"Vikings defensive end Jared Allen feels refreshed after missing about a week of practice with an ankle injury.

"It's been relaxing. You take advantage of the days off you get," Allen jokingly said.

"It feels good," Allen said. "Get a little sweat going. Get some stiffness out from not doing anything."

The Vikings have a short turnaround next week. They will play in Houston on Monday night, then host the Dallas Cowboys on Friday.

On Tuesday, the Vikings welcomed several key players back. Allen and quarterback Sage Rosenfels (ankle) returned to the practice field and are set to play against the Texans.

"I didn't know how my ankle was going to respond out here today, but everything felt great," Rosenfels said. "It was literally as if we had practiced yesterday and I had played in the game. I felt like there was really no rust today."

Rosenfels said he hasn't been informed how much or when he will play against his former team, the Texans. Vikings coach Brad Childress said only that starter Brett Favre will play the first half.

The only players who did not appear to fully participate in practice Tuesday were receiver Bernard Berrian and tight end Jim Kleinsasser. Offensive lineman Artis Hicks was excused to tend to a family matter.

Berrian is slowly starting to work his way back. Sidelined since injuring his hamstring in the exhibition opener Aug. 14 in Indianapolis, Berrian has spent the past couple of days catching passes from Favre after practice.

"It was all right," Berrian said. "It wasn't anything really different. We've been doing this for a couple of days now.

"It's just trying to get back into the flow of things," he said, "and getting in and out of breaks and get my conditioning back." "