Earlier we reported that it didn’t seem Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress was on board with Sidney Rice’s decision to have hip surgery at this point.
Now, according to ESPN 1500’s Tom Pelissero, we can count quarterback Brett Favre among those that would prefer to have Rice on the field when the regular season begins.
“Without Sidney, it sure makes it tougher,” Favre said. “But going into the season last year, no one expected the season that Sidney was going to have. So, maybe there’s another guy that can step up and do that.”
Favre mentioned Bernard Berrian as a possibility, but had plenty to say regarding Rice.
“It’s hard enough at 40 to play. You take a guy out that had roughly 90-something catches and was obviously pretty productive … but there’s more guys on this team, too.”
Speaking for the first time since Rice underwent surgery on Monday that’s expected to sideline him at least eight weeks, Favre said he stayed in contact with Rice throughout the offseason and “really felt like, at some point during training camp, he would be able to go. Obviously, that’s not the case. But I was probably like most people — I was pretty optimistic that he would be OK.”
Of course, Favre knows that without a reliable receiving corps that the Vikings running game will have to step up.
“Sidney or no Sidney … our running game needs to be more productive and controlling throughout the season, especially with the schedule we’ve got.”
He added: “All that’s easier said than done, but I’m happy to be here. I have no idea what will happen this year. It’s unfortunate with Sidney. Hopefully, we’ll get Percy (Harvin) back. But it can’t change the way I approach the game or my feelings towards it. I’d love to have (Rice), but … we go to bat with who we’ve got and try to make the most of it.”