Transcripts of Thursday conference calls with Minnesota QB Brett Favre and head coach Brad Childress:
QB BRETT FAVRE
On his time in New York…
It was a great experience. I wish it would have ended better. The start was amazing, probably more so than anyone could have envisioned. I had a lot of good friends. I played with a lot of good players. It was really just a very good experience for me. I've been used to the West Coast offense playing in the NFC Central. Little things like practicing against the 3-4 defense every day, we played a lot of 3-4 defenses. Just Eric [Mangini] and that tree of coaches, how they game-plan, the way they practice. It was totally a new experience for me. Again, I wish it would have ended differently. I think the world of Mike Tannenbaum and Woody [Johnson] for giving me that opportunity. Mike and I are still good friends and talk on occasion. It was a really good experience. My only regret is it didn't end better.
On Rex Ryan saying that if the Jets didn't draft Mark Sanchez he would have tried to recruit him out of retirement…
I can't remember, I want to say it was right before the draft that I talked to Rex and talked to Mike. At that time, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I really felt like the writing was on the wall. Here I am pushing 40 with a torn bicep. I felt like that was the wakeup call I was looking for, if you will. They had asked if I wanted to come back and I was like, "I don't want them to go through a surgery and stuff." I thought a lot of Rex beforehand. I didn't really know him. Of course I had played against a lot of his defenses. Obviously, guys love him. He's brash and guys seem to respond to him very well. I knew that would be a very good experience.
But in the end, and I think no one can argue this, they had to go at some point, like any team, you have to go in a direction where you groom, and whether it be a receiver, whether it be a running back, whether it be line. Obviously, quarterback is a premier position, but it's really worked out in their favor. Had I come back that year, they probably don't draft Mark, and it's still early but the guy's played great. I think he's shown great leadership. He's fit into not only their team but the city well. It's really worked out well for them. I give Mike Tannenbaum a lot of credit. In a lot of ways he rolls dice, he takes chances. You never know if those decisions will pan out, but you won't know if you don't try. It's really worked out for them. I think the sky's the limit for Mark and he's playing outstanding right now. He's only going to get better. Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer]'s a heck of a coach and will do a great job with him as he's done.
On if Ryan could have convinced him to play…
Sure, yeah, quite possibly, sure. I think it depends on that team. You can ask Darrelle [Revis] this. When I first got there it didn't take long before I figured him out and "I think the sky's the limit for you, man. You're one of the best corners I've ever seen." I didn't really know who he was at that point. I saw him at the Espys and I said, "I told you. You're a great player." They have a lot of those guys.
You take LT [LaDainian Tomlinson] — playing outstanding. He kind of got forgotten and here he is. He's kind of just rejuvenated and is playing outstanding. You go, "Man, where's that been?" There's really confidence and putting padding on the back and giving you a chance. I can run down the line. I knew the potential was there so that was not a question. There was always a chance that could happen.
On what he thinks the crowd reaction to him will be on Monday…
I don't know. It was one year and I think, I would hope, like with any place I've played, the people appreciate the effort I've given. Trust me, I take a lot of the blame, as a quarterback should. We probably get way to much glory. I did all that I could do and I hope that they appreciate that. That doesn't mean they have to like me. I know I'm coming in an opponent. From a future standpoint, it worked out well for them.
On his reaction to acquiring Randy Moss and if it might prompt him to come back next year…
I hadn't even thought about the latter. I'd be kidding if I said I wasn't excited about the opportunity and thought of playing with Randy. That dates back several years. How could you not — and I'm speaking for every quarterback — how could you not be excited about playing with a player who has been dominant throughout his career? Just like LT, Mark Sanchez and the guys on that team have the opportunity to play with a guy of his caliber. There is a tremendous amount of respect for those guys and across the league for guys like this.
I could not tell you how this season will unfold. One guy, making the position, doesn't guarantee one thing or the other, but I'm excited about it. He's a difference maker. I'm very excited about it and we just have to go out and play. We have to make the plays. He probably needs time. He has to adjust to this offense a little.
On what Moss will bring to the team…
I think, on paper, it can be a great addition. I'm excited about it. I think this team is excited about it. We know what he brings. We're excited about it, but we still have to play. Like I was saying, it's a great addition, but we still have to block, we still have to go out and make the right reads and we have to do the little things correctly, try to fit him into this offense. It's a totally new language to him, so as he's thinking this thing though, we can't overload him and can't really tax him.
Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about this opportunity. I think all our players are. Any player across this league would be excited about this opportunity.
On if the Jets defense will have an edge having practiced against him…
I don't know. I practiced against Darrelle [Revis] all year long. The guy's a great player. I can't answer that. I don't know. People ask that, or people think that it would be obvious: "Hey, he knows them" or "They know Brett" and so far and so forth. I don't know. I think the way Rex coaches, there are a fair amount of guys that are still there that I practiced against, but they're playing as good as anyone in the league. That's not blowing smoke. They give you a lot of different looks. It's a totally different ... they call it a 3-4 but it's a confusing 3-4. They give you a lot of odd looks and things like that. I don't know. I don't see that as much of an advantage, either way.
On if Moss can be a factor in the game on Monday…
I hope so. We don't have time. This isn't our first preseason game. We can't work him in. I can't tell you if he's going to have one catch, five catches or no catches. I would think the ball would be thrown to him [joking]. I hope he'll be a factor. In Randy's situation, and this goes with every week, he doesn't have to catch the ball to be a factor, as you know. That's kind of the deceiving thing. I would love to get the ball in his hands and at least give him the opportunity to make something happen after the catch.
On the bye week being so early for Minnesota…
It's the earliest I've ever seen a bye week, at least for me and my team. Still, I would've liked to have seen it a little bit later, especially coming off of a win. We felt like we had a little confidence, a little momentum. For the most part, we had off all week, so we caught up on a lot. I was here watching film. From my home, I watched it with a couple of guys. That's the way it kind of played out. It was an early bye week and now we have a long stretch, but I would've liked to have seen it a little bit later.
On if he was comfortable being in New York…
It was fine, a beautiful area we lived in, just back and forth, a great facility as you guys know. But I mean it was just back and forth watching film and playing. It would probably be a bigger adjustment to be up here where it's 15 below on occasion. This is a beautiful place but it can wear on you when it's 15 below and things like that, but yes, it was fine. I just wish it would have ended better. That's my only regret.
On what happened toward the end of the 2008 season when the team did not make the playoffs…
I think it was a little bit of everything. Obviously, I had a torn bicep and I think my accuracy was affected considerably. We started struggling to score points, maybe pressed the issue a little bit in that area. Should I have sat and taken some time off? In hindsight it's always easy to say yes or no, but I was determined to lead that team to victory and on into the playoffs if it would have happened.
You're in that moment. It's hard to take a step back. I felt a considerable amount of responsibility, as I should, but I do think it was a little bit of everything. I don't think it had anything to do with effort across the board. We all were determined to win. It went well early. It went very well and not so good at the end, but it's OK, I'll take that on my shoulders.
On if it surprises him that Tomlinson can be effective after all the hits he's taken…
Absolutely not. I know they made a play to get him here, which makes a lot of sense. I think he's probably, I mean, running the ball absolutely great but he's probably more of a threat, what he can do out of the backfield from a pass-receiving standpoint. I see no decline, if you will, whatsoever. I am not surprised one bit. Sometimes you just kind of get lost in the shuffle and change of scene is sometimes good, not only for the team but for the player. This is one of those cases. That guy, he's playing outstanding. I'm not surprised one bit.
On if he could tell there was still fire in Tomlinson when he spoke to him when Tomlinson was deciding what team to play for this season…
Absolutely. I'm sure that was a tough decision on his part. Yes, I knew what he was capable of him. I'm not surprised one bit. It's like, hey, he could have easily come out here as well. It's one of those things at the end of the year, I think as you look back you go, "Man, we probably could have used that guy even more, in more situations." Schotty has done a good job of incorporating him in and giving him the ball. He's one of those guys, you've got to get the ball in his hands, whether it be handing or throwing to a very, very smart guy, understands what you're trying to get done. Just a great addition for them. I go back to Mike Tannenbaum and Woody. Mike has a knack of doing that and doing it well, finding a way to get those guys to fit in. I tip my hat to those guys.
On if Ryan and Tannenbaum were asking or requesting for him to come back while speaking to him…
I guess it was probably a little bit of both. They knew I had to have surgery and I think it was before the draft. That would make sense that it would have been right before the draft. I just remember talking and actually Woody had gotten on the phone during that conversation as well. It was a good conversation, but once again, it obviously worked out very well for them.
On his performance so far and if he has any second thoughts about playing this season…
No. I'm in it to win and if doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. I obviously need to play better, hope to play better. The ball has to bounce your way sometimes. You've got to have a little bit of luck. There are a lot of things that go into it. I understand that. I knew coming back it would be tougher than last year even with all the guys in place. It starts with the quarterback and a lot of times ends with the quarterback. I have to play better. No doubt about it.
HEAD COACH BRAD CHILDRESS
On LaDainian Tomlinson…
I see a guy that's playing at a pretty high level, taking a good look at their run game. Obviously, he gets it in the pass game, both protection and route-running, and then obviously enough squirt where he can run through the line of scrimmage and get into the outside or run around you on the outside and make you miss. So I haven't seen a lot of falloff.
On if Tomlinson looks as good as he ever did…
Different kind of style of offense, I think, but probably as good as I remember him.
On what Randy Moss can do for the Vikings right away and Darrelle Revis' comments pertaining to Moss' work ethic…
I don't really have a response to any of those comments. I'm aware of them. Like I said yesterday, I think it's just important to judge him going forward from here. I wasn't here when he was here the first time. Obviously, I wasn't anywhere that he's been since then, but we kind of go about our business and judge him going forward. I had a chance to sit down and speak with him this morning. He got in late last night, but in reference to the things that he can do, I think usually the tape speaks for itself. He can get deep on you. He can high-point a ball. He's a good broken-field runner. He's got "A" competes and "A" football instincts. We're always looking to add good players and he's a good player.
On how long it will take for Moss to get up to speed…
That's an interesting question. Your attempt is to give him the whole game plan here and I'm sure we'll settle on what he's going to do as we head through the week. Really, it's kind of a season-long process. I would tell you the same thing with Brett [Favre]. Both systematically and every year it kind of brings its own thing in terms of personnel and defenses you're going to play and how does a guy run this route, how far can I lead him, that type of thing, so I just think it will be an evolution as we go week by week.
On if he's limited to what he can ask of Moss in Monday night's game…
I don't know if that's fair or not. I'll probably know that better as we get towards Monday night.
On what he's seen from the Jets and their defense against tight ends…
I'd say this, they have a good one [Dustin Keller], as well. When you speak about good, it's not just guys that can play in a three-point stance next to your tackle. Certainly their guy and our guy [Visanthe Shiancoe] can do both of those things, but they have abilities to make plays away from the formation. Whether you want to talk about Jeremy Shockey or [Antonio] Gates, both those guys have those tools.
I don't think they key any specific thing. They're basically playing their defense, whether they're manning the guy or zoning the guy. I think that's just probably the way it has evolved in the first four games for them.
On what he has seen from Mark Sanchez…
I see a progression. I feel like he's comfortable with what they're doing. A lot of times as a young quarterback, you're thinking so hard about the play you just called and when to lift your foot for a guy to go in motion and all the things that are happening on your side of the line of scrimmage. Now I see him coming to the line, not worrying about it. That's like falling off a log. I see him paying a good bit of attention to some of the nuances of what's happening on defense.
On how he plans to prepare for Santonio Holmes since he hasn't played a regular-season game with the Jets…
I would tell you, though, that he's been available to them through all the OTAs and through training camp and that type of thing. It's not a completely blank slate. I'm sure they're doing the same things, taking a measure of where he's at strength- and conditioning-wise. It's great to be in good running shape. It's a different thing to be in football shape. I'm sure he did a great job of taking care of his body. I'm sure they have a menu of things that they knew they were going to do with him. I don't suppose they have to take a step back from that.
On if there is a philosophy to back away from running backs once they turn 30…
I wouldn't just say that about running backs. I think you have to know the team you have and how many miles they have on those tires. I don't suppose he's going live on inside drills on Wednesday or Thursday. Everybody does it a little bit differently, whether it's taking the pads off for guys halfway through the year. I'm sure they're managing him and that's usually a prudent thing to do. It's different for different people.
On what he's seen from the Jets defense…
It's a ton to get ready for. They play out of an odd front, play out of an even front, play base personnel, nickel personnel. He's got a very nice blitz package. That's all you ever try to do, try to create some element of slowness or confusion or thought to be able to get to the quarterback where he might be able to take that extra second. Maybe they get a delay of game. Maybe they get a free [rusher] because they disguised something. It's a great package.
On if he would prefer to have a later bye week…
I think in a perfect world, you like it dead in the middle, but it's not a perfect world. We had it after six or seven last year. The way I choose to look at it, and remember I'm always shaping the environment here, is we've been practicing football for two months now. We started around Aug. 1, took a little break, and we really haven't had a chance to get into any kind of rhythm with the Thursday night game, Sunday game, play another one and then we're going to take a bye. Really, we'll find out as we go what kind of football team we've got and we just need to get the drum beating here a little bit with the rest of the season.
On if Moss is the perfect fit for what they need with Sidney Rice out…
He's a hell of a piece of the puzzle. He's physical. Stature-wise they're very similar. Obviously, Randy's got more of a pedigree. He has that past history. Sidney had the one tremendous year last year. I think he'll be a good addition to our football team.
On if there was a difference in waiting for Favre to make his decision this year…
It was different. I took a flyer last year after a week in the preseason and you play your hunch that he still has the itch to do that. It was a different dynamic here last time, all the things you have to go through when you're new, kind of like what we're talking about with Randy Moss. What's the culture like? Who are the players? What can they do? This year I thought there was obviously some pause. I'm sure he had a few meetings with himself and Deanna [Favre]. Every year has its own personality. Whatever happened last year has nothing to do with what's going to happen this year.
On if Moss expressed enthusiasm about the trade to Minnesota…
I wish I could tell you I've spoken to him. He was up at the crack of dawn getting physicals and just made it up to my office about 10 minutes before our team met at 8:30, so I think he expressed the fact that he's been up since the crack of dawn.
On if it's easier to incorporate Moss because they have a veteran team…
There are six or seven guys here that were here when he was here before. I would tell you, though, this is a completely different organization and building than it was when he was here before by virtue of the fact that the comings and goings of players as well as just the culture and the organization, we just kind of went through some of those things and there will be guys that are able to make him comfortable. I think the great thing is obviously he knows his way around these parts.
On if the subject of a contract extension for Moss has come up…
It did not.
