Are the Vikings the team to beat in the NFC?

I was watching Sportscenter earlier this morning and I missed part of what the Monday Night Football crew had to say about the Minnesota Vikings acquiring Brett Favre.

I decided to look through some of the video archives on their website with the MNF crew and I see Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski praising the Vikings for landing the best quarterback to ever play the game.

Gruden went on to say that with their already explosive running game, you pretty much have to pick your poison on who to defend: Favre and his plethora of receivers or Adrian "All Day" Peterson.

I happen to agree with Gruden's assessment on the Vikings. They already have a very large offensive line with Steve Hutchinson holding down the left tackle position, giving headway for Peterson to explode off the blocks.

Ron Jaworski, who is very knowledgeable in his assessments had this to say on the Vikings acquiring Brett Favre:

"They are now the team to beat, in my opinion now, in the NFC (National Football Conference) with the acquisition of Brett Favre. They are now a complete team. We know about the defense, they play the run as good as anyone in the National Football League. Antoine Winfield, out on the corner, fantastic, you [Jon Gruden] mention the running game in Peterson, they're gonna load the box up because because of Adrian Peterson, now you get those one on one, isolation routes to the outside: Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, and no one throws to the outside better than Brett Favre."

I agree with everything Jaworski has to say except his first sentence in his speech. The Minnesota Vikings aren't the team to beat in the NFC.

I repeat, not the team to beat in the NFC.

There are three teams in my mind that are the team to beat: the New York Giants, the Carolina Panthers, and the defending NFC champions Arizona Cardinals.

Each team has a quarterback that has led their team to a Super Bowl. Two of the three quarterbacks (Eli Manning and Kurt Warner) have led their team to a Super Bowl Victory.

Each team has a two running back system that will be very hard to stop in New York's Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, Carolina's DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, and Arizona's Tim Hightower and Chris "Beanie" Wells.

The Arizona Cardinals have two dynamic receivers in high-flying Larry Fitzgerald and speedy Anquan Boldin, with the dark horse receiver in Steve Breaston who can play the slot receiver as well as anybody in the league with secure hands and unquestioned strength.

The Carolina Panthers, as stated above, have a very compelling running attack with Williams and Stewart sharing carries. Both of them have power and speed, pretty much a very fearsome two-headed monster.

The New York Giants have a quarterback in Eli Manning, who some say could be better than big brother Peyton. Now I believe that's stretching the truth a little bit, but you never know what could happen. The Giants also boast a forceful running tandem in Jacobs and Bradshaw, the former with the power and deceptive speed and the latter with the speed and quickness that could make anybody's knees buckle.

The Minnesota Vikings do have the most complete running back in the NFL in Adrian Peterson. By no means am I downplaying or underestimating the abilities of Adrian Peterson. I am however, doubting the health and abilities of aging quarterback Brett Favre.

The New York Jets started out last year with an 8-3 record, tops in the AFC East and they have recently beaten the previously unbeaten Tennessee Titans on the road. But then, Favre's body betrayed him and his age quickly caught up to him as the Jets had an epic collapse that was sealed with an interception thrown by Brett Favre to the Miami Dolphins defensive lineman that ended up scoring a touchdown that secured the Dolphins their first division title in almost a decade (they last won a division title in 2000).

What makes anybody think that Brett Favre, who will be turning 40 during this season, can lead the Minnesota Vikings to their first Super Bowl victory?

It seems to me that ever since that loss in the 2007 NFC title game against the New York Giants, he has been trying to leave the game on a high note. Jerome Bettis retired after winning his first and only championship in Super Bowl XV. I am assuming Favre wants to do the same thing.

He may have the support of his friends and family to once again return to this grueling game, but at the same time, I have serious doubts that he will still be as effective as he once was.

So are the Minnesota Vikings the team to beat? I don't think so. But I've been wrong before.