At a news conference to announce his signing with the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, Brett Favre offered this thoughtful observation:

"I think this is great for football."

Boy, it's hard to imagine a more self-serving remark. But it was nice of Favre to speak for

the sport. His return will be good for the NFL, our noisy, lurid and overhyped national

spectacle. The Vikings sold more than 3,000 season tickets the day Favre signed. His purple

No. 4 jerseys will come flying wildly off the shelves, like passes forced into traffic.

Vikings games will be must-see television. People will be drawn to Favre, as they would a

three-alarm fire. And that's how Favre's ill-advised return to football is likely to play out,

with the hero going up in flames and discerning Americans covering their eyes in horror.

Favre has retired and unretired, what, a dozen times? You could fill the page with a

chronicle of his lies, promises and teary goodbyes over the last two years. For all I know,

Favre might change his mind again before this column hits the streets.

If the NFL wants a washed-up liar stealing the show, fine. Favre should have stayed retired

and left the sport to younger men. His act has grown stale; it's hard to believe anything he

says anymore.

Favre says he was "careful not to commit for the wrong reasons." Really? He's playing

because of his outsized ego, and because he doesn't know what to do without football. He can't

replace the thrill of playing on Sundays, though he found plenty of ways to fill the void that

lesser NFL players occupy by actually taking part in training camp.

He says he's not out for revenge against his old team, the Packers. Please. Favre is

obsessed with getting back at Green Bay. That's why he was scheming to go to the Vikings a

year ago, before he had to settle for the Jets.

It's funny how quickly his deal with Minnesota came about, once Jay Glazer of Foxsports.com

let the cat out of the bag. A day later, Favre was in Minnesota, a two-year, $25 million

contract in hand, glad-handing his new teammates and getting ready for the new season.

Tonight, Favre is expected to play a couple of series in the Vikings' preseason game. The

date to circle on the calendar is Oct. 5, when Favre finally gets a chance to force passes

against his former team, the Packers, in the Metrodome.

Good luck to him. Favre turns 40 five days after that NFC North clash with Green Bay. He

has a partial tear in his right rotator cuff, which will provide a ready-made excuse if Favre

has one of those mediocre seasons that have become the norm in his late 30s.

People act as if he's still a force. I get tired of hearing how he played well last year

until he got hurt. Favre's uneven play was an issue from the start in New York. When he came

to Buffalo in early November, he was in the midst of a three-week slump and being widely

criticized for forcing throws. The Jets won despite him, not because of him.

The Jets would have been better sticking with Chad Pennington, who had a terrific year and

led the Dolphins to the playoffs. Is it so outrageous to suggest the Vikings might be better

off with Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson?

This isn't simply about who is the better quarterback. It's about selling tickets, and the

notion that the Vikes are a Super Bowl contender. They have the NFL's top running back in

Adrian Peterson and a top defensive line — particularly now that it appears Pat and

Kevin Williams have a reprieve on their suspensions.

Vikes owner Zygi Wilf is seeking funding for a new stadium. The Favre furor can't hurt. The

question is how long it will last. Even Favre admits he doesn't know how much he has left. On

this one, we can actually take him at his word.

. . .

Join The News' senior sports columnist, Jerry Sullivan, for a live chat at 1 p.m. today on the Sully on Sports blog.