Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert



HOUSTON — As it turns out, Minnesota receiver Bernard Berrian won’t be playing in this game. He was in uniform and participated in pregame warmups, but he was in street clothes when the Vikings returned from the locker room for the national anthem.



Berrian is dealing with a hamstring injury, and his absence normally wouldn’t be a big deal. But now, he won’t get any preseason work with new quarterback Brett Favre unless they both play in Friday’s preseason finale at the Metrodome. Coach Brad Childress has rested his starters for that game in each of the past two seasons.



Of course it might not matter if the Vikings start games off the way they did here. For those who aren’t watching, tailback Adrian Peterson took the first play from scrimmage 75 yards for a touchdown.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky



The Texans get the “Monday Night Football” spotlight as hosts to Minnesota tonight, though Brett Favre will grab a lot of the attention. Here are three things I’ll try to watch closely:




The run defense: The defensive front got handled last week by New Orleans, with the Houston defensive tackles having an especially difficult time. On a day when the team dealt defensive tackle Travis Johnson, who’d been out recovering from surgery to repair a sport hernia, can the remaining tackles show they can play much better? Or is run defense going to show itself to be a continuing issue and leave us all wondering how much of a boost first-round linebacker Brian Cushing can help when he gets back from a knee injury? The Vikings are a premier run team and should provide an excellent measuring stick.




Ball security and red zone running: Cutting down turnovers is priority No. 1 for the Texans, so the first-team offense needs to drive the ball and not give it away. And once they get inside Minnesota’s 20-yard line, let’s pay attention to how effectively the Texans are able to run it. They believe running the ball more effectively at close range is the big key to curing their red zone production issues. And in the recent loss to the Saints, the first-team’s nice touchdown drive seemed to do well to address it. More please.




Pass pressure: The secondary doesn’t qualify as a team strength, and the Texans are counting on an improved rush to help things on the back end. It’d be nice if Mario Williams had some company trying to make Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson and homecoming king Sage Rosenfels uncomfortable. If they are allowed to throw on their own timing, I expect defensive ugliness whether it’s a future Hall of Famer or future trade bait dropping back.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert



HOUSTON — Greetings once again from deep in the heart of Texas. I managed to find Reliant Stadium easily and under the speed limit. Many thanks to jsaidoo, whose instructions helped me convert the speedometer on my rental car from kilometers to miles per hour.



We’re expecting Brett Favre to start for Minnesota, “cracked” rib and all, and play at least through halftime. There’s nothing official on the quarterback order after Favre, but we’re guessing that Tarvaris Jackson will follow him and Sage Rosenfels will finish out the game. (No sense showcasing John David Booty if the Vikings want to move him to the practice squad.)



The roof is closed here during pregame warmups and likely will remain so during the game. We’ll keep you updated throughout the evening and then wrap things up a few hours after the game.




One update: Minnesota announced that tight end Jim Kleinsasser is the only player who won’t be in uniform Monday night. That means receiver Bernard Berrian, who strained a hamstring two weeks ago, is available to play.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley



New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora left the club’s practice facility today in the Meadowlands after a disagreement with new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, according to a report from Star-Ledger beat writer Mike Garafolo. I have confirmed that report with a league source this afternoon.



Apparently Umenyiora was upset that Sheridan called him out during a film session that began this morning at about 8 a.m. ET. By the time the Giants were ready to practice at 1:30 p.m. ET, Umenyiora was long gone. I’m told that Umenyiora has never done anything like this in the past. And it was telling that Tom Coughlin faced the media this afternoon and said he was still waiting for an explanation.



So what sort of punishment will Umenyiora face? Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t start in the season opener against the Redskins.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert



HOUSTON — My big question Monday night at Reliant Stadium will not be whether Brett Favre looks more comfortable as Minnesota’s starting quarterback. After his brief debut Aug. 21, Favre has nowhere to go but up. No, what I want to see is whether Favre is close to being comfortable enough to start the regular season.



(And I’m not talking about his potentially cracked rib, either. More on that in a bit.)



It’s entirely possible that this will be Favre’s final preseason appearance before the season opener at Cleveland, now 14 days away. No matter how much you hear about Favre’s familiarity with this offense, let’s be clear on one point. The Vikings are trying to squeeze into a month what most NFL teams need a full offseason or more to achieve: Chemistry between a quarterback and his teammates.



There are no shortcuts or timesavers in this endeavor. The only solution is practice and game-speed reps. Favre is playing catch-up in both areas, and time is running out. To me, it’s reasonable to expect substantial progress and much better precision Monday night in order to be convinced that this fast-track preparation schedule will be a success for opening weekend.



I know some people would suggest that the Vikings’ early-season schedule — Cleveland followed by Detroit and San Francisco — gives them a chance to work out the kinks without taking a direct hit on their record. But in what I think will be a highly competitive division, the Vikings can’t afford even one slip-up related to Favre’s late start.



So I guess I’m not buying into Favre’s attempts to downplay Monday night’s game. His revelation Monday that he thinks he has a cracked rib seemed to be another attempt to lower expectations. This appearance is a big deal, and I’m not (only) saying this because it’s on ESPN’s air.



Favre continued to maintain last week that he is mostly focused on the basics. If the Vikings score on every possession Monday night, he said, “I’ll probably be the most surprised person in the building.”



Instead, Favre said, “the things that people don’t see” are the most important.



“No one wants to see the ball on the ground,” he said. “Calling plays wrong, going the wrong way. Things like that. The other stuff will come.”


The other stuff will come. I presume that refers to completions, touchdowns and other minor details.



But when will they come and at what cost? That’s what I want to find out Monday night.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Graham



It’s gotta be the shoes.



That’s what Buffalo Bills receiver Terrell Owens claimed was the reason for the toe injury that has kept him sidelined the past three preseason games.



Owens, who shimmered early in training camp with Nike cleats that had what appeared to be chrome on the souls, said the problem has been corrected and dismissed the notion the injury could affect him in the regular season.



“No, not at all,” Owens said Monday after taking part in his first full practice since aggravating his bum toe in the Hall of Fame Game.



“Come to find out it was really due to the shoe that I had on. It was not anything structurally or due to a tackle or anything like that. It had to do with a type of shoe that I was wearing. So, obviously, it was a different shoe that I had last year. I just had to switch shoes. It’s good that it happened earlier than later.”



Owens said he wasn’t sure if he would play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Detroit Lions. It would be his Ralph Wilson Stadium debut.



But he also noted playing was “probably not necessary. We’re going to be smart about it.” Starters traditionally don’t play in the final exhibition. There would be little point in sending Owens onto the field to play with second- and third-stringers.



Owens’ return to practice couldn’t come soon enough. Buffalo’s first-team offense has failed to score a touchdown in four preseason games so far. It has produced one field goal in 16 series, running 78 plays for 269 yards.



“I definitely feel that once I get back into the full swing of things and everybody’s fresh and back together as one unit then things will happen for us,” Owens said.



Owens has played only nine preseason snaps. He caught two passes for 27 yards on the opening series of the Hall of Fame Game then took the rest of the night off.



“I’m happy to have him back out there, and he’s obviously a big part of our offense,” Bills quarterback Trent Edwards said. “I need to get on the same page with him here pretty soon, and he’s going to be a big factor here in Week 1. I’m just happy to see his face out there and happy to throw the ball to him again.”

Posted by ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley



For all the national columnists/tweeters who have claimed that Donovan McNabb will not have a problem with Michael Vick serving as his backup, I submit Monday’s comments from No. 5.



McNabb was asked to clarify a moment in last Thursday’s preseason game during which he appeared to be signaling to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to stop sending Vick into the game so much.



“Before you come up with gimmicks, you need to get your base offense going,” McNabb told reporters in Philly on Monday. “It seemed like we were forcing a lot of things, just to say we ran it.”



To put this in proper context, McNabb continued to show support for Vick on Monday and even indicated that his presence on the field would take pressure off running back Brian Westbrook. I sort of thought LeSean McCoy was drafted to accomplish that goal, but that’s just me.



What you’re starting to see already is what the local media in Philly (and this blog) predicted from the moment Vick signed. The Eagles went out of their way to point out that McNabb had signed off on Vick’s signing. And McNabb has gone out of his way to basically suggest that he’s been riding herd over Operation Vick. But now we’re six plays into Vick’s career in Philly — and McNabb is already complaining. Or should we use a gentler phrase, such as McNabb is offering helpful suggestions.



I think the Eagles are being unbelievably naive to think McNabb will play along with Andy Reid’s fascination with the Wildcat formation. There will come a time in the regular season when the Eagles will interrupt McNabb’s rhythm to give Vick a snap on second down. If McNabb is showing frustration in the first half of a preseason game, do we think he’ll take a relaxed approach in November?



No, the Eagles have taken the most insecure star quarterback in the league and provided him with a backup who is too young (and talented) to think of himself as a backup. Nope, the cracks are already showing. And as my radio colleague in Dallas, Michael Irvin, pointed out in a USA Today story on Monday, the controversy could arrive sooner than later.



Do you Eagles fans think I’m onto something or am I reading too much into McNabb’s comments? I’m open to suggestions in the comments section — hopefully thousands of them.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Tim Graham




Tedy Bruschi made his decision to retire official Monday, but did he make it final?


New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been known to sign idled veterans during the season when needs arise. Last year, he summoned Junior Seau in December, when the battered Patriots required linebacking help for a playoff push.



Would Bruschi, who spent all 13 years of his career with the Patriots, consider a similar arrangement?



“Bill and I had this conversation,” Bruschi said at his farewell news conference at Gillette Stadium. “We had a great conversation [Sunday]. I don’t know if the answer to that one was ‘Don’t call me.’ I think if I was in a different situation there would be a different answer to that. I think if there was more that I wanted to achieve, to come back and do more, I would welcome that.”



Seau played the final four games and started two. He made 29 tackles, including 10 in the season finale.



But we should remember Bruschi, from a Boston Herald story last summer on Brett Favre’s hemming and hawing, had this to say about coming to terms with retirement:



“I would take that responsibility as a player. As a player, the decisions you make, you have to realize the ramifications of them. When you say you’re going to hang it up, that’s got to be your [final] decision. If anything, I’m learning from this. Certainly, when my time comes, I’m going to take my time.”



Bruschi sounded at peace with his decision. He said he was “fulfilled” with three Super Bowl rings and an inspirational legacy that had Belichick choked up during Monday’s announcement.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson



Really, the only surprise about Chan Gailey’s ouster as the offensive coordinator in Kansas City is that it took this long.



I was shocked Gailey was retained when Todd Haley took over as head coach for Herm Edwards at the end of last season. Haley is known as an aggressive coach whose offense in Arizona was explosive. Gailey is much more conservative and he was often criticized for the non-attacking style he used in Kansas City.



The new Kansas City leadership, led by general manager Scott Pioli, was not shy about cleaning out folks from the old regime. Yet, somehow, Gailey survived.



It just never looked like a good fit. There was a hint of discord earlier this summer when Haley said he wouldn’t be calling the plays initially. Then, things blew up this weekend when the offense seemed to take a step backward. Thus, two weeks before opening day, Haley made the move.



While it is not ideal to make such a huge coaching decision so close to the season, the Chiefs stopped the bleeding. The offense can rebound from this.



The main reason is that Haley is so heavily involved with the offense. Now it’s his baby. That’s a good thing. As long as Haley can delegate other responsibilities, the Chiefs will only be better served with him working with the offense more.



The reason I think this Kansas City regime will eventually have success is that Pioli and Haley appear to be on the same page. They are both no-nonsense guys who don’t care about hurting feelings if they have to be successful. They are serious about their jobs.



They didn’t care out the perception of blowing out Gailey so close to the start of the season. They realized they made a mistake and they fixed it.



How can that be argued with?



The speculation is that Haley will promote Maurice Carthon to the offensive coordinator role. That wouldn’t be a bad move. The two were together in Arizona and Haley respects and trusts Carthon.



Carthon is a running specialist and Haley expects the team is going to have to grind out wins this year, so that fits. Even though Haley earned his stripes in the passing game, he is not afraid to run the ball 40 times a game if that’s what it takes.



And that’s what Monday’s move showed: Pioli and Haley will do what it takes to fix problems in Kansas City.

	AP Photo/Tony Tribble
	Cincinnati’s first-round draft pick Andre Smith has finally signed with the team.

Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker



As the second-to-last rookie to sign a contract, Cincinnati Bengals rookie tackle Andre Smith knows he has a lot of catching up to do. Smith ended the 30-day stalemate Sunday evening when he agreed to a contract worth a maximum of six years and $42 million.



In the spring, it was a given that Smith would be the starting right tackle in Week 1 when Cincinnati plays host to the Denver Broncos. He had taken all the first-team reps in minicamp and team workouts.



But months later Smith has suddenly become an unknown commodity — at least for the time being. Smith has missed all of training camp and three preseason games to date. This week is the first time Bengals coaches are allowed to evaluate Smith to see where he currently stands physically and mentally.



“It was like, more or less, being a freshman out there getting back to football, running around and having fun with the guys,” Smith said Sunday via telephone. “I’m talking about every single play to the coach, because I’m trying to catch up. So it’s actually exciting.”



Smith, the No. 6 overall pick, said all he wanted to do from Day 1 was play football. But the NFL is big business and usually that takes precedent before anything else can happen on the field.



Smith was one of just two draft picks who missed all of training camp and the first three preseason games. San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree, the No. 10 overall pick, remains unsigned.



Ironically, the contract for No. 7 overall pick-Oakland Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey affected negotiations for Smith and Crabtree. Each felt he deserved more money than Heyward-Bey’s $38.25-million deal. Oakland gave Heyward-Bey a great deal that provided a significant raise for the seventh pick, which altered the market.



Smith’s agent Alvin Keels naturally felt his client deserved more as he was slotted one spot higher than Heyward-Bey. That led to a major snag in what was already a tough negotiation with Cincinnati, which was not willing to bend as easily as Oakland. A month later a compromise was reached in an incentive-laden deal that satisfied both parties.



With the dollars out of the way, now it’s time to make sense of where Smith fits with the team.



Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is high on Smith’s abilities and has left the door open for Smith to contribute right away. Anthony Collins has taken all the first-team reps this summer and is the team’s starting right tackle. But really it’s all up to Smith, who spent the summer working out independently in Alabama, to prove his readiness.



Ideally the Bengals would like Smith to see his first NFL action Thursday in the preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts. That will help the team evaluate where he stands before the regular season begins Sept. 13. Cincinnati won’t make the determination this week until Wednesday at the earliest once the coaches had a chance to monitor Smith through several practices.



“He has a lot of work to do,” Lewis said. “But he knows the challenge ahead of him to make an impact on our team as soon as possible.”



History is not on Smith’s side.



This is the third consecutive year a rookie has held out for 30 days or more, and the two previous examples didn’t work out very well.



Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell (42 days) and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey (33 days) both missed at least the first month with their teams and went on to have meager rookie campaigns.



Russell was the top pick in 2007 and didn’t see playing time until late in the season. He threw for just 373 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions and is still struggling to find his way in his third NFL season. Harvey, the No. 8 overall pick in 2008, recorded just 19 tackles and 3.5 sacks his first year as Jacksonville finished a disappointing 5-11.



Even within Smith’s own locker room, he can turn to horror stories from new teammates Keith Rivers and Cedric Benson.



Similar to Smith, Benson missed all of training camp when the Chicago Bears made him the fourth overall pick in 2005. His career never got off the ground as Benson rushed for just 272 his rookie year and was released two seasons later. Last season, Rivers missed a relatively modest 10 days of training camp and played well. But his rookie year was cut short via injury after seven games.



According to Smith, getting up to speed physically will be his biggest adjustment.



“I expect probably a little bit of the physical [challenges], because you have to be in football shape,” Smith said. “I’m actually a great learner as far as football. I came from a great system coming out of college and I’ve been through OTAs and rookie minicamp. So I’m actually not that far behind the guys. I think it’s more or less the physical aspect.”



On the HBO series “Hard Knocks,” the Bengals poked fun of Smith’s absence. The contract dispute was a serious situation, but teammates made light of it through skits that aired on national television, which Smith said he’s taking in stride.



“It was all fun and games,” Smith shrugged. “Anyone could easily be [upset] about the situation, but not me. I was OK with it. It was funny. It was entertaining. So I had a great time watching it.”



Now those teammates have to deal with the 335-pound Smith every day in practice, as well as the rest of the NFL on Sundays. If Smith is able to avoid the perils of past rookies with long contract disputes and catch up to speed quickly, he could end up having the last laugh.



“Our vision of him is simply as a physically dominating player on our offensive line,” Lewis said. “And we know that this guy wants to be very, very good.”