UPH managed tickets to last night’s Monday Night Football game before Brett Favre signed and made every Packers fan we know in the city of Houston sell their soul for tickets (while hating themselves for doing so, naturally.)

The turnout was pretty good, but it didn’t matter one way or another, broadcast-wise, because the closed roof at Reliant made for plenty of noise. We showed up about seven minutes into the first quarter, and the Vikings were already up.

Turns out Brett Favre was right: he can still throw the ball.  But he isn’t going to get to do so effectively if his o-line doesn’t tighten up.  Mario Williams, the Texans number one pick of a few years back (over Vice Young, as you may recall), sacked him once and got too close for comfort a few other times.  Williams is beyond talented, but he shouldn’t be able to break in that often and that seemingly easily.  Favre could have a crappy season, regardless of his talent, if that doesn’t change, and that would be a sad way for his career to end.  Through three quarters (though he was advertised as only playing the first half), Favre himself looked fine and at times even good.  Until he had to start backpedaling because he was about to get hit. Stupid o-line.

As for Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, Rosenfels’ return to Houston didn’t go as planned–he wasn’t able to do anything effective.  Jackson looked fine despite his shoddy protection–he looks like a starting QB to us, but the fact is nobody can be sure how Favre’s going to develop (or, more likely, regress.)  Whether or not his less-trained-than-last-year body can survive the rigors of the season, we’re not sure, but we’re sanguine about the Vikings’ QB sitch:  they have two plus what, given what Rosenfels showed last year, should be an ok backup, assuming their offensive protection improves.

Oh, and the Texans freakin’ lost. Bah.