Favre joy at Moss impact

Brett Favre, the Minnesota quarterback, has admired Randy Moss from afar for years. On Monday night, he and the superstar wide receiver will be in the same huddle.

The Vikings obtained Moss from the New England Patriots for a 2011 draft pick, a stunning acquisition expected to rejuvenate Minnesota's stagnant offence. The Patriots sent the seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver back to the team where he became an NFL star after being drafted in 1998.

"This is an exciting move. I think everybody feels that in the locker room," Favre said on the team's website. "It's rare you get to play with a future Hall of Famer and get to appreciate their talents up close. "Randy Moss is a great player and his career speaks for itself. I've admired him from a distance for a long time, and you can't help but be impressed by the guy." Moss was expected to join the team yesterday, and Brad Childress, the coach, said he would be in uniform - in his old purple No 84 - on Monday night against the New York Jets.

"He can still go downtown and get the football, which is a stand-alone factor," Childress said. "He could sprain his toe here sometime coming up, and you could say that he's 33, it's old age. But there's always risk-reward." There were reports that the Patriots were eager to trade Moss after an altercation with Bill O'Brien, the assistant coach, over Moss's role. Last week against the Jets, Moss received just one throw during the entire game.

"In this business, there are complex and often difficult decisions, but it is my responsibility to make them based on what I feel is best for our football team, in both the short term and long term," Bill Belichick, the Patriots coach, said.