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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Favre tempted to show up to camp to call Packers' 'bluff'
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ESPN.com news services
MILWAUKEE -- Brett Favre says he's tempted to show up at the Green Bay Packers' training camp just to call the team's "bluff."
In the second part of an interview with Fox News, the quarterback says he knows his arrival in camp would cause a media circus but that might not stop him. Players are scheduled to report July 27.
The interview is on the show "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren" and is scheduled for broadcast Tuesday night. An excerpt was provided to The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, don't expect NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings to welcome Favre if he is released.
Vikings coach Brad Childress has watched as the Packers and Favre appear headed for a messy divorce.
But the coach of the team regarded as the best place for the disaffected Green Bay quarterback to settle maintains he wants no part of it.
"It's kind of interesting to watch, isn't it?" Childress said Tuesday, referring to the back-and-forth sniping between Favre, who wants to be released, and the Packers, who say they do not plan to oblige that request.
NFL guidelines prohibit Childress from commenting on players under contract with other teams, and the coach said he remains committed to third-year quarterback Tarvaris Jackson going into this season.
One of the interesting subplots to arise from the crumbling relationship between Favre and the Packers is the suggestion that the three-time MVP could join the Vikings for one more run at a title.
With Jackson just three years removed from Division I-AA Alabama State, quarterback is considered to be one of the few question marks on a rising team with a veteran defense and a running game featuring Adrian Peterson, last year's offensive rookie of the year behind a solid offensive line.
"You can make an argument for one side and an argument for another," Childress said of the hypothetical prospect of bringing a 38-year-old star quarterback into the mix. "But I can't waste a lot of energy. All I can do is take a look at the waivers every day and see if there's somebody that's better than somebody on the roster. That's really all you can evaluate."
Favre told Fox News on Monday night that he "never fully committed" to retiring and felt pressured by the Packers to make a decision back in March. The Packers have denied that, telling The Associated Press that they wanted to bring him back and didn't make the decision to move on until Favre assured them his decision to retire was final.
It's all added up to one big "soap opera" in Green Bay, as Childress put it. He said he was as surprised at anyone at the acrimony that has surfaced following a 16-year love affair between a player and a franchise.
Childress has experience with that. When he was hired in 2006, he butted heads with franchise quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who was coming off a severe knee injury. Culpepper was dealt to Miami and the Vikings chose Jackson in the second round as the quarterback of the future.
Favre broke Dan Marino's career record for touchdown passes in the Metrodome last season and Childress is 0-4 against Favre in his two-year tenure as Vikings coach.
Childress said it's clear that Favre still has the physical tools to play in the NFL, but he's more concerned with the continued development of his own starter.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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