Childress-Favre feud over?

Brad Childress and Brett Favre talked twice this week about moving forward from their animated disagreement on the Minnesota sideline last week over the coach's suggestion his grizzled quarterback should come out of the game.

Does that mean the conflict is over? Perhaps, perhaps not.

ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported that Childress and Favre have clashed over the in-game authority for calling the plays and audibles.

Yesterday, they both downplayed any lingering dissension over a heated discussion that took place during Sunday's loss to the Panthers.

Favre and Childress exchanged words in the third quarter with the Vikings leading, 7-6. Favre had been sacked four times and taken some vicious hits and Childress said he simply wanted to protect his quarterback. Favre refused to come out.

"I think it's all resolved, first of all," Favre said yesterday. "The fact that we've lost two of the last three - the frustration is going to show. It should."

Despite the report, Childress said he and Favre are on good terms.

"I feel like I have a good relationship with him," Childress said. "I don't think anything has really changed. Have we learned each other since September or August? I'm sure we have."

But some, including LeRoy Butler, who played with Favre in Green Bay, weren't surprised that Favre butted heads with Childress.

"Everybody in Minnesota knows that Brett Favre is running that organization," Butler told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In other news, Childress says he's confident in the team's plan to manage rookie Percy Harvin's migraine headaches, which have kept him out of one game and limited him to one practice last week.

Childress said yesterday Harvin recently had a "good" visit with specialists at the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, N.Y. The coach downplayed the significance of bulging discs Harvin revealed he has in his neck, saying they're not herniated.

* Arizona placed starting left tackle Mike Gandy on injured reserve after he underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia. The move ends the season for Gandy, who had started 31 consecutive games, counting last season's playoffs, before the injury kept him out of the Dec. 2 victory over Minnesota.

* The New York Giants placed backup tight end Darcy Johnson on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and signed tight end Scott Chandler off Dallas' practice roster.

* Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd will require surgery to repair a groin injury, putting an end to the rookie's sensational season. Byrd, who leads the NFL with nine interceptions, has been bothered by a groin injury related to surgery he had to repair a sports hernia last summer.

In other news, 32-year-old Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel is contemplating retirement after this season saying he's frustrated after 9 years of missing the playoffs and worried he's lost a step as the team's top pass-rusher.

* Oakland quarterback Charlie Frye has been cleared to play after sustaining a concussion against Denver last week and will start Sunday's game against his former team, the Cleveland Browns.

* St. Louis quarterback Kyle Boller returned after missing 3 days of practice due to flulike symptons. Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said he hasn't decided who'll get the start this week at Arizona. Rookie Keith Null, who has started the last two games, has taken the majority of snaps in practice.

* Atlanta coach Mike Smith said he held Matt Ryan out of practice as a precautionary measure and said the quarterback has not had a setback in his recovery from a turf toe injury. Ryan returned after missing two games to lead the Falcons to a win at the New York Jets on Sunday.

* Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu didn't practice again because of his injured left knee ligament and doesn't expect to play Sunday against Baltimore. The five-time Pro Bowl safety has missed nine full games and most of two others with separate ligament injuries in his left knee. He hasn't played since the opening series against Cincinnati on Nov. 15, though he has been working out in anticipation of a return.

* Carolina said a man impersonating left tackle Travelle Wharton has defrauded a handful of people out of about $25,000.

Panthers director of security Gene Brown said that the man has an identification card with Wharton's name and has been able to dupe "about four or five people" into investment scams.

Wharton said he has not been the victim of identity theft, but wanted to come forward to warn others who might be approached by the man.