Hartman: Favre gives praise to his big protectors

It is possible reserve quarterbacks Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels will see some service in the next three games -- against the Lions, Seahawks and Bears -- if the Vikings can pull ahead early, something they haven't done too much this season.

One thing coach Brad Childress certainly wants to do is to keep quarterback Brett Favre healthy, especially for tougher games later against Arizona and Cincinnati. The Vikings are in a good position with a three-game lead in the NFC North and will be big favorites in the next three games.

It's helping that the offensive line is doing its job: The Vikings did not give up a sack against the Packers, nor did Favre throw an interception. Favre is fourth in the league in completion percentage at 67.9, a sign he's getting plenty of protection as he looks for his targets.

One thing Favre did at his news conference was praise the offensive line that has shown a lot of improvement. I'm sure offensive line coaches Pat Morris and Jim Hueber would be glad to hear that.

"This offensive line can run-block and also pass-block," Favre said. "The way Phil [Loadholt] has stepped in at a really difficult position [right tackle] and Sully [John Sullivan] at center -- which is also a difficult position. I've played with a lot of centers. ... Sully has taken over for a great player [Matt Birk] and has filled in extremely well. He would like to have one back but that has happened to everyone."

The Vikings put Favre on the injured list as of Wednesday, which means limited practice. It turns out the veteran quarterback pulled a groin muscle the Wednesday before the Nov. 1 Packers game, had limited practice the rest of that week, and there was a question until game time whether he could operate at full scale against his former team at Lambeau Field.

"We had a little practice Monday," Favre said before practice on Wednesday, where the word is he took things easy. "I think I will be fine. That's something for me, I always said, you have to have muscles to pull them.

"Either that is a sign of old age, or I'm developing muscles for the first time in my career. It was a concern in the Green Bay game. I made it through. With a week's rest [with the team on a bye], I think I will be fine, but I'm not going to make a bigger issue than it is."

Backstrom praised Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher ran out of words to praise goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who won his 100th game in Tuesday's 5-2 victory on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"It seems to be a broken record -- he gives us a chance to win every night and he is a terrific competitor and he has played really well all year and he made some great saves for us in the third period," Fletcher said.

Asked how he ranked Backstrom among NHL goalies, Fletcher said: "I think he is right there, I don't know how you rank, one, two, three and four -- that type of thing, but he is certainly in the top five in the league in my opinion. And again, the thing I like about him is he almost never has an off-night. I mean, every game he is there, he is consistently good, he practices well every day. There is just really very little variation in his performance from night to night, which is pretty hard to do.

"Focused and prepared, every practice, every game and his teammates trust him and he just does a great job for us every night."

Well, the Wild has won four of the past five games, so maybe the players are catching on to new coach Todd Richards' system.

Jottings The University of Minnesota is in the process of negotiating with promoters for U2, who are planning a concert at TCF Bank Stadium on June 27. Several promoters have contacted the Gophers athletic department about renting the stadium for concerts. However, the decision was made to let the U2 show be the first experiment, and if that goes well, other acts will be signed. The stadium would seat 58,000 for the concert and there is a good chance that the athletic department could earn $200,000-plus in rent. Oklahoma recently earned some $500,000 by renting their stadium for a concert.

Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports that the NHL recently returned $6.9 million to each hockey club, including the Wild. The money had been withheld from the players in escrow during the 2008-09 season. The amount represents 12.9 percent of total player salaries and bonuses in 2008-2009. An average of 18 percent was held in escrow during the season, so players were returned 5.1 percent, or slightly more than $80 million. This was the largest amount returned to the clubs since the collective bargaining agreement was signed in 2005. The revenue-sharing clause of the CBA set aside 56.7 percent of revenues for the players. Since salaries exceeded that level, the owners got a refund for just the second time under the deal.

Cole Aldrich, the former Bloomington Jefferson basketball player who helped Kansas win the national championship in 2007-08, is on the cover of the recent ESPN magazine. Aldrich has made several preseason All-America teams and is a cinch to be a No. 1 draft choice if he turns pro next year.

In 2009, the Twins drew 2,416,237 fans over 82 dates (average of 29,466) a five percent increase over 2008, when they drew 2,302,431 (average of 28,425).

Eric Brewster, the oldest son of Gophers football coach Tim Brewster, is the third-leading receiver for Wisconsin-River Falls. Eric Brewster, a senior who has 25 receptions for 313 yards and two touchdowns, will play his final game on Saturday when the Falcons play host to Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Wild prospect Erik Haula recorded four goals and two assists for the United States Hockey League's Omaha Lancers in a 7-4 victory over the Waterloo Black Hawks Friday. ... South St. Paul native Zach Palmquist was named the USHL's defensive player of the week after tallying two goals and two assists in two games for the Black Hawks this past weekend.

Vikings tackles Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie will join Mark Wilf, the team co-owner/president, in visiting the Owatonna/Faribault area on the "You Made The Team" community tour Tuesday. The tour will include a stop at Willow Creek Middle School in Owatonna and also a luncheon with business leaders from both cities.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. • shartman@startribune.com