Tarvaris Jackson

Two teams with unsettled quarterback situations - the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings - might be interested in acquiring suspended Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick. Vick is in federal prison on felony charges related to dogfighting and is scheduled to be released in July. The Falcons have said they will try to trade him, though they could cut him and make him a free agent. San Francisco coach Mike Singletary said Vick deserves the chance to play in the league, and believes he will be successful if he returns.

A New York Jets season ticketholder filed a class-action lawsuit yesterday against the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for "deceiving customers. " The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., by Carl Mayer, of Princeton, N.J., stems from the Patriots being caught videotaping signals from Jets coaches, in violation of league rules, in New England's 38-14 season-opening win Sept. 9. Mayer is seeking more than $184 million in damages for Jets ticketholders.

Out with the new, in with the old. With the passing offense sputtering in two losses to open the season, Minnesota coach Brad Childress decided the Vikings can no longer afford to let 25-year-old quarterback Tarvaris Jackson learn on the job. Yesterday, Childress turned to 15-year veteran Gus Frerotte to run the offense for the rest of the season. "I'm just not seeing right now the aggressiveness from Tarvaris that I saw throughout the offseason, training camp, the two preseason games that he played in," Childress said.

Plenty of seats are still available for Sunday's game in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Vikings reported 8,000 tickets remained at noon yesterday for the game with the Eagles. The NFL has granted an extension until 3:30 p.m. local time today to reach a virtual sellout, and avoid a local TV blackout. The blackout would encompass not only the Twin Cities, but secondary markets in the region as well. It includes satellite, cable and over-the-air systems, so nobody in the area could watch the game unless they're in the Metrodome.

Tuesday Night Football? Yeah, that makes sense - at least in the context of the rest of this Eagles season, which has hardly been ordinary. Sure, Tuesday games are unheard of. But is it any more surprising than the Eagles trading their franchise quarterback to a division rival, then changing quarterbacks again after two games? More surprising than Michael Vick, four years removed from being a starter, raising his game to the highest level of his career? More surprising than Vick again becoming a widely accepted star?

MINNEAPOLIS - Tarvaris Jackson, a young quarterback, and Brad Childress, his old coach, both got to look at Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb yesterday from across the field. Afterward, they spoke in admiring terms. Asked if he had an appreciation for McNabb, Jackson said, "Yes. He took a couple of shots today and made a couple of plays with his feet. Sacks would have been big but he did a pretty good job even if he didn't complete the pass. He did a good job of getting rid of the football.

BRETT FAVRE is a weasel. How else do you describe a guy who has a heated argument with his coach during a game and then tells everyone about it afterward? Here's what happened: The Vikings (11-3) had clinched the NFC North title before their game with the Panthers even started. After watching Favre get sacked four times, Vikings coach Brad Childress decided to protect his No. 1 quarterback and replace him with Tarvaris Jackson. It was the third quarter and the Vikings were ahead, 7-6. But Favre refused to be benched, and Childress backed down.

The Jets needed Revis In case you were wondering why Jets coach Rex Ryan squeezed into an airline seat on Saturday and flew to Florida to visit holdout cornerback Darrelle Revis, look at New York's schedule. The Jets' first three games are against Baltimore and Joe Flacco, New England and Tom Brady, and Miami and Chad Henne, who beat the Jets twice last season. After a week off against Buffalo, the Jets go up against Minnesota and Brett Favre. "In the first 28 days of the season, the Jets face four top offenses," wrote SI.com's Peter King, "and Kyle Wilson and Antonio Cromartie would have been exposed.

A number of permutations affect the Eagles' postseason hopes, but the simplest for this week involves an Eagles win over Washington and losses by either Atlanta or Tampa Bay (or both). If this happens, the Eagles will go into next weekend's game against Dallas needing only to win to clinch a playoff berth. Here's a look at the Atlanta and Tampa Bay games: Atlanta (9-5) at Minnesota (9-5) Sunday, 4:15 p.m.; local TV/Radio: None. Line: Vikings by 3. Over/under: 43. Eagles fans are rooting for: A Vikings win. About the Falcons: The story in the NFC this season, Atlanta can clinch a playoff berth with a win and losses by the Eagles and Buccaneers.

With less than 40 seconds to play Sunday, a wall of New York Giants converged on NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson before he could reach the line of scrimmage. As hands reached for the football, Peterson pulled it tight to his stomach as if protecting a bag of gold coins. Peterson lost 2 yards, but at least he didn't lose the ball. That hasn't always been the case, especially lately. Though Ryan Longwell's 50-yard field goal beat the Giants and propelled the Minnesota Vikings into the playoffs, Peterson's penchant for fumbling remains a concern.

SEATTLE - It could get worse. That's a definite possibility for the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who isn't getting better as he continues to play through an injured pectoral muscle. His passing yardage has declined in each of the last four games, and his health will be a central issue when the Seahawks play the Eagles on Thursday. That's the day Jackson has begun throwing in practice the last couple of weeks. Forget all the questions concerning Seattle's quarterback of the future, because there's a question of how long Jackson can stay in the pocket in the present.

Tuesday Night Football? Yeah, that makes sense - at least in the context of the rest of this Eagles season, which has hardly been ordinary. Sure, Tuesday games are unheard of. But is it any more surprising than the Eagles trading their franchise quarterback to a division rival, then changing quarterbacks again after two games? More surprising than Michael Vick, four years removed from being a starter, raising his game to the highest level of his career? More surprising than Vick again becoming a widely accepted star?

IF YOU WERE one of the degenerates (like me) following the play-by-play of the Vikings-Giants game on the Internet on Monday night, perhaps you were taken aback after Tarvaris Jackson was injured. Up scrolled the line: J. Webb now in at QB. J. Webb? Who's J. Webb? Jack Webb, the dude from "Dragnet"? Actually, it was Joe Webb, a rookie sixth-round pick whose only NFL experience had been one game as a kick returner. After going 2-for-5 for 8 yards and playing quarterback like a kick returner, you'd think Spud Webb would have a better chance at being behind center again for the Vikings.

The Jets needed Revis In case you were wondering why Jets coach Rex Ryan squeezed into an airline seat on Saturday and flew to Florida to visit holdout cornerback Darrelle Revis, look at New York's schedule. The Jets' first three games are against Baltimore and Joe Flacco, New England and Tom Brady, and Miami and Chad Henne, who beat the Jets twice last season. After a week off against Buffalo, the Jets go up against Minnesota and Brett Favre. "In the first 28 days of the season, the Jets face four top offenses," wrote SI.com's Peter King, "and Kyle Wilson and Antonio Cromartie would have been exposed.

Unrestricted free agents QUARTERBACK 1. Daunte Culpepper, Lions 2. Kyle Boller, Rams 3. Josh McCown, Panthers 4. Chris Redman, Falcons 5. A.J. Feeley, Panthers RUNNING BACK 1. Thomas Jones, Jets 2. Chester Taylor, Vikings 3. Willie Parker, Steelers 4. LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers 5. Brian Westbrook, Eagles WIDE RECEIVER 1. Antonio Bryant, Bucs 2. Chris Chambers, Chiefs ...

BRETT FAVRE is a weasel. How else do you describe a guy who has a heated argument with his coach during a game and then tells everyone about it afterward? Here's what happened: The Vikings (11-3) had clinched the NFC North title before their game with the Panthers even started. After watching Favre get sacked four times, Vikings coach Brad Childress decided to protect his No. 1 quarterback and replace him with Tarvaris Jackson. It was the third quarter and the Vikings were ahead, 7-6. But Favre refused to be benched, and Childress backed down.

A report that Brett Favre's presence had caused a "schism" in the Minnesota locker room caused mixed reactions among the Vikings yesterday. Some appeared amused - punter Chris Kluwe loudly suggested there was a "schism in the camera crew" as photographers scrambled around early in practice - while others seemed to be annoyed. "I'm not taking any schism questions because it's a bunch of [expletive]," defensive end Jared Allen said. "So there you go. Let's ask normal questions.

Brett Favre's latest retirement lasted all of 3 weeks. The three-time MVP has done another about-face and will play for the Vikings this season. Favre, who turns 40 on Oct. 10, postponed retirement for a second time yesterday to play for the Vikings. He will celebrate his birthday a day before the Vikings play at the Rams in St. Louis. "I felt I did everything I possibly could do to get where I need to be," Favre said yesterday. "You're 39, your arm may not feel like it did at 21. But the pieces are in place that you don't have to do that much and I agree with that.

Brett Favre called Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress on Wednesday or early yesterday and told the coach he wants to stay retired, according to a report yesterday by Yahoo! Sports. Twin Cities television station KMSP broadcast video of Childress' early-morning arrival in Winter Park, Minn. The coach's black sport utility vehicle was still parked at the team's facility in suburban Minneapolis in the afternoon. Yahoo cited an unidentified source close to the team in reporting that the Vikings won't sign the 39-year-old quarterback, who owns many of the NFL's major passing records.

Brett Favre says he's retired, but Minnesota coach Brad Childress acknowledges it's likely the Vikings will at least assess their interest in the record-setting quarterback later in the offseason. Childress declined yesterday to directly answer a question about whether he plans to speak to Favre soon. The coach said he has been too busy with the NFL draft and the team's rookie minicamp. Favre, 39, asked for and received his release from the Jets earlier this week. Favre left his future open with the disclaimer "at this time" in a statement affirming his retirement.