FT. LAUDERDALE -- You probably don't want to hear this, but it's sunshine and upper 70s in south Florida, where the two Pro Bowl teams went through what I suppose counts as "practice" this morning.
Naturally, it's pretty relaxed down here heading toward Sunday's Pro Bowl game. Vikings Pro Bowlers Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson spent part of the NFC's practice on the sideline being interviewed on the NFLNetword byAFC Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Allen looked into the camera and made a pitch for the "Silver Fox" -- aka Brett Favre -- to come back for a 20th season. Peterson, who is a tad less boistrous as Allen, leaned into the microphone and quietly said, "Me too." After the practice, I talked to some of the Vikings about whether they'll reach out to Favre, and when they thought it would be the right time to do so. "I think right now he's like everybody else," guard Steve Hutchinson said. "He needs time to heal up. But I'll be talking to him. He and I developed a good relationship." Here is some of what others had to say coming off the field: Allen: "Whatever Brett decides, he decides. We want him back as a teammate, but a guy in his position, he has every right to retire. If he wants to come back, we’ll welcome him.
Allen thenplayed to a nearby camera, hinting strongly that he's dying to have Favre come back by saying, "We just want him to take his time and make the right decision. Do the right thing, Brett. Do the right thing."
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers when I asked him to make a prediction on Favre: "Oh, I thinkit’s way too early for any predictions about Brett Favre." Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb on the speculation that he could be the Vikings' Plan B choice via trade if Favre retires: "It seems like every offseason, all it involves is Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb. We’re going to hear about that the whole offseason, so get ready for it. If Brett retires, it’s going to be, `Brett Favre retires today ... and in Philly, Donovan McNabb ...' But I don’t get involved in all that stuff." Asked if there's a team he would like to go to that has a chance to win a Super Bowl (i.e. Vikings), he said: "We can win in Philly. The only place I want to be is the Novacare Center. That’s in Philly. One Novacare Way. Where the Eagles practice, they eat cafeteria food, they watch film and then they meet and then they have fun." Peterson on whether the NFCtitle game loss still stings:"Oh, yeah, I definitely still feel the sting. But it’s a learning experience. The next time we make it there, there are some things we definitely need to do right." Peterson on Favre: "It would be good to get him back. I feel he can still play, obviously. To get him back for a year or two, or whatever would help us get to where we want to go." Hutchinson on whether he thinks Favre will return: "There are no predictions on my part. That’s his decision. I think he needs to think about whether he can still do it or not. But I think he proved this year that he can." I'm doing a story on Peterson's fumbles and what the heck he's going to do about them heading into the offseason. Here's part of what Jones-Drew, who had only one fumble this year, had to say: "Harping on it in practice every day helped. But at the same time, you know when you’re tackled, you’re down. You’re not trying to fight to get the extra one or two yards. The ball is more important than those extra yards. That's my advice." Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco was the highlight of the two practices. In addition to playing receiver, he also kicked off (inside the 10-yard line, too), punted (OK, but not great) and kicked field goals (nailing a 40-yarder with ease). He claims he'll do some of that in the game. "I’m doing everything in the game. This will help me next year when we get back to Hawaii. They don’t need to pick a kicker or a punter. I can just play all three positions." Ray Lewis was asked for three things that nobody knows about him:"I love fishing. I love bowling and I love people." Asked if he knows anything about The Who?, which will perform at halftime of the Super Bowl: "No, I do not." Asked if he knows anything about Ochocinco: "I know too much about Chad. That's the problem." . McKinnie did not practice today.