NEW ORLEANS -- Vikings fans aren't going to like this but you have to give Brett Favre credit for being honest. On the eve of the Vikings' regular-season opener against the Saints, the quarterback admitted that the home team in Thursday night's game has an advantage.
"I would have to give the edge to the Saints, first of all, as far as first game, where are you from a team standpoint overall as far as chemistry and things of that nature?" Favre said during an interview Wednesday on the season premiere of John Madden's show on Sirius NFL Radio. "Where are you at this point, which obviously is the first game of the season? I would give the nod to the Saints just in that regard. They're obviously a good football team either way. Those guys, it doesn't seem like they've had a lot of injuries. There really hasn't been any change, at least from an offensive standpoint, to those guys.
"Where you look at us in preseason, not much to go off of and really not a whole lot different than last year. That just adds to it. Last year we opened up at Cleveland. I had no clue what to expect from our team, from myself, but it sure was made a lot easier by handing the ball to Adrian [Peterson] that game. I think he rushed for roughly 180 yards. I had the best seat in the house, didn't have to do too much, was never really asked to make a big play. And that was a good way to ease into it."
Favre went on to say that he realizes Thursday night's game will be a different situation and that while he would love to be able to stand back and let Peterson be the star of the show he doesn't know if that will be the case.
"I hope so," Favre said. "So really, to answer your question, it's kind of, for us, a question mark. I don't really know what to expect. What are we going to lean on? Who is our go-to guy, things like that, where I think the Saints would probably have a better feel for where they are right now."
During the interview, Favre also discussed the public perception of him and pointed a finger at the media for making a big deal of his wavering ways. "You know, first and foremost, today's game, today's society, it's a media frenzy world and nothing goes untouched or un-talked about," Favre said in response to a question from host Adam Schein. "I quietly, I thought quietly, this offseason tried to make my decision. I had [ankle] surgery. Of course, once we got months before camp the media started camping out at the gate [at his home in Hattiesburg, Miss]. "I never asked them to come. I never asked them to talk about it. Quarterbacks just in general, if you think about it, over the years get way too much glory, get way too much blame, get way too much attention. That's the way it is. I'm content with where I am. I want to make the right decision. I know making the decision period is the most important thing." Favre went on to say that he doesn't pay attention to what is said about him and he understands that fans are going to say what they want. "I think the guys on this team would speak for me and friends and family that know the situation would say the same thing," Favre said. "I can't expect anyone to understand it, wouldn't do me any good to even try to explain it to people. So I just try to make the right decision and do the best with that decision."
One person who had a strong opinion about Favre's absence from training camp wasn't a member of the media but rather Cincinnati wide receiver Terrell Owens. Apearing on "The Daily Line" on Versus, Owens had some strong comments about Favre that were picked up by the website ProFootballTalk (www.profootballtalk.com).
"Had it been one of us doing some of the same things, pulling these stunts that Brett Favre has done the last two or three years, then we would be labeled 'not a team player,' 'selfish,' and these are times where you want your guys to be in camp, bonding with your teammates, learning the plays, going through the whole team concept just like everybody else," Owens said. "And now it's like, yeah, he's set himself above team standards."
