Vikings to repeat the success of last season. Can Favre really achieve that level of play again as he nears his 41st birthday (Oct. 10)? The schedule also appears to be much tougher, with the Vikings opening against the Saints in New Orleans.
The last thing Favre needed was for the key components around him to go down.
Favre's main point, really since the day he arrived in Minnesota, has been that Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson is going to have to be the guy who carries the load. To do that, Peterson must overcome his fumbling issues and also prove he can be effective in pass protection.
Favre, meanwhile, swears he will ride off into the sunset after 2010 and not look back. We've heard that before, but this time he says he's serious. That gives him one more shot to get a second Super Bowl title on his resume.
At this point, it doesn't look like that will be easy a fact Favre knows all too well.
"The expectations are high here, as they should be," he said.
"From my standpoint, I can't make any guarantees, never would. I'm just going to do everything I can to help this football team. The bottom line is winning. I'm not here to set any records. People say, 'You can do this, you can do this.' I've done it all. There's nothing left to prove. I'm here to have fun and help these guys win. I really enjoy this group of guys like you wouldn't believe. I think the feeling is mutual. Once again, it's really about these guys."
COACHING: Brad Childress, 5th year, 5th with Vikings (37-30).
REMEMBERING: 2009 record: 12-4 (1st in NFC North); lost in NFC Championship Game to Saints, 31-28 in overtime.
PREDICTING: 2010 regular-season record 10-6 (2nd in NFC North; lose in divisional round.)
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