-Monday was another weird day in the life of Brett Favre. First came word from the Vikings' new $25-million quarterback himself that he is playing through a cracked rib, which is never a good thing for a guy about to hit 40. Then came his first nationally televised preseason game, in which Favre played very well against the Houston Texans, going 13 of 18 for 142 yards and one touchdown.

But head coach Brad Childress may want to reconsider his decision to line up Favre at wide receiver while Favre is still having trouble breathing deeply. In the third quarter, Childress inexplicably called a running play in Favre's direction, with Percy Harvin taking the snap. But the guy taking the criticism this morning is Favre, because he ended up taking out former Patriots cornerback Eugene Wilson with an illegal crackback block. The play:

So now, in addition to being a waffler and a carpetbagger, some are calling the former Hall of Famer a dirty player. The web is full of headlines this morning with some variant of "Brett Favre tries to end Eugene Wilson's career."

Wilson himself is bitter over the hit, although he said last night that he thinks his knee will be fine.

"I don't have too much to say about it," Wilson said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I didn't speak to him about it, to see if it was on purpose or not." But asked what he would say to Favre if he had spoken to him, Wilson said: "What was up with that? Seriously, what was up with that?"

"I'm being a little nicer than I probably would've been out there if I spoke to him."

Vikings players, of course, saw the play a little differently. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe: "I liked it. Hey, it's man eat man out here. You better keep your eyes on a swivel. He saw Brett out there and said, 'Ah, Brett ain't going to do anything.'"

-Adrian Peterson stole the show in the Vikings' 17-10 victory, rushing for 117 yards on 11 carries, including an electrifying 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.

-Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub sprained his ankle in the game, but says that "without a doubt" he will play in Houston's regular-season opener.

-Pacman Jones is back in professional football, only this time he is going to that place where troubled NFL exiles often go: the Canadian Football League. Jones has signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, according to SI.com. Jones' second chance in the NFL ended when he was suspended after a scuffle with a bodyguard employed by the Cowboys, who had taken a gamble on the former sixth-overall draft pick.

-ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio believes the Patriots may be interested in veteran cornerback Rod Hood, who has just been cut by the Browns.

-Thomas Grillo of the Boston Herald today sized up the endorsement opportunities out there for just-retired Tedy Bruschi, and reports that Bruschi is about to become spokesman for the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. He is already a pitchman for Savings Bank Life Insurance Co. of New England, and I expect we'll see plenty of Tedy on local TV in the years to come.

-Matt Bryant, the kicker who had one of the best seasons of his seven-year NFL career last year despite the tragic death of his infant son in September, is about to be out of a job. New Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris has told Bryant that he has to play in this weekend's exhibition finale to have a shot at making the roster, but Bryant does not feel his hamstring is completely healed. So Mike Nugent will get the Tampa Bay job, and Bryant will take some time off and hope that another team comes calling in midseason.

-The Patriots may have officially decided that 2008 third-round pick Kevin O'Connell was a bust; the Bucs have made the same decision by cutting '08 second-round pick Dexter Jackson, an ineffective kick returner who never caught a pass at wide receiver last season.

-ESPN's Adam Schefter believes there is an outside chance that the Packers will claim O'Connell.

-The Kansas City Star reports that the Chiefs "clearly" are not expecting Matt Cassel to play in the regular-season opener.

-The Giants' Osi Umenyiora, who went AWOL after a dispute with defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan that reportedly stemmed from Sheridan's criticism of Umenyiora in front of the team following the preseason tilt with the Jets, apologized for his behavior and said he was wrong.

-Agent Drew Rosenhaus denied reports that one of his clients, Chiefs linebacker Zach Thomas, is planning to retire.

-There is concern about the defense in Indianapolis, where the Colts spent most of their offseason energies trying to get better at stopping other teams. They didn't do much to stop the Detroit Lions over the weekend, though: Detroit rolled up 412 yards, even if they only won by an 18-17 count.

-The Lions' quarterback controversy is on hold for now, as Matthew Stafford is for the time being the only completely healthy quarterback on the team. Daunte Culpepper cut his foot in an accident involving his home carpet, requiring eight stitches, and Drew Stanton has a knee injury. Ah, the Lions.

-Titans punter Craig Hentrich says he lost 29 pounds in the offseason thanks to a diet that featured a four-week cleanse featuring 64 ounces of fresh vegetable juice, protein and fiber powders and supplements. It wasn't easy, he says of the regimen: "You smell. It's basically the gist of it. You sweat because all the toxins and all the poisons are coming out of you. It was a rough situation for the four weeks. When you're done with it, it makes you feel great." Hentrich may have had it rough, but not as bad as teammate LenDale White, who claims he lost 30 pounds in the offseason by quitting tequila.

-Former Steelers great Mel Blount owes more than $600,000 in back taxes, according to a civil action filed Monday by the IRS.