EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- For the umpteenth time this offseason, Brad Childress said on Sunday he thinks the New Orleans Saints crossed the line with how they hit Brett Favre in January's NFC championship game.

Drew Brees disagrees.

"I would say that any defensive player (who has) a chance to take a shot at the quarterback, legally, you're going to take it," the Saints' quarterback said in his conference call with Twin Cities reporters.

"I feel like that's something that every defensive coach and every defensive player talks about. Now, I know that we did hit Favre a lot in that game, and that's the style of defense we play with the pressure packages and everything else.

"I don't think they hit him illegally in any way. Do I think they hit him hard? Yeah. They hit him hard. They hit him a lot. But I don't think they hit him illegally and there was no extra malice or anything like that from any of those hits."

So, what happens when the Saints and Minnesota Vikings meet again in Thursday's season opener at the Superdome?

Well, for starters, the Saints will come hard after Favre again. That's how they play under veteran coordinator Gregg Williams, whose unit allowed 475 yards of offense in the title game and didn't sack Favre once but officially hit him six times. 

And Childress surely knows that raising the issue again in the days leading up to this nationally televised rematch may help direct attention to any extraneous contact involving Favre on Thursday night.

"Guys are going hard, playing physical and it's a tough game," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "... Each week, when a guy like Brees or a guy like Brett Favre has a lot of time to throw, they're hard to defend. But I think that we play with an attitude and a swagger and a confidence level within the rules, and I like the way we play."

The Saints were penalized once for roughing the passer and once for unnecessary roughness and paid $30,000 in fines for the hits they laid on Favre. They also won the game 31-28.

"Two weekends later," Payton said, "they played in Miami for the Super Bowl."

One unpenalized hit worsened Favre's already-injured left ankle, which required offseason surgery and still is bothering Favre more than seven months later. Another play left him with a badly bruised thigh -- "I got elbowed or kicked or something in a scrum trying to get the ball" -- that actually did the most damage of them all.

"I've heard that," Favre said, answering a question about whether he felt he was mistreated.

"Going home, everyone was like, 'I thought that was this and that.' Had it been us doing that to Drew, we wouldn't probably feel that way."

In his conference call with New Orleans reporters, Childress acknowledged Williams is known for his blitzing scheme but added, "What I hate to see are late hits or attempts to hurt anybody. I don't think there's a place for that in the game."

Asked if he wondered whether that was happening to Favre in January at the Superdome, Childress said, "Yes, I would have to say that, yes."

"Everybody looked at the film," guard Anthony Herrera said. "Everybody knew. It is what it is. We had a lot of late hits on the quarterback. It wasn't called."

Brees doesn't expect retribution on Thursday night.

At least, nothing over the line.

"If the Vikings guys get a clean shot at me, I know they're going to take it," Brees said. "That's football, and everybody loves hitting the quarterback."

Tom Pelissero is Senior Editor and columnist for 1500ESPN.com. He hosts from 6 to 8 p.m. weeknights and co-hosts from 10 a.m. to noon Sundays on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
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