Vikings head coach Brad Childress addresses the media during his conference call on Wednesday, October 27, 2010.
Q: How would you describe the impact that Randy Moss has had in his three games with you?
BC: He's been a positive in the locker room and on the field. He's obviously an "A"competitor, smart football player. I think for a guy who has played as long as he has played, it was more about just getting him up to speed with our system. He understands a lot of things that are happening on the other side of the football against him, so it's not something that you have to teach both. He's been a joy to be around.
Q: Revisiting the trade, how did that unfold from the Vikings perspective?
BC: There's always different back channel communications that go on within front offices, and you have that with a number of different teams. Team-to-team-to-team-to-team-to-team-to-team. Just ended up getting on our radar screen, and it's something that we elected, and they elected to act on.
Q: With Brett Favre's ankle, what is practice going to be like this week? Do you anticipate him taking any snaps, or will it be all Tavaris Jackson and then you see if Brett can go in the game?
BC: I probably don't anticipate him taking snaps today, no.
Q: Any idea going forward, or is it a day-to-day thing?
BC: Everything is day-to-day.
Q: With Favre and Tavaris, they're not the same player in a lot of ways. Do you almost have to put two game plans together in some respect?
BC: Really not. Because the Patriots play a certain style of defense, and really over the course of time, course of years, while there may be a couple things, as you alluded to that Tavaris does different than Brett, you're primary focus is on attacking their 3-4 front. Attacking their nickel packages, and the personnel that play in those packages. That's the biggest charge we have. I can't tell you that things would change appreciably.
Q: What did you mean earlier in the week when you talked about the Patriots as one of the greatest sign stealing teams that you've seen?
BC: I said what I said. That's in the past. We all try to get any tips that we can get or glean standing on the sidelines. I'm sure it's done throughout the league. We do it as well. I'll just let those stand. I have a great deal of respect for coach [Bill] Belichick and the way he's formulated that program in the last 10 years, and I've told him so. He has a mentally tough team that are great competitors that play the way I hope one of my team plays one of these days.
Q: Because of what happened in 2007 here with Spygate, sign stealing is kind of a third rail topic. Did you feel that they benefited from taping signals in the 2006 game?
BC: No, I don't have any knowledge of that at all. No.
Q: Did you have an understanding of how hard those comments would hit back here with the players, people in this organization, and fans too?
BC: I didn't mean any offence to any of those people, just the way I viewed it.
Q: From what you have seen from the Patriots, what have been your impressions of the rookie cornerback, Devin McCourty?
BC: Devin McCourty is a good football player. I watched him coming out. He's playing at a high level. A bigger corner that can run, cover, get hit, and he competes. I know he's got some return ability. I know he played on offense before. He's a great athlete and he looks like he's incorporated that style of defense into his play very well.
Q: How tough has it been to get pressure on the quarterback this year? Any idea where the problems have been in that realm?
BC: I think certainly the number of sacks are down. Those specific numbers, but at times those things are numbered in terms of pressures, quarterback hits, being able to disrupt the guys throwing motion. We've had some of that. You like to be better. You'd always like to be better, but probably the part you're talking about is just the number of sacks, and our sacks are down right now.
Q: When you're looking at film of the Patriots now, are you looking at film when they had Randy Moss or are you more interested in what they've done now with Deion Branch? If so, have you noticed any differences in their offense since then?
BC: You look at both because you go back far enough in time, and I would tell you the same thing that I tell you about the other side. Are they doing maybe a couple different things? They are, but typically their scheme is the scheme they employ from week-to-week. Now it depends on how they decide to move the football. Are they going to run it this week and play with three tight ends, and backs in the backfield, or are they going to spread it and play with five wides? You see elements of both of those, and everything in between. Both when Randy [Moss] was playing, and also when Deion [Branch] is playing. I would think that it's just a matter of Deion getting comfortable with how the scheme has evolved in the time that he left and came back.
Q: Is this as difficult as its been in terms of trying to maintain focus on football with all that's going on: Brett's got an ankle injury, his off-field issues, the trade for Randy. Is this as hard as its gotten?
BC: I think it's probably harder in the initial phases when I got here. Getting it right, putting it together. Kind of lay your program out and getting the right people to do that. You've got to be able to forget about losses and focus on opportunities. I think that's important. Forget about events, and focus on responses. That's how we go about our business. You can't cast an eye backwards, you've got to cast an eye forward and forget about the whole season. We're looking at the New England Patriots.
Q: Do you acknowledge the distractions, and focus on them or plow ahead as if nothing else is going on?
BC: I don't acknowledge them from my standpoint, or from our team's standpoint. We've got a good bunch of veteran guys and 53 of the right guys looking back at me in that meeting room. Good football players that are single minded in purpose.
Q: The Patriots offense hasn't been the same without Randy Moss that it was with him. Are you encouraged about the possibilities for your defense against this Patriots offense? Do you expect them to be able to flip a switch and turn it around?
BC: I'm probably encouraged every week. There are certain principles that we play to on defense that we try to make in granite how you beat somebody. I don't feel like it's any different this week with or without Randy [Moss] on that football team. There's a hell of a quarterback that understands that scheme forward, backwards, side-to-side. They've got a skilled receiving group, good runners that they line a bunch of different ways and a solid offensive line. Any number of things we need to do defensively to get off the field and get on the field on offense.
