Last December, ESPN reporter Ed Werder was being heckled by a Cowboys fan for his report suggesting T.O. was resentful of Tony Romo’s relationship with Jason Witten. A year later, Werder’s in the middle of another team controversy, this time regarding the Vikings and Brett Favre’s relationship with coach Brad Childress. Childress tried unsuccessfully to bench Favre on Sunday night, with Favre later saying there was a heated discussion on the matter. Childress tried to downplay things but then Werder came out with a report delineating Favre’s issues with his coach. It couldn’t be more obvious from whom the criticisms came:
According to sources, Favre dislikes that Childress seldom discusses the game plan with him during the week, and does not encourage the quarterback to offer suggestions as to which plays he feels most comfortable calling in certain situations. When Favre changes the play at the line of scrimmage — using his film study and experience — Childress bristles, even when the audible Favre calls works perfectly.
Unless Favre has a best friend or wife or someone who knows exactly how he feels, it’s pretty clear that those items came directly from Brett. While I understand that players have competitive spirits, it’s wrong to undermine a coach by not doing what he says (coming out of the game), and it’s just as bad to then run to the media about the problems, speaking anonymously. Favre needs to handle his issues by speaking to his coaches directly, not as a source to the media. Good ole number four may have learned how to take care of the ball better in his 19th year in the league, but he still has figured out the best way to resolve issues.
