The focus shifts quickly in the NFL, and now the Minnesota Vikings, fresh off a spectacular comeback over San Francisco, turn their attention to the rival Green Bay Packers.
Vikings coach Brad Childress might need to address his players just to keep them focused going into the Monday night game at the Metrodome against the Packers. It will be Brett Favre's first game against his former team, so there's even more intrigue surrounding this game, and that creates the potential for distractions.
"We'll probably talk about it, but we'll just see how it builds," Childress said today. "Like I said, they don't live in a vacuum. But they'll be more interested coming in here about seeing the tape from yesterday, and there's already been a bunch of 'em through the building, currently in the building, getting treatment, have looked at the tape on their own, but we kind of go through it step by step yesterday and then put it behind and get out and get a practice regarding Green Bay."
Childress will try to make sure that the week is as normal as possible, to avoid any disruptions. The fans for both teams will be excited, but Childress wants his team focused.
"I know it won't be crazy in here," Childress said, referring to Winter Park. "The place won't be vibrating or anything like that. We just kind of go about our business and see what they're doing schematically and what we can play off. I'm sure they're going to do the very, very same thing.
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"Playing somebody
in your division, obviously you know those games count like two. And then we're going to see them here in a short period of time in another month. So all the rivalry stuff, that will take care of itself. I know there is some mitigating circumstances, but for us it will be a good week of preparation."
Just in recent years, the rivalry has taken different twists, much of it involving Favre. In the summer of 2008, the Packers accused the Vikings of tampering charges for alleged inappropriate contact with Favre before he was traded to the New York Jets.
And now Favre is back in the NFC North, leading his team to a 3-0 record, including Sunday's dramatic touchdown throw to Greg Lewis with two seconds remaining to defeat San Francisco.
The Packers, for their part, are 2-1 and coming off a 36-17 win over St. Louis. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has shown his remarkable talent since taking over for Favre last season.
"It's just a good wholesome state-to-state rivalry, you know, just like Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Meadowlands, New Jersey," Childress said. "I don't think that's a town. East Rutherford, excuse me. You know, there's pretty good proximity here and there's pretty good emotions that get involved, but nothing wrong with that."
Pretty in pink: Brett Favre, Chad Greenway, Chester Taylor and Antoine Winfield won't be making a fashion statement wearing pink cleats on Monday Night Football on Oct. 5 against the Green Bay Packers.
The Viking starters have agreed to wear the customized cleats to support the NFL's breast cancer awareness effort for Week 4, and pink is the internationally recognized color for the cause.
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Greenway said he'll be proud to wear the shoes because of his family's close connection to breast cancer. His grandmother and his wife Jennifer's grandmother both passed away after battles against cancer. Chad is the team spokesman for breast cancer awareness.
Favre's wife, Deanna, is a cancer survivor, and she has been a notable activist with her Deanna Favre Hope Foundation.
Players from around the league will wear the pink cleats and many are also expected to wear pink gloves.
-- Copyright (c) 2009, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn./Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
