Vorstellung » shot caromed off the rim and over the backboard

(SportsNetwork.com) - Minnesota Vikings fans would surely concede Teddy Bridgewater is not Peyton Manning. But the Vikings rookie can soothe himself by recognizing that hes also not Geno Smith. Unlike his signal-calling counterpart for Sundays game at TCF Bank Stadium, the youngster from Louisville is not only playing well as the 2014 season reaches its final stages, but theres also a very good chance - unlike Smith in New York - that hes already penciled in for a starting job next year. Bridgewater has four touchdowns against a single interception in his last two games, and played perhaps his best game of the season last week against Carolina - completing 15-of-21 passes for 138 yards, two scores and a 120.7 passer rating in a 31-13 defeat of the Panthers. Im better at just making quicker decisions, he said. Earlier in the year, I talked about getting rid of the ball faster. That wasnt the issue. I think I just made quicker decisions, and if Im able to make quicker decisions Im able to get the ball out faster. One of his prime targets, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, should be around for the full 60 minutes against the Jets after having just one pass thrown to him last week. He only played three snaps against Carolina after attending a funeral during the practice week and dealing with a knee injury. He caught six passes for 86 yards in Minnesotas Week 8 defeat of Tampa Bay, but has caught just five balls since for 51 yards. Hes got 30 catches for 350 yards and one touchdown this season, after arriving as a rookie in 2013 and catching 45 passes for 469 yards and four TDs. I have high hopes for him. Im in his corner. I want him to be a good player, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. It would help this football team. It would help me. It would help everybody around that he becomes a great player. It may be not right away. Meanwhile, though history shows the Jets last lost to the Vikings when Gerald Ford was president and Joe Namath still played at Shea Stadium, it doesnt do a lot of good for modern-day Rex Ryan. A 16-13 loss to Miami on Monday night plunged New York to 2-10 in Ryans sixth season and added another layer of certainty that the last four games of 2014 will be his last four at Gang Greens helm. Im embarrassed for myself, absolutely, he said. Its an embarrassment. Its definitely embarrassing to me. I feel like Ive let my owner down. Ive let our fan base down. The year hasnt gone anywhere close to what we were thinking. Im going to focus on beating Minnesota. Im not worried about anything else but that. I dont think that way. My job is not to worry about myself. My job is to get this team prepared to the best of my ability, and thats what I plan on doing. Ryans teams reached the AFC Championship Game in his first two seasons on the job in 2009 and 2010, winning four road playoff games with Mark Sanchez at the helm. Theyve not had a winning record since, however, and Sanchez was let go in the offseason after Smith became the rookie starter last year. Sanchez is now quarterbacking the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, while Smith, backup Michael Vick, Ryan and even general manager John Idzik are on a collective hot seat with the Jets. Smith completed only seven of 13 passes in the loss to the Dolphins, a game in which New York led by 10 points in the first half. The Jets ran the ball 49 times, but when they were forced into rally mode on a final drive, Smith was intercepted - which led to talk that the game plan reflected an absence of faith in the quarterback. Ryan insisted, though, that the run/pass ratio was not a reflection on Smith. The second-year man, who was benched in favor of Vick before regaining the job, is last in the league among full-time quarterbacks with a 65.8 passer rating. Hes thrown 11 interceptions and has averaged 5.91 yards per pass attempt, and hasnt thrown a TD pass in three games. Incidentally, the Vikings are sixth in the league in defending the pass, but have allowed 123.8 yards per game on the ground for the season and 157.0 per game over their last three outings. I understand the fact that we didnt win and the passing attempts werent there, Ryan said. But it had nothing to do with us not having confidence in Geno Smith. Thats completely false. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Awakening Johnson Running back Chris Johnson was among the symbols of the Jets ineptitude in the early season as he tried to regain his 2,000-yard form from his days in Tennessee. But hes started to pick things up in the second half and has amassed 305 yards on his last 58 carries - a 5.3-yard average per attempt. Minnesota is 24th of 32 teams against the run, so it could be another showcase for the veteran. Strength against Weakness The Vikings are by no means a scoring juggernaut when compared to the rest of the NFL, as an average of 19.4 points per game accurately indicates. But theyre facing an even more impotent outfit in the Jets, who are 30th in the league with a 15.8-point average. Minnesotas defense has held offensive powers like New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago to less than 21 points, and has a real chance to do it again. OVERALL ANALYSIS Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us two, three or four times, shame on us. While its true Ryan got more than he should have from an 8-8 team last year and true that hell probably land another NFL job and succeed after this season, the reality for 2014 is that hes pretty much out of tricks. The Vikings are not the Packers and the Jets could out-mediocre them, but the default setting is lose from here on out. Sports Network predicted outcome: Vikings 17, Jets 7 Jason Heyward Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Andre Dawson Jersey .com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-kyle-schwarber-jersey/. Zimmermann became the National Leagues first 16-game winner, pitching seven solid innings to lead the Washington Nationals past the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Wednesday night. Kris Bryant Jersey . Appearing on TSN 1050 on Tuesday, Sean McAdam of Comcast SportsNet New England reported that the Blue Jays, along with a number of other playoff contenders were in the mix for the Boston ace. Mark Grace Jersey .com) - The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that the club has agreed to terms with utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on a one-year, $4 million contract that includes a team option for the 2016 season.STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State coach Patrick Chambers didnt think it was the matchup or the fact that it was Senior Night that allowed his Nittany Lions to beat Ohio State again. No, it was something more basic. "I think we were mad," Chambers said, emphasizing that his team had been thumped by Iowa and Nebraska in its previous two games. "It just happened to be Ohio State tonight. We came out and played desperate and with a sense of urgency. And we played angry." D.J. Newbill scored 23 points, Tim Frazier added 16 and Penn State held off a late rally by No. 22 Ohio State for a 65-63 victory Thursday. The Buckeyes (22-7, 9-7 Big Ten) had a chance to win at the end. Coming out of a timeout with 6.8 seconds left, Lenzelle Smith Jr.s 3-pointer rimmed out. The Nittany Lions (14-14, 5-10) grabbed the rebound and time expired. Ohio State was led by LaQuinton Ross, who scored 19 points. Aaron Craft, plagued by foul trouble most of the game, added 10. "It was one of those games where two guys pound the ball off the backboard and it bounces out and they make a 3 on us," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "Little things like that is kind of the way the game went." Penn State swept the season series. The Nittany Lions upset then-No. 23 Ohio State 71-70 in overtime on Jan. 29 in Columbus. Nittany Lions forward Donovan Jack made a turnaround jumper, was fouled and hit the free throw to give Penn State a 60-55 lead with 1:59 to go. Ross and Craft each made a pair of free throws, sandwiched around two by Frazier, to pull the Buckeyes to 62-59 with just more than a minute to go. Frazier pushed Penn States lead to five with 39.4 seconds left with a pair of free throws. After Ross made two more free throws, Shannon Scott stole the inbounds paass and passed to Trey McDonald for a layup that cut it to 64-63.dddddddddddd Penn State missed two free throws on the ensuing possession, but Smiths shot caromed off the rim and over the backboard, giving the Nittany Lions the ball back with under 10 seconds left. Frazier was fouled and made one of two at the line, setting up Smiths last-second attempt from 3-point range. "When we executed what we were supposed to do, it was amazing what happened. We didnt have the flow that we normally do," Matta said. "That was the difference. We talked about it and talked about it. We couldnt get it to where we needed it." Frazier, a senior point guard, was recognized before the game as part of Senior Night festivities. He is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, given annually to a student-athlete with notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Frazier will leave Penn State as the schools career leader in assists. Frazier acknowledged that his uneven play early was due to the emotions and nerves of the night. "It was very emotional. I was basically trying to hold back tears in the beginning. Obviously you tell at the beginning of the game I had so many emotions running through me. Turnovers left and right. Airballs," he said. Chambers was happy to see a player who has meant so much to the program get a win on such a special night. "Hes an amazing kid. A man now. Hes a man," Chambers said. "Its Senior Night. Youve got family there. Youve got one game left in this building. Youve been here five years. Youve invested time and energy. He puts so much into this program. You cant blame the guy for being jacked up. I was happy to see us get a win for him." 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