(SportsNetwork.com) - Robert Griffin III is expected to be back under center on Sunday when the Washington Redskins take their modest two-game winning streak to Minnesota. First-year Redskins coach Jay Gruden confirmed RG3, who suffered a dislocated left ankle in Week 2 against Jacksonville and hasnt played since, will make his return if he shows he can handle the workload in practice. Griffin was a full practice participant on Wednesday for the first time since the injury and split first-team reps with Colt McCoy. Well see ... its all going to depend on how he does in (Thursday) and Friday, said Gruden. And moving forward, how I feel hes coming back. From a physical standpoint he looks good, now its a matter of mental and getting back into the football part of it. McCoys performance in Dallas on Monday night, in which he completed 25-of-30 passes for 299 yards to help the Redskins to an overtime upset of NFC East rival Cowboys, could also factor in the decision. With the Redskins having their bye after Sundays game, Griffin could receive an additional two weeks of recovery time before returning for a home matchup against Tampa Bay on Nov. 16. If he looks good in that (mental) regard, then theres a chance he could play. And if not and he needs another week, hell take another week, said Gruden. McCoy has held his own since replacing an ineffective Kirk Cousins for the second half of Washingtons Week 7 game against Tennessee. The former Cleveland Browns starter went 11-of-12 for 128 yards to rally the Redskins to a 19-17 win over the Titans, then played solidly in the Dallas game. The Vikings, meanwhile, are also coming off an overtime win, outlasting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Central Florida when rookie linebacker Anthony Barr, the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week, returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown in the extra frame to lift Minnesota to a 19-13 win. After his team blew a 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter, Vikings kicker Blair Walsh made a 38-yard field goal as time expired in regulation to tie the game at 13. On the first play of overtime, Barr stripped the football from Austin Seferian-Jenkins, scooped it up and raced 27 yards the other way for the game- winning score, only the fourth time an NFL game has ended that way in OT. Its really unfortunate because we were playing really hard and we were doing a great job, said Seferian-Jenkins. Its unfortunate I fumbled the ball. I have to have better ball security. Teddy Bridgewater completed 24-of-42 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings, who snapped a three-game skid. Jerick McKinnon carried the ball 16 times for 83 yards and Cordarrelle Patterson caught six passes for 86 yards. During the week, the practices, we were humming pretty good defensively, said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer. I said: If we can continue to do these things, then we have a chance to be a good defensive football team. Were definitely not there yet, weve got a long way to go, but I think weve made pretty good strides since the beginning of the season. If Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis wasnt busy himself on Sunday, he would probably be at TCF Bank Stadium acting like a proud papa. Lewis coaching tree exploded before this season when both of his coordinators from his 2013 staff, Gruden and Zimmer, got head coaching jobs. With Gruden and Zimmer, the Bengals made three consecutive trips to the playoffs with the offense ranking 10th, 12th and 19th in points scored, and the defense measuring fourth, sixth and ninth. Its probably going to be overhyped a little bit on me knowing him and him knowing me, Gruden said. Hell, I dont know when hes going to call his blitzes and when hes going to call his zones. Zimmer said he remains good friends with Gruden and praised the offensive- minded coach for his own innovative skills. I honestly dont like going against my friends because I know at the end of the day one of us is going to be upset, Zimmer said. But it is what it is. Im sure hell have his team ready to play and hopefully Ill have my team ready to play. The Vikings and Redskins have split their 18 previous meetings. WHAT TO WATCH FOR The shift from a read-and-react Tampa-2 base defense under former coach Leslie Frazier to the far more aggressive default setting of Zimmer has worked wonders for the defense in Minnesota. Zimmer has significantly upgraded a group which ranked 31st total defense in 2013 and dead last in scoring defense. Midway through the season the Vikings are eighth in total defense, allowing 323.8 yards per game, fourth in passing defense at 212.1 ypg and second in sacks with 25. Hes also cultivated stars at all three levels. Everson Griffen, the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the month, has turned into one of the games best pass rushers and is currently second in the conference with eight sacks. Griffen recorded an NFC-best six sacks in a four-game span during the month of October and also led all NFC defensive linemen with 20 total tackles in the month. Barr, fresh off his game-winning FF-FR-TD trifecta in Tampa, is an athletic marvel who will only improve with experience and Harrison Smith has been the best safety in the NFC during the first half. The problem is (Zimmer) he gives you so many looks, especially in the blitz, Gruden said. Hes the blitz doctor. So we just got to be on top of what we do and protect the quarterback. The lone issue for the Vikings has been late-game collapses, something that was a staple under Frazier and an issue Zimmer has yet to fix. Whomever plays QB for Washington will be piloting a team with significant weapons, featuring a solid receiving trio in Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts as well as a matchup problem at tight end in Jordan Reed. Running back Alfred Morris is also an issue for any opposing defense although he is far more effective when RG3 is in the lineup and the read-option is in play. (Gruden) has got terrific personnel there in Washington, Zimmer said. I think the tight ends are all good and obviously the receivers and running back. Im sure that he would tell you that his personnel is very good as well. The Vikings offense has struggled mightily thanks to injury and off-the-field issues. Minnesota planned to line up with QB Matt Cassel (broken foot), star running back Adrian Peterson (banishment), tight end Kyle Rudolph (sports hernia), right guard Brandon Fusco (turn pec) and wide receiver Jerome Simpson (released due to drug issue) playing significant roles. Instead they have had to rely on the rookie duo of Bridgewater and McKinnon, who both have significant talent but are going through the requisite growing pains behind a shoddy offensive line. Minnesota is currently ranked 29th overall in offense at 312.0 ypg and will be facing a Jim Haslett-led defense that likes to bring he blitz. The Redskins are tied for ninth in the NFL with 21 sacks and 14 of those have come with more than four rushers, Overall the Washington D blitzes nearly a third of the time on early downs and 50 percent on third down. I think Teddy has been improving each and every week, Zimmer said. A lot of teams are giving him a bunch a different looks, as I am sure the Redskins will as well. But he has got great composure, he has been great in the two-minute drill -- end of the game, end of the half situations. I think we are getting better at down situations for him. So it has been a work in progress the entire time. But I feel like we are starting to move in the correct direction now. OVERALL ANALYSIS Making the move away from McCoy with the bye week looming seems like a strange tact to take for the Redskins because we all know what happened the last time RG3 rushed back from an injury. The blitz doctor is well aware that Griffin will be rusty and you can bet he will be dialing up pressure from every which way while using the athletic Barr backing that up as an RG3 spy. Figure on the Vikings escaping with a close win. Sports Network predicted outcome: Vikings 20, Redskins 16
Jansen Harkins Jets Jersey . -- Ryan Gropp scored in overtime as the Seattle Thunderbirds shut out the Spokane Chiefs 1-0 in Western Hockey League play Tuesday.
Zach Bogosian Jets Jersey . With the Pirates in the thick of the race in the NL Central, the timing couldnt be better. Liriano struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night.
http://www.thehockeyjetsjerseysofficial ... ey-jersey/. LOUIS -- The Tampa Bay Rays have placed right-handed pitcher Joel Peralta on the 15-day disabled list with an undisclosed illness.
Alexander Burmistrov Jets Jersey . -- The Washington Redskins coaching staff distanced itself from other coaches Thursday by siding with ownership -- and not the players -- in the NFLs labour dispute.
Bobby Hull Jersey . THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Its Justin Verlander and Sonny Gray, the encore. These decisive Game 5s sure are becoming familiar for Verlander. Not so much for the Oakland rookie. Just like last October in Oakland, the Tigers have been pushed to a winner-take-all fifth game in their AL division series against the Athletics. And Detroit will have Verlander on the mound again Thursday night after he pitched a four-hit shutout in the 2012 clincher at the Oakland Coliseum. "Well, you dont pretend. Its not just another game," Verlander said after the Tigers evened the series with an 8-6 win Tuesday at Comerica Park. "The season is on the line. It was on the line for us tonight, too. This whole season, the way we battled and played as a team, comes down to one game, may the best team win. You cant treat it just like another game. Its a little bit different. There is more to it." The As will counter with Gray against Verlander a second time after these two put on a pitching show Saturday night at the Coliseum. "Hes a little bit of a bulldog, hes scared of nothing," manager Bob Melvin said, noting Grays experience on the big stage just last week. "Everything that went on in that game factored into it. ... When he came up, we were into the season and a pennant race already and we threw him right into the fire and right away he pitched very well with a lot of confidence and always has that mound presence." Melvin said he doesnt know how he might use, if at all, 18-game winner and Game 1 loser Bartolo Colon, who is "willing to do anything." He hasnt been ruled out as a reliever. "Obviously we had two great options," Melvin said. Verlander dominated in a thrilling pitchers duel with Gray, who matched the ace as each threw zeros but had nothing to show for it in a 1-0 As win. "Im not really sure we liked what we saw, it was pretty good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Gray. "At least weve seen him now." Verlander is riding a 22-inning post-season scoreless streak against the As, and has 33 strikeouts over the past three playoff matchups with Oakland, 11 in each outing. Not that the As are counting. "Hes been beaten before, it can happen again," third baseman Josh Donaldson said. Verlander acknowledged it would have been great to pitch the playoff opener, while also noting 21-game winner Max Scherzer more than earned the nod. Now, Verlander gets the ball for his most meaningful start this year -- to extend the season Thursday night. "We all have a lot of confidence, were playing at home, we know what were up against in Verlander," As shortstop Jed Lowrie said. "Were all prepared for one, winner-take-all scenario." With Scherzer pitching in relief Tuesday, Verlander became the automatic Game 5 choice for manager Jim Leyland. "Thats kind of why we pitcheed him Game 2 so wed have an option," Leyland said.dddddddddddd "We were in a pretty good comfort zone to pitch Verlander if necessary, and it was necessary because we had to win (Tuesday). Were comfortable any time Verlander goes out there." Both clubs chose to use Wednesday as a full day off without on-field workouts after two long flights in four days. Who to start was quite a choice for 2012 AL Manager of the Year Melvin, whose team is trying to avoid having the season end at the hands of Detroit for the third time in as many postseasons -- last year and also a four-game sweep by the Tigers in the 2006 AL championship series. The last time the As won a winner-take-all post-season game was in Game 7 of the 1973 World Series against the New York Mets. Oakland has lost its last five Game 5s in the AL division series since 2000. The AL West champion As know whats at stake -- and realize full well the challenge of facing Verlander again. Last falls frustrating finish is still fresh for everybody. "We feel like this time we have a better chance to turn the tide," Melvin said. "Its awfully tough to go out there each and every time and consistently beat a team in the fashion that he has with us." Verlander has hardly had the kind of dominant season like he had the past two years, including 2011 when he won both AL MVP and Cy Young Award honours. Yet that hardly affected Leylands decision-making as he insisted Verlanders 13-12 record was hardly indicative of how well he pitched much of the season aside from a couple of rough stretches. Oakland rookie Stephen Vogt delivered a walk-off single in Saturdays win once Verlander was out of the game. But he also had a wild 10-pitch at-bat with Verlander in which the left-handed hitting catcher fouled off the first five pitches and seven in all before striking out to end the seventh. "We can expect pretty much what we saw from him the other night. Hopefully he makes a couple mistakes and were able to capitalize," Vogt said. "Its a tough loss but were not done. We still got one more game. Were not done." Neither are those 48,000-plus fans with their swirling yellow rally towels packing the Coliseum. They are sure to be even more hyped up and fiery Thursday night after watching a disputed home run at Comerica Park in Tuesdays loss. On that play, a pair of fans reached out to grab the ball as right fielder Josh Reddick was leaping for it at the wall. The homer went to replay review and stood as a solo shot for Victor Martinez in the seventh. "We just do it like we have been doing it all season long, we end up winning a pretty good ballgame and its over, turn the page," Martinez said. "We go to Oakland now and play another game. We all know its a tough place to play ... we go to the next day and play a brand new ballgame and see what happens."
Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '