Corey Williams had a back, but he did return. Nick Collins had a knee, and he also returned in the second half. Atari Bigby had cramps, but he obviously returned. He had the interception there at the end, and Al Harris had a hand but he played through it till the end.
(With Brett getting the record and you guys winning today, could there have been a better way to script it?)
That's the way you want to do it, that's for sure. Just the speech that he gave to his teammates, he illustrated that. Especially to come up here and win makes it even a little more special. This is a tough place to play, to play against the Vikings. It's a rival football game, so this is a very nice win for our football team, and it's a great day to break a very impressive record.
(What were your first thoughts after Brett broke the record?)
I was looking for flags like I always do. It kind of hits you when they put Dan Marino up on the board. I thought Dan's message was excellent, and I thought it was first class, but really you're into the game. I think Brett will appreciate it when it's all said and done after the fact, when the season is over and his career is over. It's a milestone that he hit, and he's got a lot more left.
(Did Brett say anything to you about drawing up that play?)
He doesn't have to say that. He's got a lot of suggestions, so you have to sort through them every week. This was a very important game for our football team. It was our first division game, and he's putting a lot of extra time in, and our team is growing, particularly on offense. He's a big part of that, the extra work he is doing with the perimeter players. I can't say enough about our offensive line pass protecting today, so that's the course we're taking.
(On how the team has improved since last year)
The most important improvement that you can make as a football team in my opinion is from within. That's the approach we've taken since the day we started building this program. We've had a number of young guys that have improved through the offseason. James is obviously a rookie. We tailor our offseason program to the younger players and the rookies, and he's a young man that's just going to continue to get better. And I go back to what we talked about with Brett Favre, the extra time that he's spending. It's very important to get that between quarterbacks and receivers. You see it all over the league with the premier quarterbacks and receivers, and those are the types of relationships we're developing in Green Bay.
(On Favre in the locker room after the game)
Well, we gave him the game ball. He just reiterated how much fun he's having playing on this football team, hopes everybody can play as long as he has, and it's all about winning. That's basically the substance of his big speech.
(On where the team is)
Well, we're 4-0 No. 1. We're staying up on our toes and fighting. There is always going to be games where you get from behind, we fought through a couple of those. To come up here in the dome and go through the different momentum swings and keep overcoming the situations that we did - you know we got sloppy at the end there - and we were still able to fight back. This team has a lot of fight, they're young, they're improving, and I'm proud of what they've accomplished so far, but we're not interested in being the 4-0 darling team. It's a 16-game season, and we have a lot of work to do.
(On handling the early success)
We're going to try and keep away from you guys as much as possible - that's a start. But that's pro football, that's about being a professional. We talk about handling success all the time as a football team, talk about stacking successes and how everyday is important. Tomorrow is a very important day for us because we have to correct the mistakes that we encountered today and learn from them, but also build off the positive aspects of this game. That's our approach, and it's going to be a bigger challenge every week. We know that, and we just have to keep our eye on the target.
(On the late fumble)
The situation - they had one timeout, you need to be under 1:20 for - is the clock management situation that we were in. It's important for your offensive football team. That's why we practice this, for a minute offense to get a first down and end the game. Quarterback and running back exchange, there's no excuse for it. I don't have the specifics of it frankly because I was right on the defense after that.
(Were you surprised Jon Ryan was able to pick up the first down on the fake?)
Well I wasn't surprised that he was able to pick up the first down because I would have never called the fake punt, but I was surprised on the way he did pick it up. It was a very impressive play. That's part of the game planning - that part of the field and particular look we thought we could take better advantage of it, but it didn't really work out the way it was supposed to but we did get the first down. It was a great play by Jon Ryan.
(On the defensive performance)
I thought our pass rush was very good, particularly in the second half. Our run defense struggled. I thought Peterson was exceptional today - he's an exciting young back. We have to do a much better job because they're going to keep coming at us the same way as we move on to Chicago, but I thought our pass rush was very good today.
(Does Favre still have a lot left?)
Oh, I think so. When I got the job, I remember watching the film from 2005, and I was very impressed with the mobility and everything he still had. I thought he still had a lot of juice in his legs. I was actually impressed by it. I go back to the first time him and I talked down in Hattiesburg, and I told him and make this statement all the time - he has a lot of gas left in his gas tank. I don't think it's a question of how long he can play. It was the other circumstances that were involved in his decision. So no, I'm not surprised by this at all.
(More on Favre)
Well, that's the way we expect him to play. I mean his experience, the ability to get the ball out of his hand and the urgency and accuracy that he's throwing the football with, that's what makes Brett Favre Brett Favre. He can make the tight throws, and he's just doing an excellent job managing the game, and letting our playmakers make plays.
(On how much pressure Brett was under)
No, I wasn't worried. I know he took a couple shots there. I thought for the most part our pass protection was solid. To come up here and pass block in this stadium is tough duty. But also, Brett is smart getting the ball out of his hand in a timely fashion, so no I wasn't concerned.
{sportsad300}(Can you characterize how your team responded to Brett breaking the record?)
Our organization and our football team is thrilled to death that Brett Favre broke this record. I think the team may be more excited than actually Brett (is). I don't want to disrespect the record - for Dan Marino, this is a phenomenal record that has been broken. The organization is very proud of Brett Favre, and he's been a very big part of the success of the Green Bay Packers for 17 years and he'll be a big part of the history as we move forward. We're thrilled to death that Brett Favre represents the Green Bay Packers, and I'm sure there will be things to come when the time is right. I couldn't do a cartwheel or something for you, but we're excited.
(Does he go down as the best quarterback ever?)
He's clearly one of the best football players ever, so I'll leave it up to you experts to rank him. I would never even attempt to rank those players. Just for Brett Favre to be mentioned with the other great quarterbacks, to me, what else do you want? The guy is a great football player period.
(Do you ever catch yourself and realize you're in the middle of a historical moment?)
No I haven't yet. I probably would have gotten a haircut or something. It's about the team, and it's a remarkable moment. You'll appreciate it at a different time. I'm very happy for him personally, very proud of what he has accomplished. It couldn't happen to a better individual. He's a class act, a joy to coach, but we have - I don't want to say bigger things - we're focused on our football season. This is a tremendous accomplishment. A lot of people are involved in this record, and for me to stand here and speak for them, I don't really feel comfortable with that. It's a great day for the Green Bay Packers, pro football, and once again it couldn't happen to a better quarterback.
(On your influence on Favre's play)
I don't view it that way. This is my third year with Brett - he's played 17 years. There are a lot of other coaches that are a part of his success, a lot of other teammates that are a part of his success. I'm just appreciative that I've been given the opportunity to coach him as a position coach and now as a head coach.
(One of the great things about Brett is how he celebrated touchdown passes - what was he like celebrating this one?)
I didn't see most of it. It's kind of normal for him. He's actually slowed down in my opinion. I remember in '99 we had the first four games of the year and all four went to overtime. He basically won three of them, and they were giving him oxygen and everything after the touchdown celebration. So he's actually kind of slowed down a little bit, and that comes with old age. He was kind of his normal self I think.
(How did you contain Adrian Peterson in the second half?)
We played better run defense. I thought we did a better job of staying square, staying in our run lanes. I think we did a better job of low tackling him, but we need to do a better job of run defense. He's an exceptional young running back.
(At what point do you have to get more out of your run game?)
Well, I answer this question every week, so I'm going to say the same thing I said last week: we need to get more out of it this week. Bottom line is to score points and move the ball up and down the field. We've been doing that for the last three weeks. We didn't do a very good job of it in Week 1. We'll continue to work at it. I'm a run-the-ball offensive minded person, but we're not doing it as well as we can right now and I need to have more confidence in calling the plays. That's the hurdle we need to get over.
(How did Vernand Morency play?)
He looked like a guy that hadn't played in awhile. I thought he did some good things and made a couple of good reads. He needs to protect the football on the one big play that he had there, but it was good to have him back.
(Collins and Harris injuries?)
They both returned. I haven't met with the trainers yet.
