m on the road in a good environment.UP NEXTPittsburgh fac | Forum

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. Bobby Doerr Jersey Large . -- Just last season, Minnesota Vikings coaches gave Xavier Rhodes boxing gloves to wear during drills in practice.The idea was having Rhodes better learn how to effectively play cornerback without risking penalties for grabbing at the receiver.Opponents arent winning many rounds with Rhodes these days.Rhodes picked off Carson Palmer twice, including a 100-yard touchdown return that was the longest in team history, and helped lead the Vikings to a 30-24 victory over Arizona on Sunday that stopped their four-game losing streak. The fourth-year player, drafted by the Vikings in the first round out of Florida State with the selection they received from Seattle in the trade for wide receiver Percy Harvin, is tied for fourth in the NFL with four interceptions.Those are huge splash plays that everybody notices, but hes tackling, doing everything right, free safety Harrison Smith said. Hes playing lights out.The performance was prolific enough to trigger an NFL Network interview with Deion Sanders , the Pro Football Hall of Fame member and most famous of the many cornerbacks Florida State has produced. Sanders, who became well known for his flamboyance, teased Rhodes for not adding any flair to the end of his return.Though he plays with plenty of fire, Rhodes isnt much for show. He was too exhausted for a celebration by the time he reached the end zone for the first time since high school, so much so that he requested an oxygen mask on the sideline to help recover.My legs were dead, Rhodes said, and I was just tired.The receivers Rhodes has been covering lately have been worn out, too, from Kelvin Benjamin to Odell Beckham Jr. to DeAndre Hopkins. Palmer threw in his direction nine times, with three completions for a total of 19 yards.This week coach said to play our defense, be aggressive and go out there and tackle. Tight coverage, sack the quarterback, and this week we did all of that, Rhodes said. We accomplished all of our goals.Including, most importantly, victory. The defense didnt escape blame for the losing streak, with one issue an overzealous attempt to produce the kind of momentum-changing plays that Rhodes had on Sunday. The problem is when players chase them, usually out of desperation to boost a struggling team, other issues often arise.Rhodes and Smith, for example, each whiffed in overtime two weeks ago when they converged on Detroit wide receiver Golden Tate after a catch that he took into the end zone to win the game.We are all trying to make plays, Rhodes said. You just need to be disciplined.Thats just as important as aggression for a cornerback in this league, as Zimmer has long reminded his pupils. Zimmer, who coached Sanders for five seasons as the defensive backs coach in Dallas, has developed an affinity for Rhodes since taking the job three years ago.If we would just play a solid, fundamental football game and let the big plays come to us, they do, Zimmer said, adding: Theyre not always going to come, but you just have to do your job first and then the rest will happen.Just like that interception late in the second quarter with the Vikings clinging to a 13-10 lead and the Cardinals at third-and-goal at the 9. Palmer argued that cornerback Captain Munnerlyn held the intended target, John Brown, before Rhodes swooped in from behind.Im a competitive guy and he said he felt like his receiver was held on that play. I didnt think so at all. Im entitled to my space, and my space is on the field. He ran directly into me, so I jammed him up. I didnt grab. I didnt yank. I let him go. Balls in the air, Munnerlyn said. Xavier, I dont know where he came from, but he made the play and took it 100 yards.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Authentic Custom Red Sox Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cheap Custom Red Sox Jersey . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. http://www.customredsoxjersey.com/ . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Pittsburgh was so darn good in the first half, coach Kevin Stallings found it easy to forgive his players misdeeds over the final 20 minutes.Jamel Artis scored 15 of his 22 points before halftime, and the Panthers held off previously unbeaten Maryland 73-59 Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.The Panthers (6-1) shot 67 percent from the floor in the first half, including 5 for 10 beyond the arc, and used a 25-4 run to build a 46-25 lead at the break.I thought our team played about as well in the first half as weve played on both ends, Stallings said. We were alert and active.It was 51-26 with 15:45 remaining before Maryland (7-1) closed to 63-55 with three minutes left, in part because Pittsburgh shot 26 percent in the second half.Coming off two come-from-behind wins in the Barclays Center Classic in New York, Maryland was vying for its first 8-0 start in 10 years.Instead, the Terrapins absorbed their worst home defeat since falling by 18 to Duke in February 2011.Though coach Mark Turgeon wouldnt cite fatigue as a factor, he was quick to point out that the Terrapins were coming off late games on Friday and Saturday.It was a good time to catch us, he said.Michael Young scored 25 and Cameron Johnson added 11 for Pittsburgh, which extended its winning streak to four despite being outscored 35-28 after halftime.Melo Trimble led Maryland with 13 points, but he missed 9 of 13 shots. The Terps shot 34 percent, committed 14 turnovers and were outrebounded 38-36.Trimble insisted that playing for the third time in five days had nothing to do with it.We like playing basketball; this is what we do, he said. I dont think fatigue was a factor; its just we couldnt hit shots and they played well.Pittsburgh led 26-20 before Artis made a 3-point play, a 3-pointer and a layup to spark a 14-0 spurt that made it a 20-point game.They kind of punched us in thhe mouth in the first half, Turgeon said. Custom Bobby Doerr Jersey. Maryland, formerly of the ACC, is 0-3 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since 10 joining the Big Ten.THE TAKEAWAYPittsburgh: Despite the late fade, the Panthers proved they can play with some of the stronger teams in the country. This one erases some of the doubt created by a nine-point loss to SMU and a five-point win at home against Yale.Maryland: The Terps have put themselves in a seemingly insurmountable hole many times this season, and this was no exception. On this occasion, the deficit was simply too much to handle. Maryland cant afford these slow starts once Big Ten play begins.ZONED OUTPittsburghs zone defense was a factor in Maryland going 9 for 26 in the first half, including 4 for 16 from beyond the arc.It took away a lot of drives, Young said. They had to swing the ball around the perimeter.Asked if Marylands struggle against the zone could be a factor in the future, Turgeon replied, Please zone us. Were going to be great against the zone.FRIENDLY FOESStallings and Turgeon were assistant coaches under Roy Williams at Kansas from 1989-92. During that time, Williams made a comment that stuck with Stallings over the years and was very applicable on Tuesday night.He used to say that in the dictionary, the definition of fun was ... winning on the road, Stallings said. Its hard to win on the road. This was certainly fun for our guys. And fun for our staff. Nice to come here and beat a good team on the road in a good environment.UP NEXTPittsburgh faces local rival Duquesne on Friday night in The City Game, a tradition that started in 1932.Maryland hosts Oklahoma State (5-1) on Saturday night. The Cowboys are coming off a 27-point win over Georgetown, a team the Terrapins beat 76-75. ' ' '