News » Szolkowy acknowledged

(SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Zimmer is approaching the waning days of what he hopes is the first of many years as the Minnesota Vikings head coach. Joe Philbin is likely in the death throes of his three-year stint in Miami. Such is life in the NFL where 6-8 is considered progress in one city and being a tick better at 7-7 is a disappointment in another. The Dolphins and their lame-duck head coach will try to halt a two-game losing streak on Sunday when they host a Vikings team excited about the development of rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, a Miami native. Philbins ultimate fate was probably sealed last weekend when Miami faltered in the second half and was doused by AFC East-rival New England, 41-13, in Foxbrorough. Tom Brady threw a pair of touchdown passes during a 24-point third quarter, as the Patriots clinched their sixth straight division title. Ryan Tannehill completed 29-of-47 passes for 346 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for Miami, which had beaten New England in the season opener 33-20 but saw its already slim playoff hopes dashed further with the second straight loss. The Dolphins outscored the Patriots 23-0 in the second half back in September but had the tables turned this time to the tune of 27-0 in the final 30 minutes of this one. We have to play 60 minutes of football, Philbin said. You cant make the mistakes that we made. Miami is technically still alive in the postseason race but must win its final two games -- against Minnesota and the New York Jets -- and receive plenty of help elsewhere to get in. I believe in the players, Philbin said. I have confidence in the players. We have an outstanding locker room. The Vikings, meanwhile, had 10-4 Detroit on the ropes last weekend but faltered thanks in large part to a blocked, fourth-quarter field goal. The Lions Matt Prater hit his late field goal to lift Detroit to a 16-14 victory over Minnesota in the NFC North matchup. Bridgewater went 31-for-41 for 315 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Vikings, who had won their previous two coming into the game. Leading by one Minnesota went on an impressive long drive that covered 75 yards over 18 plays and ate up 11 minutes, but the team came away empty as Blair Walshs 26-yard field goal was blocked by Jason Jones. Detroit then countered with the march that won the game, culminating with Praters 33-yard field goal for a 16-14 lead with 3:38 to play. The Vikings had chances, getting the ball back near midfield thanks to a big return from Cordarrelle Patterson, but Patterson fell on a fourth down passing play to give the ball back to Detroit. Minnesota forced a punt and got the ball back with 45 seconds, but they were only able to get to midfield and Walshs 68-yard field goal attempt fell well short to end the game. We led almost all the way, but we cant turn the ball over twice and we cant miss field goals, Bridgewater said. Were just going to continue to try to get better. The Dolphins lead their all-time series with Minnesota by a 6-4 margin, winning the last two. The teams havent played since Sept. 19, 2010 when Miami edged the Vikings, 14-10, in Minneapolis. They havent tussled in South Florida since 2006. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Philbin has been the definition of mediocre as the Dolphins coach, compiling a 7-9 record in 2012 and upping that to 8-8 last season before settling in at 7-7 with two weeks left in the current campaign. A 5-3 start and some improvement by Tannehill has many thinking Miami was ready to take the next step this season but thats been tempered in the last two weeks as the Dolphins have been outscored by a 69-26 margin in losses to playoff- caliber teams, Baltimore and New England. Players were disappointed. Coaches are disappointed. Owners are disappointed. I think thats understandable, Philbin admitted. The main issue has been the offense which cant get the running game going and hasnt topped 16 points in any game during the month of December. The Dolphins have mustered only 71 yards on the ground per game this month, making the team one-dimensional and easy to figure out especially when it falls behind. With opposing defenses content to pin their ears back Tanneheill has been sacked 10 times during Miamis two-game skid. The Vikings strength, meanwhile, is its defense, not a surprise considering Zimmers reputation as a blitz doctor. Minnesota has improved from 31st in the NFL to 11th in defense in one-year under Zimmer, who is on the verge of turning young players like defensive end Everson Griffen, defensive tackle Shariff Floyd, linebacker Anthony Barr and cornerback Xavier Rhodes into stars. Safety Harrison Smith, meanwhile, is already entrenched as one of the NFLs best. The unit has continued to be stingy despite being without Floyd and Barr recently due to knee injuries, holding Detroit to a season-low 233 yards. Offensively Minnesota isnt very dynamic because of the year-long absence of Adrian Peterson due to off-the-field issues. Things are starting to click for Bridgewater, though, who will be aiming for a third straight game with a completion percentage over 70.0 and more than 300 yards passing. The good thing is Teddy is getting a lot of these experiences, Zimmer said. The on-the-job training hes getting I really believe will bode well for him in the future and for us as an organization and as a team. Bridgewater, meanwhile, is excited for his chance to play in South Florida. Im pretty loved back home in Miami and a lot of people tell me that Im a role model in my community, Bridgewater said Wednesday. So itll be amazing to see how many turn out there and get to see me play in person for the first time for some people. The Vikings may have found something in first-year receiver Charles Johnson, a lengthy and speedy target who has an innate feel for running routes and creating separation. Johnson has quickly become Bridgewaters favorite target, snaring 20 balls for 355 yards and two TDs over his last five games. The Dolphins defense is talented but has stalled recently, forcing just five turnovers in the past six games as the pass rush has slowed. Miami has also struggled against the run in recent weeks because of injuries at the linebacker position. Part of my job is to get the team to play up to their potential each and every week, Philbin said. To that degree, certainly I feel like we could do better. OVERALL ANALYSIS The Vikings are headed in the right direction but still havent figured out how to close in tight games. Figure on the growing pains to continue here on the road as Miami wins a field-gal game late. Right now whats relevant is getting our team to play up to their potential for 60 minutes against the Minnesota Vikings, the embattled Philbin said. Thats really all that is important to me right now. Sports Network predicted outcome: Dolphins 20, Vikings 17 Manny Mota Dodgers Jersey .com) - P.K. Subbans power-play goal 4:08 into overtime sent the Montreal Canadiens into the All-Star break with a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Shawn Green Jersey . Cabrera-Bello shot a 1-over-par 73 and was caught by Webster, who carded 70 at Doha Golf Club for three-round totals of 12-under 204. They were only one stroke ahead of Adrien Saddier of France, the biggest mover with six birdies in his opening seven holes in a round of 64, South African Thomas Aiken (70) and Denmarks Thorbjorn Olesen (68) on a packed leaderboard. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/425h-...ey-dodgers.html. -- The San Francisco 49ers have re-signed cornerback Perrish Cox to a one-year contract. Stitched Dodgers Jerseys . That Ginette Reno can sing. A. J. Pollock Dodgers Jersey . - Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Jason Babin is now a free agent.MOSCOW -- Maxim Kovtuns two confident quads gave him a big lead after Fridays short program in the Rostelecom Cup, the last of six Grand Prix events before the final. As the only competitor to try two quads, much less complete them, Kovtun ended the day nearly nine points ahead of Japans Tatsuki Machida, who opened with a clean quad but then stepped out of the triple toe loop that was the second jump in his combination. Javier Fernandez of Spain was in third despite falling on his quad. In the womens short program, Russian Julia Lipnitskaia was in the lead, followed by Carolina Kostner of Italy, the 2012 world champion. American teammates Agnes Zawadzki and Mirai Nagasu were one-hundredth of a point apart at third and fourth, though well behind the two leaders. Kovtun is gunning for the sole Russian mens slot in Sochi, which Turin Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko also wants. Plushenko was to have been part of the Rostelecom field, but withdrew from what would have been his first top-tier competition since back surgery this spring. Plushenko blamed his withdrawal on a knee injury. "I was interested in trying my strength against such a fantastic skater," Kovtun said. "But I hope I will have another chance at Russian nationals." Kovtun was strong throughout his flamenco-themed program, the only notable flaw that he was almost sitting on the landing of his second quad to keep his balance. Machida, who won gold at Skate America, lamented that he was not in good condition in Moscow, but said its not clear whats troubling him. "Actually, I dont know," he said when asked about the specifics. Fernandez, the European champion and world bronze medallist , expressed satisfaction despite his fall. "I think I just had a little problem in the pattern and I just need to keep my mind clear," he said. All four of the top women did triple-triple combinations. But Lipnitskaia landed a more difficult triple lutz-triple toe combo while Kostner, Zawadzki and Nagasu all did triple toe-triple toes. In pairs, four-time worrld champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy led after the short program, followed by Russians Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov and Canadas Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch.dddddddddddd Lipnitskaia, who won gold at Skate Canada, will qualify for the Grand Prix final with a medal of any shade in Moscow. Kostner would qualify with a gold, but Zawadzki, after a seventh-place finish in the Cup of China, is out of contention. The top six skaters in each discipline qualify for the final, which is Dec. 5-8 in Fukuoka, Japan. Lipnitskaias program began on a mysterious note, with her crouched down and drawing figures with her finger on the ice. Asked what thats all about, she chose to keep the meaning hidden. "Everyone can see what he wants to," she said. But once she rose from the crouch, the 2012 junior world champions program was crystal-clear: a clean triple-triple, a precisely landed double axel and a very fast combination spin at the end. The veteran Kostner, who said she is contemplating retirement after the season, said she was soothed by being back on the ice at Moscows Luzhniki Small Arena. The arena was the practice rink for the 2005 world championships, where she won her first world medal, a bronze. "It feels very special," Kostner said. "Its funny to see so much time has passed." The top pairs all struggled, notably Savchenkos hard fall on a throw triple axel, a challenging move that the pair daringly puts almost at the end of their program when their energy has flagged somewhat. "Its a risky element," Szolkowy acknowledged. "We tried it in several positions; we found at the end it is best." Bazarova put her hand down on the pairs opening triple toe loop and landed awkwardly on the throw triple loop, but said it was all an improvement over last weeks Trophee Bompard, where the pair was fourth. "Today, we got the maximum levels," she said. Moscovitch took his fall in stride, saying, "I was working on some yoga positions on the landing." ' ' '