-The Patriots pass rush looked very strong in the exhibition opener at Philadelphia, and the pass rush is at the top of the list of The Boston Globe's Mike Reiss' list of five things to watch in tonight's game against the Bengals. The Bengals' revamped line, combined with the likelihood that backup J.T. O'Sullivan will start instead of the banged-up Carson Palmer, means probable sack opportunities for Derrick Burgess and Tully Banta-Cain (who is profiled today by Shalise Manza Young), in Reiss' view.

-The Herald's Ian Rapoport will be watching to see if Tom Brady takes the hit that he joked about craving after the Eagles game: "The ability to withstand a shot to that knee is key," Rapoport notes.

-Christopher Price of WEEI.com wonders if Joey Galloway will be featured more in the Patriots' offense tonight, after he was shut out in the Philadelphia game but was targeted frequently this week in training camp.

-The Globe's Chrisopher Gasper writes that Chris Baker has taken the lead in the Patriots' tight-end race, especially since Benjamin Watson has not been able to get healthy.

-Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib was arrested today on charges of simple battery and resisting arrest. Details of the charges are not yet available, according to a report by ESPN.

-Former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton once again lashed out at Brett Favre yesterday on Sirius NFL Radio, saying Favre's return and all the drama leading up to it was a "circus."

-Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that Favre's passes have not lost any of their zip: In fact, the Vikings' receivers are having a hard time holding on to them.

-Titans coach Jeff Fisher denied a report by ESPN's Adam Schefter that Tennessee was interested in acquiring free-agent wide receiver Marvin Harrison.

-The Seahawks, who were riddled by injuries last season, may be without two of their better players for the start of this campaign. Tackle Walter Jones needs arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, which already had surgery in December, and cornerback Marcus Trufant -- who has not yet been active for training camp -- now has a disk injury.

-Lions rookie safety Louis Delmas drew a gentle reprimand from head coach Jim Schwartz for blindsiding a fellow rookie, running back Aaron Brown, flattening Brown and putting the ball on the ground. Brown said he wasn't hurt, and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham sounded less than upset about the incident: "You shouldn't do that in practice, but I turned around and smiled. I loved every second of it. Boy, he blew him up. That's the kind of tackling we hope to get out of him."

-Speaking of the Lions, Ramzee Robinson has gone in two years from the last player selected in the 2007 draft, to a job applicant at a Red Robin fast-food joint in Michigan, to becoming one of Detroit's most important players on special teams.

-Jon Gruden told the Philadelphia Inquirer that if he were still coaching in Tampa Bay, he would have done everything possible to get Michael Vick in a Buccaneers uniform.

-Speaking of Vick, Dick's Sporting Goods says that it does not currently plan to stock his number-7 Eagles jersey, saying there has not been enough demand from Eagles fans. Another big chain, Modell's, said there has been demand in the Philadelphia area, and that stores will sell the jerseys elsewhere if demand dictates.

-The New York Giants have the highest-paid man in the NFL at quarterback, but as Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News notes, the 10 wide receivers they have in camp have a combined 20 NFL starts and 262 receptions. The starters appear likely to be 2007 second-round pick Steve Smith -- the all-time leading high school receiver in California -- and Domenik Hixon, the most "experienced" of the current crop of Giants with eight NFL starts under his belt.

-The Cardinals have three outstanding receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston, but the receivers farther down on the depth chart -- especially former Cowboy Jerheme Urban -- have been turning heads in training camp. Brown product Sean Morey says of the deep and explosive Arizona receiving corps: "I'll be honest with you, I look at these guys and I think 'Wow, these guys can play,' There's a lot of talent at the position, and not only talent, but the guys are working extremely hard."

-It's a bad sign for the Raiders that they were completely dominated by the 49ers in red-zone drills as the two teams scrimmaged together yesterday morning. San Francisco's defense intercepted the Raiders four times in the same drill, leading 49ers cornerback Dre' Bly to comment: "They fed us today. That buffet was good." Quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Bruce Gradkowski each threw a pair of picks.

-Venus and Serena Williams are the latest celebrities to become part of the Miami Dolphins ownership group, joining Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Mark Anthony and Jimmy Buffett.

-Usually, the media tags a player as "disgruntled," but yesterday Brandon Marshall used the word to describe himself. Not surprising, since Marshall has been disgruntled for some time now, and yesterday Josh McDaniels made things worse by not giving his most prominent receiver any time with the first-team offense in 11-on-11 drills. That's what you would call sending a message.

-Free-agent wide receiver Plaxico Burress will be arraigned today in Manhattan on weapons charges stemming from that accidental shooting incident last year.