Maybe the only way Brett Favre will see that it's time for him to go on with the rest of his life is for him to just step up and say, "I'm in." Just quit playing with the high school kids down in Hattiesburg, Miss., hop a private jet for Minnesota, grab a purple jersey and have at it.

He said earlier this week that he'll let the Vikings know his decision before Minnesota reports to training camp at month's end. Why wait, Brett. As I tweeted yesterday: What are you going to learn between now and then that you don't already know.

Your heart will not change, and right now it's clearing telling you to play.

Whether he's motivated by the same drive that prompts other aging athletes to play until they have to be dragged from the turf, or by some twisted desire to stick it to Green Bay for how the team let him go, all signs point to Favre joining the Vikes, whom he's been teasing for what seems like an eternity.

He underwent surgery to repair his throwing arm, and is now working out four days a week with the Oak Grove high School football team (above). "I'm trying to get everything to where I feel 100 percent when I go in," he told the AP. "I can't go in any less."

Favre won't be 100 percent, not at 39 years old, and not after 18 seasons under center for Atlanta (for a hot minute) Green Bay and the Jets.

But he's going anyway, much to the consternation of many – especially fans of the Packers who view him as a turncoat for even entertaining the idea of playing for an NFC North rival.

It's a bad idea, but the only people who seem not to know that are the Vikings brain trust – owner Zigy Wilf and head coach Brad Childress – and Favre.

It's a bad idea because Favre is clearly more favre than Favre. It's easy to attribute his almost pitiable performance with the Jets in the second half of last season to his injured arm. But it was often his legs that made him look as if there was a sign on his back saying, "Hit me as hard as you can."

When he was able to throw the ball, the gunslinger no doubt shot blanks way too often, unable to make the laser pass necessary to beat a defense.

Maybe the Vikings see something I don't. Yes, even at a few sacks and INTs less than 100 percent, Favre has more pure talent than current QBs, Tarvaris Jackson, John David Booty and Sage Rosenfels – maybe more than all of them combined.

But numbers don't lie, and for Favre, whose digits will someday carry him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the only figures that matter are 39 (his age) and 16 (the number of regular season games).

Being the editor of Men's Fitness, I'm a firm believer in age being just a number. However, I'm also mindful that in NFL years, 39 might as well be 69 and while Favre isn't risking the kind of permanent damage an aging boxer might, it could still get very ugly for him.

Though Favre hasn't missed a game since his first season with the Packers in 1992, injury or fatigue could cause him to sit at some point (which, of course, puts him right there with almost every other NFL QB). The plan must be to have Favre start and play in as many games as possible – knowing the team has two QBs (Jackson and Rosenfels) with significant experience – then be ready for the playoffs.

The Vikings also possess the league's best running back, Adrian Peterson, so they must also feel as if there will be less of a burden on Favre to win games than there might be for almost any other QB in the league.

Last season, the Vikes went 10-6, good enough for the NFC's third seed, but lost at home to Philadelphia in an NFC wild-card game, 26-14.

There's a big gap between the wild card and the Super Bowl, but the Vikings think Brett Favre, or rather brett favre, is the closer.

And no doubt, so does Favre.

So let's get on with it.

AP photo