Any offense with Favre, Moss, Adrian Peterson and Harvin will have to be taken seriously. It might not click immediately, with Moss needing to pick up the Vikings' system and build a rapport with his new quarterback. But adding a weapon of his caliber almost certainly will change the way teams defend the Vikings.

The compensation — a third-round pick — is something the Vikings were more than willing to part with. Head coach Brad Childress has been desperate to land a front-line receiving threat while the Super Bowl window remains open. It might strike some as a slightly foolish risk, especially considering they now will have to pay three receivers (Moss is a free agent after the season with no extension with the Vikings close to being done) and because of Moss' colored history with the organization. But that was a different head coach and a different owner. Six years in NFL terms is a long time.

And anytime you have a chance to go for a title, wise NFL people will tell you that you take it and ask questions later. That appears to be exactly the Vikings' thinking: They are taking a dance with the devil and going for broke.