The big question in the NFL is whether Vikings QB Brett Favre will play tonight against the Giants.

In a text message from Vikings coach Leslie Frazier to NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora this afternoon, Frazier expressed hope that Brett Favre would still be able to play.

“No, we have not ruled him out,” said Frazier. “We will make a decision at the stadium.”

This update on the future Hall-Of-Famer’s game-day status contradicts that of others. ESPN’s Ed Werder, reported earlier this morning that several Vikings players and Favre himself don’t expect his 297-game start streak to reach 298. The St. Paul Pioneer Press has also reported that Favre’s sprained S.C. joint in his throwing shoulder remains “severely swollen.”

Minnesota Vikings players also said that Favre’s collarbone is severely swollen and he hasn’t thrown a pass all week.

As it stands now, it looks almost certain that Brett Favre cannot play, but any announcement on his playing status is unlikely until gametime.

We’ll see if the extra day of rest Favre got, due to a blizzard, allows him to start for the Vikings.

Gametime is set for 7:20 pm EST in Detroit’s Ford Field. The Giants are 3 point favorite.

sources: nfl.com, nbcsports.com

Visanthe Shiancoe of the Minnesota Vikings is having a breakout season at tight end for Minnesota. His national exposure is now at an all-time high.

Fox televised a clip of Vikings owner Zygi Wilf’s postgame locker-room speech after Sunday’s victory at Detroit, and Shiancoe was inadvertently shown naked in the background. He was wearing a towel that did little to cover him. The network apologized, but screen-grab images were all over the Internet.

Shiancoe wasn’t available to the media Monday, but he joked with a gossip columnist for the Star Tribune of Minneapolis about it. “How’d it look?” he told the newspaper.

But Shiancoe’s agent, Tony Agnone, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that his client was embarrassed and hopes fans understand it wasn’t intentional.

What do you expect to happen when you a TV camera into a men’s lockerroom.  There is no excuse and Visanthe is owed an apology from the TV crew.