Associated Press
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. ó A day after their first public spat, Vikings coach Brad Childress said he was only thinking about Brett Favre’s safety against a ferocious Carolina pass rush when he considered pulling him from the game Sunday night.
“I’m watching, and I said, ‘Hey, you know what? I’m thinking about taking you out of the game here,’ ” Childress said Monday. “I mean, you’re getting your rear end kicked.’ Through not a lot of fault of his own.”
Left tackle Bryant McKinnie was benched after being dominated by Julius Peppers. After a 26-7 loss, Favre was asked about an animated exchange with the Vikings leading 7-6.
“There was a heated discussion, I guess you would call it,” Favre said. “We were up 7-6 at the time. No secret, I was getting hit a little bit. I felt the pressure on a lot of plays. We had seven points. So I think everyone in the building was like, ‘They’re not moving the ball, they’re not getting points.’ Brad wanted to go in a different direction, and I wanted to stay in the game.”
Childress said he didn’t consider it a “heated discussion,” but rather “a stream of consciousness” that Favre did not take well in the heat of the moment.BROWNS
BEREA, Ohio ó Mike Holmgren will become the club’s president.
SEAHAWKS
RENTON, Wash. ó Long snapper Kevin Houser is hoping to be out of the hospital in time for Christmas Eve after doctors re-inflated his collapsed lung.
BEARS
LAKE FOREST, Ill. ó Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye will miss the rest of the season because of a fracture in his lower left leg.