National Football League

5 Questions with Brian Billick

Published Dec. 31, 2009 11:40 p.m. ET

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1. The Saints have the NFC’s No. 1 seed locked up, but aren’t playing their best ball these days. How would you play Drew Brees and the rest of their key starters on Sunday?

This is a fascinating topic for me having been in this situation as a coach. It never ceases to amaze me how each situation is totally different.

I think the situation that the Saints are facing, even though it is similar to what the Colts are dealing with, is totally different because the Colts have been here before. They have done this a great deal. For them, their perspective of winning the Super Bowl, knowing what this type of season represents to them, playing through a bye, not having a bye, they know themselves much better than neophytes to the playoffs so to speak like the Saints and the Cincinnati Bengals.

I think because of that the Colts have much more latitude not to play their players even though it hasn’t and isn’t popularly received in Indianapolis. I think the Saints are in a different category. I think they have to play through it a little bit more. I think their players have to earn the right to do what the Colts are doing right now.

Plus, the Saints aren’t playing well right now. And the fact that they are playing a division rival in Carolina, who is very, very physical and looks to be hell bent on inflicting as much damage as they possibly can. It’s like the old commercial, “If you’re going to build a garage, build a garage.” If you’re going to play, you better play. And you better play to the finish. There is something to be derived from all that.

But if you are going in half-hearted and only going to play the starters a half or just a couple series, I don’t think you can be that clinical with this New Orleans Saints’ team. I don’t think you do that against such a physical team like the Panthers. You have to play it straight up or go in and say we’re going to sit all these guys down and not expose Drew Brees to the Panthers. But be very up front going in. I don’t think you can do it in half measures.

2. What should the Bengals do? They could face the Jets again in the playoffs.

I think Cincinnati is facing the same decision Sean Payton has with the Saints. Their dilemma is playing a Jets team and Rex Ryan who will be hell-bent on taking Carson Palmer out of the game. The significance there is that the Jets could turn right around and go right back and play in Cincinnati in the wild-card round. And how would they like to play Cincinnati without Carson Palmer?

So these are all factors that Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has to factor in. I’m not sure even though Palmer looks like he needs the playing time, because he doesn’t look particularly in rhythm to me right now, I’m not sure I would expose him to that Jets’ pass rush. Both New Orleans and Cincinnati have a tough decision to face, I got the Saints-Carolina game and I will be very interested with visiting with them to see what their perspective is.

3. The Vikings definitely still have something to play for, wanting a bye and No. 2 seed. Yet they are caught in a dilemma of wanting to preserve Brett Favre. What would you do?

This is a very interesting scenario for the Vikings. Let’s keep in mind that Brett Favre and Brad Childress both recognize that there is only one outcome for them. If they don’t win the Super Bowl, then this whole Favre-Minnesota experiment will be a failure. They knew that going in and I think we are beginning to see the telltale signs of it.

When we talked with them earlier in the season, and I did two of their games, they dismissed it. It wasn’t a big deal, they said. But that was earlier in the season. Now, it is very real.

The expectations of the Minnesota Vikings’ fans -- they have been to four Super Bowls and lost -- is very high. Believe me, I know first hand. I coached there when we went 15-1 and got to the NFC Championship game and lost. The level of disappointment, the hurt that those fans have, the sense of betrayal when you don’t deliver, still lingers today. And they both know that. And I think we are beginning to see the strain on that, not only within the team but on their relationship.

4. Childress vs. Favre. There was no postgame flare-up Monday night, but it was obvious that Brett didn’t agree with some play-calling. How would you manage Favre, the player and the personality?

I don’t think Favre is happy with some of the direction that they are going in. And it is beginning to cause some friction.

Regardless of what the two men say publicly, you could see it with Favre’s demeanor Monday night. I do think Minnesota remains a good football team, but they have some issues, particularly along the offensive line. They may have to adapt what they do on offense a little bit because they do have weakness now on the offensive line. Opposing teams lately have been able to put enormous pass rush pressure on Favre. Defensively, they remain sound. They have enough to get it done.

Offensively, they have a great receiving corps, but they have to get Adrian Peterson cranked up. But they are going to have to play their way back into shape based on their three losses in December.

I don’t think Childress and Favre can worry any more what the physical wear and tear is on Brett. I don’t think Brett cares about it and I think Childress has to be careful about going down that path because Brett is not above, saying, ‘Hey, it’s not my fault what is happening, I’m not being allowed to do the things that I do.’ That’s his type of mentality. The Vikings aren’t a well team right now and it’s going to be a real challenge for them to regroup.

I do think they could still make a run. Like in most of these situations, once you get into the playoffs, all this talk about how and what happened in the past will go away. For example, the Colts know that they once they get into playoffs there is going to be a huge over-excitement.

But like Jim Caldwell, Brad Childress has one mandate; you better win or the second-guessing and the vitriol that is going to be aimed at him will be big. Hey, you screwed this thing up is going to be huge.

5. Of all the AFC wild-card hopefuls, which ones should scare AFC contenders the most? And how do you see the AFC playoffs unfolding?

I think the AFC remains a fascinating race.

I still think the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets are going to do some damage. They are clearly the teams that I think are going to get in. I can’t imagine Baltimore going out and losing to Oakland. I say that, knowing that the Black Hole has been just that for the teams in the AFC North. And the Raiders are the kind of team you don’t want to play right now because of the kind of pressure they can put on you.

I still think the San Diego Chargers are clearly playing the best of anybody in the NFL right now. And head-to-head I think the Chargers will beat the Colts because I think they are a complete team. They are better on defense than the Colts are and they are playing with a great deal of confidence right now. They have played their way through it and are on an emotional high and seem to have more momentum than the Colts right now.

Cincinnati is kind of new to all this. But Baltimore is familiar with this having been in the championship game last season. So that is going to give them some confidence and make them a tough team to deal with.

And then lurking in the shadows, a team we have totally forgotten, and if you’re part of the conspiracy theorists’ group, they designed it this way, are the New England Patriots. Everybody says they are old, that they don’t play good defense and there are problems with Randy Moss. You could sit there and say that Bill Belichick and his brilliance contrived the whole thing just to put them in this position. They still have some issues on defense that might be exposed by a good team, but they are hitting their rhythm on offense at just the right time and everybody seems to have forgotten about them.

I wouldn’t be the guy betting against Tom Brady.