If Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress had to do it all over again, he said Wednesday he would not have traded for wide receiver Randy Moss, whom the club waived Tuesday, in the first place.
"It was a poor decision," Childress said of the Oct. 7 deal in which the Vikings gave up a third-round pick to acquire Moss from the New England Patriots.
Childress publicly discussed his decision to release the six-time Pro Bowl selection for the first time since Moss was officially waived Tuesday.
"When something's not right, you have to make it right," Childress said. "This was the most unemotional decision I've had to make in this job."
Childress began his press conference by addressing the Moss situation.
"It didn't work out," the coach said. "I'm not going to get into any particulars. We have an internal process we go through.
"It's a decision you don't take lightly. It's a decision I had to make."
Childress didn't mention the move when he told reporters Monday morning that Moss was staying back in the Boston area for a few days to spend time with family.
On Wednesday, the coach explained his actions.
"As long as the right people are contacted in the right order, I think that's important," Childress said. "I have to answer for my decision. It's not an attempt to deceive, just let people know who need to know. That's why he was not on the waiver wire that day (Monday)."
Moss' behavior during a post-practice buffet Friday and his postgame rant after a loss to the Patriots on Sunday might have played a role in his release.
When questioned about Moss' past behavior, Childress said, "I feel like I do a decent job looking into guys' backgrounds."
The release of Moss caught quarterback Brett Favre off-guard.
"Like most guys, I was a bit shocked," Favre said. "But in this league, you should never be shocked."
Favre said Childress didn't explain the decision to the team, which went 1-3 after the trade for Moss.
"We haven't been told anything," Favre said. "(Childress) didn't give any (reason).
"We're back to where we were at four games ago. No one man's to blame, it's a collective effort."
Favre did receive some good news Wednesday. Childress said his favorite target from a season ago -- receiver Sidney Rice -- will come off the physically unable to perform list Wednesday. The team has three weeks to activate the 2009 Pro Bowl selection, who is recovering from offseason hip surgery.
"He'll take some turns today," Childress said. "We'll see how he comes back tomorrow."
Favre's health, for the first time in two weeks, was a back-burner topic. He said he still experiences pain from the broken bones in his left ankle and heel, but "I probably should feel a whole lot worse."
As for obtaining Moss in the first place, "I thought it was worth a try," Favre said.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
