MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.
Linval Joseph Vikings Jersey . - With the Miami Dolphins at 7-7 and all but eliminated from the playoffs, defensive tackle
Jared Odrick talked about playing out the season.Were on a team thats .500, he
said. If you dont believe that youre a .500 team, you have to go out there and
prove it. Weve got two more games to do that.So a winning record would be a
significant achievement?Nah.Finishing 9-7? Odrick said. Finishing 9-7 and not
going to the playoffs doesnt mean a thing.If more Dolphins could reverse
direction so quickly, they might be Super Bowl-bound.Its tough to blame Odrick
for having trouble convincing himself that Sundays game matters. Motivation can
be difficult for teams out of the playoff chase, and thats the challenge both
teams face when the Dolphins play the Minnesota Vikings (6-8).Here are things to
know about the matchup between also-rans:THE STAKES: The game means a lot to
Dolphins coach Joe Philbin, whose job is in jeopardy after lopsided losses the
past two weeks likely ensured a third consecutive season out of the
playoffs.Players have been vocal in defending Philbin and his staff.I dont think
its the coaches fault, receiver Mike Wallace said. I think its our fault. I dont
think weve played up to our potential throughout our games. I dont think weve
played a full 60 minutes, except maybe two or three times. Were selling
ourselves short — the players, not the coaches.Another loss might seal Philbins
fate, while a sweep of the final two games would give Miami its first winning
season since 2008, a sign of progress that could influence owner Stephen Ross.In
the absence of Adrian Peterson, the Vikings have been out of the race since
Thanksgiving. But theyve won two of their past three games to give them a shot
at a .500 finish under first-year coach Mike Zimmer.Were moving in the right
direction, defensive end Brian Robison said. Thats what you want to see out of a
club thats under a new regime.QB HOMECOMING: There likely will be lots of empty
seats Sunday, but dont blame Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The
Miami native will have plenty of family and friends in attendance, although he
couldnt provide an exact count because his mother handles ticket requests.Im
pretty loved back home in Miami, and a lot of people tell me that Im a role
model in my community, Bridgewater said. So itll be amazing to see how many turn
out there and get to see me play in person for the first time.Bridgewater grew
up a Dolphins fan and attended a couple of their games before heading off to
Louisville. He said he envisioned himself playing in the stadium someday.As a
child I had high dreams and aspirations, he said. Making it to the National
Football League and to be able to play there my first year in the NFL, its
pretty amazing.Bridgewater will make his 11th start, passing Fran Tarkenton and
Christian Ponder for the most by Vikings rookie quarterback.GOING LONG: Miamis
Ryan Tannehill is finally showing progress with his accuracy on long passes.In
last weeks loss at New England, Tannehill threw deep to Wallace for 50 yards on
the first play, and went long to Wallace for a 32-yard score at the end of the
first half. Another deep throw into the end zone was dropped.He had a number of
deep balls that were as good as any we have seen him throw in games, offensive
co-ordinator Bill Lazor said. We have seen improvement in practice, and we kind
of felt like that it should be showing up in the game.For the season, Tannehill
is 8 for 36 (22 per cent) on throws of more than 20 yards.COACHING PALS: Zimmer
said his friendship with Dolphins defensive co-ordinator Kevin Coyle could be a
factor in the game. They worked together with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008-11,
when Zimmer was defensive co-ordinator and Coyle coached the secondary.Ive
played against guys that have been with me before, and theyll run a play and you
will say, Ah, I told them about that, Zimmer said. Its one play here or
there.WINTER IN MIAMI: The Vikings practice in their field house with the doors
open to simulate colder conditions for late-season games, but this week the
doors were closed and the heat turned up to prep for Miami.It will be 80
degrees, Zimmer said before one workout. Not sunny, but it will be 80
degrees.___AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell and Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis
contributed to this report.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and
http://twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Steven Wine on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine
Matt Kalil Vikings Jersey . What they did need, the Devils got from Patrik Elias. Elias scored a power-play goal 40
seconds into overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 victory over the
Dallas Stars.
Cordarrelle Patterson Vikings Jersey . -- The Denver Broncos retired John Elways No. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Tampa Bay Rays put
switch-hitting second baseman Ben Zobrist on the 15-day disabled list Thursday
because of a dislocated left thumb. "Right now, were just doing treatment and
weve got to let the inflammation get down," Zobrist said before the Rays began a
four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels. "As far as everything else, I can
throw, I can do exercises and I can run, so I can keep my body in complete shape
-- outside of swinging and catching balls. "So once it starts feeling good
enough, Ill be able to be able to hit left-handed first. Catching the ball will
probably be the last thing." Zobrist was injured on a headfirst slide while
trying to steal second base in Wednesdays 2-0 victory at Seattle. "I knew it was
dislocated when I looked at it," he said. "But I was definitely relieved that it
wasnt broken, too." The headfirst slide is a part of Zobrists game, and
something he plans to continue when he returns to the lineup. "Ive slid
headfirst a whole lot in my career," said Zobrist, who turns 33 in less than two
weeks. "And every time Ive slid normally headfirst, Ive been safe -- not safe on
the play, mind you -- but as far as not getting hurt. The oonly two times Ive
tried to avoid a tag diving headfirst are the two times Ive hurt myself.
Jarius Wright Vikings Jersey. So for me, its not a matter of sliding headfirst. Its a matter of trying to do something crazy
while youre sliding headfirst." Zobrist played in a career-high 157 games last
season, becoming the first player in franchise history to appear in 150 or more
games in five consecutive years. The nine-year veteran and two-time All-Star is
batting .260 with three homers and nine RBIs for the Rays, who came to Anaheim
last in the A.L. East -- but just 3 1/2 games out of first. "This guy is a
regular part of our heartbeat," manager Joe Maddon said. "Hes the guy that puts
you back into a normal rhythm a lot of times, so its no fun. But weve had to go
through these moments before -- and some of our best years we had to go through
a lot of adversity early with injuries. The fact that nobodys running away with
the division while were going through our maladies is a good thing." The Rays
selected the contract of Cole Figueroa from Triple-A Durham. The 26-year-old
infielder was hitting .299 with three homers and 16 RBIs at Durham. This is his
seventh season in professional ball and his first trip to the big leagues.
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