Brett Favre

Everything about Brett Favre after the Minnesota Vikings' 30-23 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday looked familiar except the uniform and his expression in victory. Wearing his purple No. 4 jersey and an awkward smile, Favre hugged one Vikings teammate after another before he turned to face his beaten foe. For the first time on the same field with the Packers, Favre was glad they lost. "I wasn't out to prove anything," Favre said. "I knew I could play." Favre didn't know how he would respond to the pressure he couldn't ignore.

Brett Favre is set to play the first half of tonight's Minnesota-Houston exhibition game, and reportedly some Vikings players are less than thrilled about it. According to ESPN.com, Favre's presence has upset the chemistry inside the Vikings' locker room. Some say Tarvaris Jackson gives the Vikings the best chance to win. Others back Sage Rosenfels. One source said Favre has "little support" in the locker room. Last season, several New York Jets voiced similar opinions about Favre's being too aloof.

John Elway has a message for Brett Favre: Just do it. "If he decides not to play now and doesn't come back, I think he'll question that for the rest of his life," the retired Denver Broncos star said. Joe Montana has a message for Favre too: Just do something. "If he's ready to play, then yeah, he should," Montana said. "But usually when you're waffling like that it makes it difficult on everybody. . . . If it was the first time he's done it, it would be different.

Derek Anderson stood in the middle of the media huddle in Cleveland's locker room and then stepped aside for Brady Quinn . Perhaps for good. The mystery surrounding Browns Coach Eric Mangini's choice as his starting quarterback became somewhat clearer Wednesday when Quinn and Anderson were forced to answer questions about their recently completed competition -- a battle that carried through training camp and the exhibition season. Anderson was asked if it would be difficult to keep the starting QB a secret until Sunday's kickoff of the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.

Brett Favre's ribs appear to be just fine. He took plenty of hits and even delivered one. Adrian Peterson scored on the game's first play, Favre played three quarters despite saying he might have an injured rib, and the Minnesota Vikings beat the Houston Texans, 17-10, in an exhibition Monday night at Houston. In his second game since unretiring less than two weeks ago, Favre completed 13 of 18 passes for 142 yards. He didn't move the offense much after Peterson's touchdown until a 28-yard catch and run by Chester Taylor just before halftime.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Until the last instant, even after Brett Favre threw a second-and-eight pass into the hands of New York cornerback Corey Webster in the first minute of overtime and gave the Giants an opportunity they would not squander, he was sure his Packers were destined to win the NFC championship. "This game, and this season, it's been one of those things where you just, 'Yeah, we're going to do it.

More than once Tuesday, Green Bay's mayor felt the need to gently remind his teary-eyed staff members of this: Brett Favre retired, but he's still alive. Regardless, the sudden jolt of it all -- Favre's decision to end his 17-year NFL career -- hit hard, especially in a place where he spent 16 seasons, won three most-valuable-player awards, a Super Bowl, and more games than any other starting NFL quarterback. "It's somber here," Mayor Jim Schmitt said in a phone interview.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- You can see many a goodbye to a sporting life that can bring a teardrop to your eye. Lou Gehrig's, for one. Magic Johnson's was another. But very seldom will you see one as fraught with emotion on the athlete's own part as Brett Favre's farewell to football turned out Thursday in his adopted Green Bay. He came into the room looking exactly the way you would expect Brett Favre to look on his day off -- no tie, shirttail hanging untucked over his jeans.

First there was the bombshell news announcement, followed by around-the-clock reaction and reflection, followed by Thursday's emotional news conference in Green Bay, Wis. Brett Favre this week has carried the national sports media as far as he can possibly take them . . . or has he? Today, the Green Bay Packers are facing a hard fall and a colder-than-usual winter -- a.k.a.: Season One of the Aaron Rodgers era. As for spring and summer, well, the media clearly have some tough days ahead.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who announced his retirement last month after 17 seasons, could be looking into resuming his career with another franchise. According to NFL sources, Favre's agent has quietly inquired with teams about their interest in trading for the three-time NFL most valuable player. The sources did not indicate whether Favre knew of the inquiries.