Lions' Burleson faces 'minor' surgery on ailing elbow

Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson says he is heading home to Seattle to undergo "minor" surgery on his right elbow, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Burleson injured the elbow in a Nov. 21 loss at Dallas. He said it swells up on occasion and he needs to have fluid drained and a bursa sac removed.

The ninth-year receiver signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Lions in March 2010 after four seasons with his hometown Seahawks. He started 14 games last season, catching 55 passes for 625 yards and seven touchdowns.

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Favre limited by sore throwing elbow at Vikings practice

Quarterback Brett Favre returned to practice for the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, one day after sitting out to rest his sore right elbow.

Woodson: Vikings should bench Favre "If Favre is playing poorly and not giving the team a chance to win, then why play him? Even if it is Favre. Looking at (Tarvaris) Jackson, if he plays, he's 100 percent healthy and is making more plays with his feet."
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Favre has been bothered by tendinitis in his throwing elbow and said earlier this week that he would consider sitting out a game or two to rest it if the condition worsens. Favre has started an NFL-record 289 consecutive regular-season games.

"All the times that I've been with him, he's never missed one (start)," said Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who was Favre's quarterbacks coach with the Green Bay Packers. "It's hard to imagine, but he wants to do what's best for the team. We want to do what's best for the team. Could it happen? Yeah, it could happen, but ... it's hard to see."

Bevell said a decision on Favre's status for Sunday's meeting with the Dallas Cowboys "could go up to game time." But if Favre does play, his arm trouble won't affect Bevell's play-calling.

"If a guy's going to play, you've got to play it the way that you're going to play it. You're not going to be able to hide the quarterback," Bevell said. "If he's got to make the throws, he's got to make the throws. If he can't make them, then you've got to put someone else in there who's going to make them.

Favre's injury might mean more carries for the Vikings' running backs -- which is just fine with Adrian Peterson.

"If that's the approach we take, then I'm all in for it," said Peterson, who has 480 rushing yards in four games this season. "I'll be ready to do my part. That's the mindset we come into every game, making sure we establish the run game."

Center John Sullivan also returned to practice for Minnesota after missing Wednesday with a calf injury. Sullivan didn't play against the New York Jets on Monday night.

Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, safeties Madieu Williams and Jamarca Sanford, defensive lineman Brian Robison and cornerback Chris Cook also were limited in practice Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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