GREEN BAY -- This has got to be the biggest sports story of the century in the state of Wisconsin:

Brett Favre is a Viking and the Republic is still standing.

That's right. Green Bay's lovable Lil' Abner -- the one with the shotgun arm and the love of "Hamlet" ("To play, or not to play ...") -- is now huddling with the enemy, and, by all appearances, it's business as usual in Packerland.

The Packers held two practices on Tuesday and nobody seemed disappointed, distraught or even the least bit distracted by the private jet, the black SUV, the helicopter coverage or any other events in Eden Prairie, Minn.

"If he's going to play, that's obviously his choice," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "I'm not surprised by it. I don't think anyone should be surprised by it.

"We always look forward to playing the Vikings. I don't think that will ever change here in Green Bay."

Linebacker Nick Barnett hammed it up for the cameras, saying that he looked forward to hitting Favre, but most of the players -- whether from a McCarthy's edict or their own Favre fatigue -- played it straight.

"I don't have a reaction," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "It doesn't pertain to me. It has absolutely nothing to do with me. It doesn't change anything. It has nothing to do with the Green Bay Packers."

Running back Ryan Grant addressed the matter via his Twitter account:

"Everybody wants to know how we feel about brett coming back... I'm not surprised at all.. Figured he would..

"And it really doesn't make a difference to me that he is playing 4 the vikes...our team still has just as many weapons."

"IF brett wants to play then he should be allowed to play..especially if a team is willing to let him..doesnt change The packers goal. Miami."

Miami, by the way, is the site of the next Super Bowl.

At the night practice, the next-to-last two-a-day session of camp, fans filed in respectfully and watched the proceedings. There were no spontaneous bonfires of Favre memorabilia.

That could change between now and Oct. 5, when the teams will meet on "Monday Night Football" at the Metrodome and on Nov. 1, when Favre makes his return to Lambeau Field.

Tuesday was a day for digesting the reality of the Favre news. Here are my initial thoughts:

• I'm not buying the timeline that Favre and the Vikings are throwing out there and you shouldn't, either. The idea that Vikings coach Brad Childress called Favre to "give it one last shot" on Monday -- the day that FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer blogged that a union between the sides was practically inevitable -- seems absurd. You don't have to be a cynic to believe that the deal was in place and the Vikings had agreed to let Favre miss the two-a-day, live-in-a-dorm-in-Mankato portion of training camp.
• The Vikings are going "all-in" with this move. Owner Zygi Wilf, who still seems to be digging out from the string of embarrassments like the Whizzinator and Love Boat scandals, wants fans to realize that he's doing everything he can to get the team a championship before its 50th anniversary next season.
• Favre said that his return "is not about revenge" and wants people to believe him. Sorry, Brett. You're not really flush in the credibility department these days. You pretty much gave that up the first 20 times you said you were retired. Or, maybe it was when you told Sports Illustrated's Peter King that "Part of me coming back last year, I have to admit now, was sticking it to (Packers GM) Ted (Thompson)."
• Why is Favre mad at Thompson? It might be because Thompson was the first guy to tell him "No, Brett" since Mike Holmgren left town.
• I wasn't surprised that the Twin Cities media treated Favre's arrival like a combination of the O.J. Simpson chase and the Beatles landing at J.F.K. What stunned me, though, is that Vikings coach Brad Childress picked Brett and wife Deanna up at the airport. All you ever hear from NFL coaches is how hard they work during camp "to make the football team better." We hear about the 18-hour days. They barely break for meals. But, Childress has time to pick up the Favres at the airport and drive them to the complex? Would he have picked up his own wife? What about star running back Adrian Peterson's mom? They couldn't have sent an equipment guy? If / when Childress gets fired as coach (they all do, eventually), the jokes about his future as a limo driver will be too easy.
• You have to love Favre's fashion sense. Cargo shorts, sandals and that trademark sweat-stained hat? Perfect.
• Ticket prices for the Vikings-Packers games doubled the minute the Favre news broke. Look for those games to get gigantic TV ratings. The Vikings' odds of winning the Super Bowl improved, too.
• Favre won't have any trouble picking up the offense. The Vikings' big fear will be that he injures his hamstring, groin or Achilles tendon.
• Speaking of injuries, ESPN made a huge deal of the fact that Favre has a slight tear in his rotator cuff. That clearly came from Favre, who talked about it in his press conference. Apparently, the condition was discovered when sports orthopedist James Andrews repaired the quarterback's torn biceps tendon. Here is a bulletin for you: virtually every pro quarterback, pitcher, tennis player and even weekend warriors has a slight rotator cuff tear. By playing this up now, it seems like Favre is laying the groundwork for a potential excuse if things don't go well.
• Will Favre be a success in Minnesota? It's going to be fascinating to watch. The best analysis I've seen of his chances came from long-time Journal Sentinel beat writer Bob McGinn, who was asked the question during a recent chat with readers. Here is his response, and I could not agree more:
  
  "Maybe I'm old-fashioned but I believe in work. The older you get, the harder you have to work. If Brett wanted to maximize his chances to help the Vikings, he needed to be there every day starting in March. I know, he had some kind of arm surgery. Fine. But sign anyway (the Vikings would have taken a chance on him months ago), get to Eden Prairie and spend five days a week working with Childress and Bevell and the new teammates and the training staff. He has faded five seasons in a row partly because he doesn't take the offseason seriously and isn't fully prepared physically or mentally. Football is a brutal game. There are no shortcuts, especially at 39. Maybe it isn't fun to leave Hattiesburg in mid-March and live in the Twin Cities for three months. But if Brett were dead serious about going out in a blaze of glory and helping the Vikings, that's precisely what he would have done. Instead, he messes around with high school kids and conditions willy-nilly. For reasons stemming mostly from lack of preparation, I would expect his season in Minnesota to end badly if he goes through with it. And, really, he then would only have himself to blame."