Q. What do you make of the Packers consecutive victories over Cleveland and Detroit, a couple of really bad teams? Its impressive to give up three points in two games, but how much of an accomplishment is it really? Is there something to be gained from it?
A. Absolutely. If I were talking to them Id tell them that nobody expected Oakland to beat Philadelphia and look what happened. Nobody thought Cleveland was going to beat Buffalo. So you have to win the games youre supposed to win. You took care of business. Im proud of the fact that they didnt let two trap games beat them. They went out and dominated. I wanted to see a dominating defense and offense and they did that. They gave up three points in two games. They did what they had to and Im happy with it. Knowing you played with a rookie left tackle and gave up no sacks, all that is encouraging. This is the NFL and you have to win the games youre supposed to win. I dont ever want to discount not beating or beating someone because thats why theres that word upset. It comes up when youre not prepared to play and the Packers were prepared to play both times.
Q. What do you think the fan reaction to Brett Favre should be at Lambeau Field this Sunday and what do you think it actually will be?
A. The reaction should be 100% about Aaron Rodgers. When Aaron Rodgers comes out there you should give Aaron Rodgers a standing ovation because hes our guy for the next 10 years. When Brett comes out you do like any other opposing quarterback, you boo him. If you dont want to boo him, dont say anything. But if youre going to stand up wearing Packer clothing or a Packer uniform and cheer when Brett Favre comes out, you should bring a bag and put it over your head. You dont cheer for somebody to beat your team, I dont care who it is. You dont cheer for another quarterback. If you want to cheer Brett, just bring a bag, put it over your head and you can cheer, and no one will hear you and thats fine. This is Aaron Rodgers show. Dont let somebody come into your back yard and cheer against you. You dont cheer for another guy to beat your team. I hope Im crystal clear with these fans who say they love to see Brett Favre. Well, Brett Favre is gone. Its Aaron Rodgers show. Hes the No. 1-rated quarterback in the NFC, including Brett Favre. Im happy well be good for the next 10 years. I hope theyll cheer Aaron and boo Brett. If they dont want to boo him, thats their right. But any other quarterback theyd boo, what makes him so special? I mean, wait until he has his number retired, you can cheer him then. You can applaud him all you want. You cant do that the day of the game, and want your team to win. Thats standing on the fence. Youre either a Packer fan or a Brett fan. If youre a Brett fan, go buy some purple and wear purple. I have a strong feeling on this, this is my team. I played 12 years for this team. Anybody who comes into that stadium, I want them to lose. If it were me coming back, I wouldnt expect anyone to cheer for me when Im going to destroy your team. Of course not.
Q. Vikings coach Brad Childress and Favre have to be thinking that defensive coordinator Dom Capers will come after them with the blitz after sitting back in the first game. Does that make it harder to come up with a plan to be successful blitzing?
A. Dom Capers is a smart guy. He understands hes 0-7 against Brett. He understands for two weeks he has to sit there and hear about all he should have and could have done. They understand what they have to do. They have to get to the next level. The next level is putting away a future Hall of Famer like Brett Favre. Heres the formula - theyve had enough time to look at their film, Pittsburgh film, theyve had time to dissect what they need to do - its not so much be aggressive to where you just blitz all the time. You have to be smart. You have to look for match-ups. Sydney Rice is playing better than any receiver in the NFC right now, so there are guys youre going to have to stop, not just Brett. And you cant forget about Adrian Peterson. Im hoping at certain times they can blitz him and at certain times give him that Cover 2 look. That gives every quarterback a lot of problems, especially with a pass rush. I think they understand what they have to do. I dont think you need to overreact. With that offensive line they can protect long enough for him to get the ball off. The Packers have a couple of fronts that Minnesota has not seen and theyll get a dose of Clay Matthews all the time and theyll see Aaron Kampman not dropping so much but coming after the quarterback. It will be different than the first game.
Q. If it comes down to Chad Clifton practicing one day and starting at left tackle or rookie T.J. Lang practicing all week and starting, which way do you go given the challenge of blocking end Jared Allen?
A. Id go with T.J. Lang practicing all week. Whenever you have a guy mentally knowing hes going to play, he knows all the checks, he knows where his help is coming from, he can be focused in, you find out whether you have a left tackle. I think thats why they let him play the Cleveland game, to find out if he can play a whole game. I know it wasnt against great competition, but it was good to get a game under his belt going into the Vikings game. Its not like these guys are unblockable. I know everybody is saying he has short arms and isnt a prototypical tackle. Well, guess what? Most of those guys who look like prototypical tackles, they give up sacks, too. If I got a young, fiery guy whos not scared and is ready to play, Id rather rally behind him and know hes 100% and then have the veteran guy active and back him up. If he has a bad game, you can always go back to the veteran. Id rather have a 100% guy than a guy who isnt 100% because that could really cost you. I think Lang is looking forward to the test and I think hell know where his help is coming from. Jared Allen, that guy beats everybody, so they just have to be aggressive on him. I dont have any problems with Lang there. He didnt give up all those sacks in the last game. Lets try something new.
Q. Given the protection problems the offense had in the last meeting, do you think the game plan has to revolve around running back Ryan Grant, who is coming off his best game of the season? Or do you continue to test their secondary, which probably will be without injured cornerback Antoine Winfield?
A. You have to go after that secondary. Quick, short passes. The game plan last time was fine. Rodgers threw for almost 400 yards and scored points. You just have to mix it up and not look for the big play all the time. Ryan Grant had a pretty good game, but they werent committed to the run like they were committed against Cleveland. Screens, draws, slants, outs, hitches, wide receiver screens, all that kind of stuff throws you off. And you should run the ball at Jared Allen. If youre just going to drop back and pass, youre playing into their hands. You have to drop back with the intention of something positive happening every time. Thats just game planning. Allens job is to rush the passer, thats why they brought him there. So lets see if he can play the run. Lets give Lang a chance to maul him a little bit on some runs. Put the tight end over there a couple times and get a double team block on him and wear him down a bit. Thats how you stop those pass rushers. These guys are better run blockers than they are pass blockers, so you have to find out what theyre going to be. But heres a chance to redeem themselves where Rodgers is comfortable dropping back to pass. Im a little leery that they wont have Jermichael Finley because tight ends have been killing their secondary. But the other kid, Spencer Havner, had a great touchdown the other day. You need someone active because tight ends are going to be open against that secondary.