Vikings welcome Favre

Brett Favre is back in Minnesota, right on schedule.

For the second year in a row, the quarterback who spends his summers on the verge of retirement was driven to Vikings headquarters at Eden Prairie, Minn., on the Tuesday following the team’s first preseason game. Just like last August, news helicopters followed his vehicle from a local airport and dozens of fans and media gathered at the entrance to Winter Park to greet him.

Nothing the Vikings haven’t seen before.

On Aug. 18, 2009, Favre boarded a private plane from Hattiesburg, Miss., and arrived in Minnesota. Coach Brad Childress picked him up and brought him to the team facility. He practiced the same day and suited up for a preseason game three days later.

This time around, the Vikings sent three of Favre’s closest friends on the team – Jared Allen, Ryan Longwell and Steve Hutchinson – to Hattiesburg to bring him back for one more shot at a Super Bowl.

Favre’s website posted a message earlier saying “stay tuned for breaking news from the Minnesota Vikings today on Brett Favre’s possible return.”

The Vikings issued a media schedule for today, announcing that coach Brad Childress will hold his regular news conference following practice. The team also said that a “media availability with QB Brett Favre is to be determined.”

Manning undergoes tests

A bloodied Eli Manning was in some discomfort a day after receiving 12 stitches for a head wound.

Manning’s status for the New York Giants’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend is uncertain.

While the Giants said that Manning showed no signs of a concussion after suffering a 3-inch gash to his head in a 31-16 win over the New York Jets on Monday night, the 29-year-old quarterback was undergoing a battery of tests to make sure he did not suffer a more serious head injury. His helmet knocked off and he was hit in the head.

Tennessee waived injured rookie running back Stafon Johnson, the former Southern California standout whose college career was ended by a weightlifting accident that crushed his neck. Johnson dislocated his right ankle and broke his fibula Saturday night in the Titans’ 20-18 loss at Seattle. … Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga was fined two game checks by the NFL and forfeited a two-week share of his signing bonus for a drunken driving conviction. … The New Orleans Saints made a move to strengthen their running back depth, signing former Washington Redskin Ladell Betts to a one-year contract. … Buffalo Bills rookie receiver David Nelson is out indefinitely after being carted off the field with a right leg injury during practice.