MARK WILF TALKS WITH BRETT FAVRE ABOUT PLAYING FOR THE VIKINGS

BY JUDD ZULGAD MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

Mark Wilf: Sure there is interest in Favre

Mark Wilf, Vikings owner and team president, said “sure there is interest in Brett Favre but that’s part of the process in general” when asked about the quarterback today during a luncheon on the Southwest Minnesota State campus that was part of the Vikings “You made the team” community tour.

“The reality is we understand everyone’s curiosity about it,” Wilf said. “This is something that every day we are working on making our team better and we are going to evaluate every player that comes through the door and that would include Brett Favre as well. … That process continues every day and a player like Brett would be included in that evaluation. Just like any other player. He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback and great competitor and ultimately you have to ask Brett Favre what his plans are. Sure there is interest in Brett Favre but that’s part of the process in general.”

Wilf was then asked about all the media attention the will-he-or-won’t-he Favre saga has drawn in the past week. ”It’s pretty crazy but people love football, people love the NFL,” Wilf said.

Here is Wilf’s entire question-and-answer session today from an earlier chat with the media on the Favre situation.

Q. Where do things stand right now between the Vikings and Favre? Are you talking? Can you give the fans an update?

A. “Clearly I’m appreciative of the fact that our fans are very interested and like I said they are very curious about the whole situation. The fact of the matter is I think with any player we have a football department, we have a head coach, Brad Childress, Rick Spielman is our head of our personnel and we go through this process with every player. We look at a variety of factors and that’s the process we are going through right now. And that’s something that’s with any player and certainly a competitor and a Hall of Fame quarterback like Brett Favre is no different than those other players in terms of that evaluation.”

Q. There has been a lot of speculation and things. Has anyone from your organization met with Favre in the last week or so for any reason?

A. “I’m not aware of any meeting but the fact is, like I say, any football personnel matters, medical matters, those types of issues are really issues that we don’t typically discuss publicly. I hope the fans and the media can appreciate that. Because that’s the right way we feel can get the best product on the field to get our ultimate goal, which is a Super Bowl championship.”

Q. Do you feel the organization owes the public, especially the Vikings fans, just some sort of where you guys stand? Whether there is interest. Whether there’s not interest. Or whether this is all speculation.

A. “Again, I’m not sure there’s any bad information. I think the reality is there is no new information to report on this matter. Certainly when there is new information about any player, or the moves that we make, the first people we share it with is the media and the fans. And there’s no new information or news to report on.”

Q. Are you able to confirm interest in Brett Favre?

A. “Certainly a player of Brett Favre’s [caliber], a Hall of Fame quarterback, with the competitiveness he has. That is a player that we would have interest as we would have in other players. But again, there is a process of evaluation, a variety of facts that go into it and that has to play itself it [out]. I defer to our coach and our personnel people to really evaluate those issues.”

Q. So you can’t confirm the report by Yahoo! Sports last Thursday that Favre had told the Vikings he was going to stay retired?

A. “What I can tell you is that type of decision is up to Brett Favre and I’ll leave it to Brett Favre to give you that type of answer.”

Q. You and your brother, Zygi, have been very supportive of your football people. Is this the type of situation where you would sign off on whatever decision is made by Childress and Spielman?

A. “We view it as a process and the ultimate [is] we are faithful in Coach Childress and Rick Spielman and our entire football staff to come up with the right evaluations and decisions with any player. Not just Brett Favre. That’s something they share with us and we have dialogue on that. But in the end we believe that there has to be a thorough process with any player and there is no difference here.”

Q. What could Favre do for ticket sales?

A. “I can tell you this. We are very excited about the roster we have and the product we have. We made the playoffs, we won the NFC North last year, we feel we have a better roster this year than we had when we left the stage back in January so we’re very excited about it. And that’s at every position. I hope the fans, I believe the fans share that excitement and we’re close. I think we are going to get to the next level this year and I’m hoping the fans come out and support us and come to the stadium. It’s a great experience.”

Q. Would there be a point where you need to move ahead with Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson as your quarterbacks and put a deadline on Favre?

A. “Again, building a football team is an ongoing process and we’re not going to make pronouncements one way or the other on any of this. But like I said before, it’s a process, it’s an evaluation. Every player, all 53 positions and our football staff, we have full faith and credit that they are going to put the best product on the field and the best players on the field. We are excited about the 2009 season.”

CHAD GREENWAY. linebacker

Q. Are players being kept in the loop at all on this Favre situation so you have an idea what is going on?

A. “There is so much going on with this in the media and it is what it is. From what we know it could be a blown up story that we don’t know anything about that may have no legs at all. What we’re going to do is stick with what we got. We havve two great quarterbacks in there with JDB [John David Booty] learning. So we have Sage [Rosenfels] and Tarvaris [Jackson] who are in there as great quarterbacks, great experienced quarterbacks who we are going to be behind. It is what it is. Unless something happens or changes there is really no speculation about it. We should move on and go on with Sage and Tarvaris like we have been.”

Q. Is there ever any point when this could become a distraction?

A. “I think last year [when the Favre rumors swirled] is a perfect example of how it won’t. Last year it didn’t become a distraction and we kind of went through the same thing during training camp, which is right at the peak time. For us, it’s like we battled through that, were NFC North champs from last year and it obviously didn’t affect us. We got off to a relatively good start so I don’t think that had any type of effect. As a player, you don’t get into any of that. If it’s somebody else’s team or your own team, you just try to do what you can do. For me I’m not going to get any better worrying about what somebody else is doing.”

Q. How about Favre’s potential leadership and what he can bring?

A. “At the same time, he’s retired a couple of times so you wonder where his loyalties lie. For us, it’s about we’re moving forward with what we’ve got here. We have a team that can obviously win at a high level and we have a team that moving forward we think can really compete for an NFC North title again and get to the championship game and hopefully further. As good as something may sound, we have a great team to play with right now and there is no sense in looking outside of what we have within our 53 [man roster].”

BEN LEBER, linebacker

Q. Are you just as in dark about alll this Favre talk?

A. “I am, I know the other players in the locker room are. Whatever happens, happens. You know how the players are. We don’t know about this stuff until it actually happens. Even players that get cut or players that sign on, it’s usually after the fact. We’re seeing it off the Internet and through the newspaper. Whatever happens, we’ll read about it probably after it happens.”

Q. What was he like to play against?

A. “He’s extremely tough. He’s savvy, he knows the reads. The guy would sometimes just laugh at us in some of the bluffs and fake blitzes that we were showing. He knew we weren’t blitzing and he knew what we were doing. From that aspect it was kind of disheartening because he’s not even falling for it. He’s tough to bring down. He’s got a lot of pocket presences and he’s a bigger guy, a strong guy than you would think. Just a natural leader and a great player.”

Q. Do you follow this stuff closely?

A. “If it was just strictly football stuff I think it would be easy to follow. But now you’re talking injuries, you’re talking flights out of Mississippi. Now, it’s becoming like, it’s such a big thing that it’s kind of hard to follow. Yahoo! Sports and you don’t know who to believe. So I just kind of stick to the meat of the story and that’s it.”