Bollinger spent three seasons in Hempstead
Following three seasons with the Jets, quarterback Brooks Bollinger was traded to the Minnesota Vikings last August in exchange for defensive lineman C.J. Mosley and a sixth round draft selection. Bollinger was dealt after Chad Pennington won a four-way training camp battle for the starting position behind center.
"Especially in camp, I think Chad separated himself," Bollinger said Wednesday. "Chad played day-in and day-out consistent and handled all of things that we were doing with the multiplicity of that offense and handled it very well. I really feel that he separated himself on the field - not just like it was a fixed deal going in. He went out there and proved it."
Read below for conference call excerpts from Brooks Bollinger and Coach Brad Childress
On helping the Vikings knowing the Jets' offense…
You know as well as I do those guys (the Jets) are about as thorough as they come and I know what kind of job they do and I know how they operate. I don't really know if there's anything I can tell them, I mean obviously I've been around the personnel, but they just do so much on both sides of the ball and they do so such a good job of scouting themselves and changing things up, not showing the same look twice. What we were doing in training camp and what they're doing now I'm not sure that they're even close.
On his time with the Jets…
I feel good about it. I made a lot of good friends, got to work with a lot of good people all throughout my career there. I learned a lot about football, learned how to be a pro from some great pros. Both personally and professionally, while I was out there I got married and had my first child. There were a lot of things both off-the-field and on-the-field and I don't have a bad thing to say about anybody that I worked with there
On the trade to the Vikings coming as a surprise…
You try to think about it and you try not to speculate about what could possibly happen, because there are so many variables and so many things that could happen. I thought that it was a possibility, I thought that if they did keep me around, and they talked about keeping four guys, I only had one year left on my contract so if they were going to get anything for me that would have been the time to do it. I thought that might have been a possibility and I thought them keeping me was a possibility and I thought maybe they'd wait it out and then cut me.
On get a new deal from the Vikings…
It is good to be somewhere where they gave me an extension. I felt like they came and actively got me and said, "Hey; you're a guy that we want, you fit what we're trying to do here." Going through some coaching changes the last two years, when you're the third quarterback and a sixth-round pick and the situation that I was in, it's tough to survive those sometimes. When Paul (Hackett) left and Mike (Heimerdinger) came in, I made it through that one and then this next one got me. It was good to not be cut and have someone say, "Hey this guy is on the market, let's throw him on the roster" but to have someone say, "We want this guy on our team," that was a good feeling for me.
On starting against the Jets if hadn't been injured…
It would have been fun. You never know what happens and it's kind of the same situation where you have to put your head down and wait for an opportunity to arise. I haven't seen any of these guys since I was their teammate. I mean I left work one day and that was the last time I saw them. I'm excited to both compete against them and just say hello and see some familiar faces.
On sensing the Jets would be this successful this season…
I'm not surprised. So much in this league depends on who stays healthy and getting a few breaks here and there. I knew a couple of things, I knew that they'd be well coached and I know the work that they put in and they definitely put in the sacrifices to be successful. They have a lot of talented players on that team. Am I surprised that they are there? No not at all. They've done a great job this year in finding a way to win football games.
On being in Minneapolis…
It's great to be back close to family. My parents are about three hours northwest of here and her (his wife) family is like 10 minutes up the road. It's great with a son, to have help and for them to be able to spend time with him as he grows up, it's nice.
Head Coach Brad Childress
On what they saw in Bollinger that made him want to acquire him…
I've known Brooks back to his University of Wisconsin days. He was our red shirt freshman quarterback when we went to the Rose Bowl in 1993. He's a coach's son, he has very good skills and athletic ability, he has great mind. We played the Jets every year in the preseason at Philadelphia and I was able to kind of follow him. I remember a 75-yard drive during the preseason that he took down the field, which ended up beating us in the preseason, which is no small thing, when you think about who you're playing with at the end of the game. He has incrementally gotten better as he's been in the NFL.
On if Bollinger will be the number two quarterback this week…
I don't know; he's going to try and come up and do some things at practice. With all those guys, it's a fight to get into Sunday. He was our emergency guy last week, I don't have anyway of knowing how he's going to respond to going a little bit harder.
On the running back situation…
I'd probably tell you the same thing. It's one thing to run around in shorts and jerseys and it's another thing to get whacked. That's going to be on going this week. Artose (Pinner) did a nice job of coming in and filling the gap, but that's what 53-man rosters are all about. You believe the people you keep have a chance to step in ably and contribute.
On Chester Taylor sounding upbeat about playing…
The guys are giving him the business on the bus about who should start next week. There's a little bit of peer pressure there, coming back from the airport. These guys can get after each other pretty well. You never can tell whether it's liable to be a Wally Pipp situation.
Wednesday Injury Report Jets Questionable: FB B.J. Askew (foot), CB David Barrett (hip), LB Matt Chatham (foot), Eric Smith (foot) LB & Bryan Thomas (shoulder)
Probable:*RB Kevan Barlow (calf), *LB Brad Kassell (shin), *WR Justin McCareins (foot), *DL Rashad Moore (hand), *QB Chad Pennington (calf), *DL Dewayne Robertson (shoulder), *TE Sean Ryan (thigh) *WR Brad Smith (shoulder) *S Jamie Thompson (ankle) & *DL Kimo von Oelhoffen (shoulder)
Vikings Questionable: RB Chester Taylor (ribs), QB Brooks Bollinger (shoulder)
Probable: CB Cedric Griffin (neck), LB Napoleon Harris (wrist), WR Marcus Robinson (ankle) & DT Pat Williams (knee)
*Denotes players who participated in practice
