Leber expecting Favre in purple

Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, like many, is picking up on all the signs pointing to Brett Favre being his teammate in the near future.

Vikings linebacker Ben Leber watched with interest this week as Brett Favre made his first public comments since reports surfaced that he might be headed to Minnesota to play quarterback this season.

Leber, like many, took immediate notice when Favre referenced the Vikings as “we” during the course of the interview.

“That really stuck in my mind because he’s already including himself,” Leber said. “It sounds to me like if (his arm) really is healed and he can throw he will be joining us sometime in the future.”

Vikings players made it clear during the offseason workouts that they knew as much as the rest of us about the Favre situation. That meant they knew little other than the two sides had been talking.

So Favre’s comments on HBO went a long way toward clearing things up for a group of guys who could be Favre’s teammate come late July.

“It is interesting in the fact there has been all this speculation about whether we are even interested in him,” Leber said. “Then all of a sudden it feels like it jumps 10 steps from his comments (on HBO). If Coach (Brad) Childress wanted him to come to OTAs (something Favre said was requested) it sounds like a done deal.”

That, of course, is not the case.

Favre is going to have to decide if the arthroscopic surgery to repair the partially torn biceps in his right arm was successful enough that he can throw the football like he wants. That doesn’t appear to be a given, but Childress said on Friday that he thinks Favre is “pain-free.”

“It all depends on his throwing arm and we understand that,” tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said. “We know he’s not playing games with us. He’s a professional so we know he will be here as soon as he can (if he can play).”

NOTES

P Chris Kluwe plays the bass guitar in a rock band that will be recording some songs this month. Kluwe is a known standout at Guitar Hero but this takes it up a notch. The band has yet to play any shows but Kluwe is hoping that eventually will happen.

C John Sullivan said he felt positive about the progress he made during the offseason program. Sullivan will take over for longtime center Matt Birk, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens. One key for Sullivan will be making the line calls.

“Everybody is depending on me,” he said. “As a center, you have a lot of responsibilities. I’m not going to let my teammates down. I’m going to work as hard as possible to get those calls right.”

The Vikings have attempted to be more proactive with their season-ticket holders this offseason. Shortly after the draft, the team held a conference call in which season-ticket holders got to ask questions and listen to president/owner Mark Wilf and vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman. This week the team conducted the first-ever “State of the Vikings” address at a theater in downtown Minneapolis. Owner Zygi Wilf, coach Brad Childress, Spielman and linebacker Chad Greenway all took part as season-ticket holders again got to listen and ask questions.

The Vikings have finished their offseason program and coaches will soon get some time off before preparations begin for the team to head to training camp for two weeks in Mankato, Minn.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “You don’t understand the text messages I get all day, every day from my family and friends about it. But you know it comes with the territory. I won’t lie and say it doesn’t bother me. But I kind of got used to it. If you had to hear it year in and year out, all the time, eventually you’re going to be tired of it. But I guess it just comes with being the quarterback for the Vikings right now. It is what it is.” — Tarvaris Jackson talking about all the Brett Favre-to-the-Vikings talk.