Vikings owner Zygi Wilf isn’t the only NFL owner who will benefit from the buzz created by last week’s signing of Brett Favre.

Last Tuesday, the day Favre signed, the Lions sold more than 2,500 tickets to their Sept. 20 home opener against the Vikings. They also sold about 100 three-game ticket packages that includes the Vikings game. According to the Lions, the tickets were sold to Michigan residents.

Not bad for a team that’s on a 17-game skid.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the Browns might need the Favre factor to pump some life back into a fan base that’s still deflated by last year’s disappointing season. The Browns dodged their first local TV blackout since 1995 when they split the cost of about 4,500 tickets with their local TV affiliate before the home preseason opener against the Lions.

Veteran reporters in Cleveland say attendance for Browns training camp is the worst in more than 20 years.

The Vikings, of course, likely said good-bye to the possibility of blackouts when they signed Favre. Other teams won’t be so fortunate.

In Jacksonville, the Jaguars had their preseason home opener blacked out. They head into a season with the possibility of having all home games blacked out.

Meanwhile, around the NFL …

. At a time when several teams are switching to the 3-4 defense as their base attack, it’s looking more and more like the Patriots will switch from the 3-4 they’ve used for years under Bill Belichick to a 4-3 alignment as their base. Leave it to Belichick to be one step ahead of the league-wide trend. By the time the 3-4 is finished spreading thoughout the league, Belichick probably will have an advantage with the 4-3. The one drawback to a 4-3 in New England is it would likely make veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi a backup to Jerod Mayo.

. Chiefs coach Todd Haley had a good line when asked for his reaction to the Favre signing last week. “I’m just worried about this house,” he said. “It’s on fire and I’m trying to keep it from burning down.” Actually, it burned down last year, Todd. You’re rebuilding it.

. And how would you like to be Cowboys rookie safety DeAngelo Smith? He’s the guy who got into a trash-talking bout with fellow rookie David Buehler. The two went back and forth about who was faster than whom. Finally, they settled it with a  50-yard dash after practice. Buehler, A KICKER, won. “He beat me fair and square, man,” Smith said. “I got no excuse.” By the way, that’s one reason former Vikings receiver Cris Carter never raced teammate Randall McDaniel. McDaniel, who was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this month, was one of the fastest players on the team despite being a guard. McDaniel would routinely beat unsuspecting young teammates — mostly the cockier defensive backs — in a foot race. Carter was too smart. He always felt he could beat McDaniel, but knew it was a no-win situation for a receiver to race a guard.  Â

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