MANKATO, Minn.
[b]Gregory Polanco Jersey[/b] . - Captain Munnerlyn started his first training camp with the Minnesota Vikings away from the action and on the sideline, placed on the physically unable to perform list so he could work his way through a minor hamstring injury. Make no mistake, though. Munnerlyn will play the most prominent role in this teams young secondary. "Im definitely a leadership kind of guy," he said. "My names Captain!" Drafting Teddy Bridgewater was the off-season move by the Vikings that created the biggest stir, given their decade-long quest to establish a long-term solution at quarterback. Signing Munnerlyn in free agency was the most important acquisition in the meantime, however. This is a defence that allowed an average of 30 points per game last year, the most in the league, and the root of the problem was at cornerback. The Vikings abruptly dumped veteran Antoine Winfield to save space under the salary cap, and again declined to bring him back once the season started so they could add quarterback Josh Freeman. They lost not only their emotional compass, but pound for pound their best tackler. Winfields skill at playing the slot position against formations of three or more wide receivers was a stabilizing force for the group while others had their ups and downs at the outside spots. Josh Robinson was asked to learn slot coverage on the fly and failed at it often. Xavier Rhodes emerged during his rookie year as a promising building block, but he was still raw and was frequently injured. Chris Cook had another unproductive season and was not brought back. The rest of the depth chart was, to put it diplomatically, mixed and matched. Now with Munnerlyn in the fold and a scheme change under new coach Mike Zimmer, the Vikings are banking on far better performances from their defensive backs. "We want no uncontested throws, so we want to be right up there on the receivers and limit those windows those quarterbacks have to throw it," defensive co-ordinator George Edwards said. Munnerlyn is tied with Charles Tillman for the most interception return touchdowns over the past four seasons, with five. He was credited last year with a career-high 13 pass breakups and 86 tackles. With Rhodes entrenched at one spot, Robinson is in line to start at the other outside spot with Munnerlyn in the middle. Shaun Prater, Derek Cox and Marcus Sherels are the other returners in competition, and draft picks Jabari Price and Kendall James are also under consideration. But while the evolution of NFL offences has dictated the nickel defence to be used almost as often as the base alignment, there will be plenty of plays when only two cornerbacks are on the field. Munnerlyn doesnt plan on being on the sideline for those. "Im never going to sell myself short in being just a nickel. I feel like Im a starting corner," he said. "I can be that guy on the outside. Yeah, I think its a job up for grabs, and if a jobs up for grabs Im going to win it." Munnerlyn was attracted to Minnesota largely because of Zimmer and his preference to play physical, pressing coverage at the line of scrimmage. That fits his style well. "Thats something I pride myself on, not letting my guy catch the ball," Munnerlyn said. The Vikings will need a lot of that from Munnerlyn to improve upon their greatest weakness of 2013. "Ive been happy with him. Hes very, very competitive. He likes to talk a lot on the field, so weve got to keep him reined in a little bit," Zimmer said. "But thats better than having to go the other way."
[b]Blake Cederlind Jersey[/b] . The Blue Jays lost to the New York Yankees 3-1 Tuesday night, their seventh defeat in 10 games. Rasmus was put on the 15-day DL on May 15 because of a sore right hamstring. Hes hitting .222 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs.
[b]Rabbit Maranville Jersey[/b] . Rookie Christian Vazquez got his first three major league hits and drove in three runs, while David Ortiz had three RBIs to break open the game in the sixth inning and lead Boston over the Houston Astros 8-3.(CCA) - Canadas Braden Calvert will be playing for the bronze medal after an extra-end loss to Switzerland in the Page 3-4 playoff on Tuesday at the World Junior Curling Championships in Switzerland. Calvert and his team of Kyle Kurz, Lucas Van Den Bosch, Brendan Wilson, alternate Matt Dunstone and coach Tom Clasper earned their spot in the playoffs by finishing in third place in the round robin with a 6-3 record. "Were a little disappointed right now," said Calvert immediately after the game. "We played a lot better in the second half after getting off to a sluggish start. We didnt really make the other team make too difficult shots." Both teams stuck to defence, and after eight ends the score was tied 3-3. Switzerland scored two in the ninth, but Calvert was able to force the extra end with a perfect draw for two on his last shot of the 10th. In the extra end, Switzerland missed a couple of tick shots, allowing Canada to draw around and lie one. With his last, Calvert drew the front off the four-foot to lie two, and Schwaller elected to try the double take-out.
[b]Edgar Santana Jersey[/b]. . His shooter just hung on for the score of one and a ticket to the semifinal. "It was a really, really tough game," said Swiss skip Schwaller. "It was so close in the end, maybe just a few centimetres in it, just crazy. We played really defensively, that was the key to winning. Canadian curling always involves a lot of stones and guards - we wanted to play defensively and not play their game." Tuesday afternoon, Schwaller will play Norways Eirik Mjoeen, who lost to Scotlands Kyle Smith in the Page 1-2 playoff game. Smith goes directly to Wednesdays final, where he will try to defend his 2013 world junior championship title. Canada will face the loser of the semifinal between Norway and Switzerland in the bronze medal game on Wednesday at 7am et/4am pt, and Calvert says the Canadians will be ready. "I think well get rested and fired up to play the bronze medal game," he said. ' ' '
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