Favre or not, players support either option

The Vikings’ tight-lipped operation Brett Favre did receive some reaction Monday, but the players aren’t privy to any more information than the media. Whether Favre is signed or not, two linebackers say they’ll support whoever is taking the snaps.

The Brett Favre saga just doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down or losing momentum. Monday the mere mention that the Vikings have an interest in Favre – nothing that could be viewed as a new – by team president Mark Wilf was treated like a declaration of intent. It made the lead story on the NFL’s official website. It was a constant scroll item on the bottom of the screen on ESPN. It was treated like earth-shattering news, even though Wilf didn’t confirm much other than to say the team has an interest, which we already knew.

But a pair of Vikings linebackers were able to speak to the situation as a media throng followed Wilf, Chad Greenway and Ben Leber to Marshall, Minn. for a “You Made the Team” event held at an area middle school. For the first time, Vikings players were able to react to the Favre furor.

Players like Jared Allen have had the national media spotlight and has shown support for the current quarterbacks. Greenway seemed to share that sentiment, saying that if Favre doesn’t come to Minnesota, the Vikings still have a pair of solid quarterbacks as a fall-back option.

“There is so much going on with this in the media and it is what it is,” Greenway told the assembled reporters. “From what we know it could be a blown up story that we don’t know anything about that may have no legs at all. What we’re going to do is stick with what we’ve got. We have two great quarterbacks in there with (John David Booty) learning. We have Sage (Rosenfels) and Tarvaris (Jackson), who are in there as great quarterbacks – great, experienced quarterbacks – who we are going to be behind. Unless something happens or changes, there is no speculation about it. We should move on and go on with Sage and Tarvaris like we have been.”

It would also seem that the players themselves don’t have any special insight to the matter. When asked if he was in the dark about the speculation concerning a Favre signing, Leber said that, like fans, he has received most of his information from the media.

“I am (in the dark),” Leber said. “I know the other players in the locker room are. Whatever happens, happens. You know how the players are. We don’t know about this stuff until it actually happens. Even players that get cut or players that sign on, it’s usually after the fact. We’re seeing it off the Internet and through the newspaper. Whatever happens, we’ll read about it probably after it happens.”

While the Favre story takes a momentary breather, anything said on the subject is going to garner headlines – even if what is said is repetition of something already known. The circus is being held over and the stories will continue.