the young kids there daily, pulling t

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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. . - The problems for the Minnesota Vikings with Christian Ponder at quarterback were obvious from the start.Their list of missing players on offence has grown long and increasingly conspicuous. Playing their primary rival on the road in the rain at night with only three days to rest and prepare was already an uphill climb.When Eddie Lacy began to trample through their defence early in the first quarter for the Green Bay Packers, well, thats when the Vikings really lost it.Theres nothing more disheartening as a coach for you to get manhandled up front, to be in the wrong gaps, to have people running the ball at you, coach Mike Zimmer said the day after the Vikings were pummeled 42-10 by the Packers at Lambeau Field.In 2000, Zimmers first season as a defensive co-ordinator, Dallas gave up the most yards rushing in the NFL. Only one team allowed more yards per carry.And I said, Never again, Zimmer recalled Friday. So I guess thats where that all stems from.His players have largely been tough to run against since. Over his next 13 years as a defensive co-ordinator (six more with Dallas, one with Atlanta and six with Cincinnati), Zimmers teams finished in the bottom half of the league in yards per game three times, and four times in yards per attempt. They were in the top 10 six times in yards per game and seven times in yards per attempt.The Vikings had a stout front seven, or at least an effective scheme, to stop the run long before Zimmer was hired. They were in the top half of the NFL in yards per game and yards per attempt every year since 2006, and last season ended a seven-year streak of finishing 11th or higher in the league in both categories.After factoring in what the Packers did against them Thursday, with 105 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries by Lacy, the Vikings fell to 17th in the NFL. They allow an average of 4.3 yards per rush and are 19th in the league with an average of 121.8 yards surrendered per game.There was a lot of freelancing, a lot of guys in the wrong place, said Zimmer, who delivered the majority of his answers Friday at his news conference in stern, clipped tones. He was clearly as upset with his team as hed been since taking the job.Zimmer said he looked hard at the game film trying to find a lack of effort on either side of the ball, but didnt see it. Defensive end Brian Robison, however, said he felt some people had checked out after the Packers built a 28-0 halftime lead.You could see it on the sidelines. Everybody was quiet, Robison said.The Vikings forced a three-and-out by the Packers on the games first possession, but they quickly got the ball back and turned Lacy loose -- for 18, 29 and 6 yards to set up a short touchdown pass by Aaron Rodgers. The Vikings settled in and played better in the middle of the game, but on Green Bays first drive of the third quarter Lacy had carries of 9, 10 and 11 yards, which took him into the end zone.Then came Lacys 10-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession. That provided the ultimate insult on a humbling night for the Vikings. He barrelled into Robert Blanton at the goal line and without breaking stride popped the strong safetys helmet off.The Vikings fell to 1-8-1 against the Packers since the start of the 2010 season. Theyll have the benefit of being at home against Detroit, and then the most manageable stretch of the schedule follows: at Buffalo, at Tampa Bay, back home against Washington and the bye week.But they wont get far if they dont learn to play with more discipline on defence, and learn to trust the scheme theyre being taught rather than straying from responsibilities to chase highlights.You cant be out there trying to make plays because once you do that, you leave another guy out to dry, defensive end Everson Griffen said. So youve got to rely on your technique to make that play for you.___AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL .C. -- Unable to get much lift off his sore right ankle, Bobcats centre Al Jefferson figured it was time to make an adjustment. .Cullen scored the go-ahead goal at 13:47 of the third period and Nashville beat the slumping Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday in a game that wasnt decided until the last shot of the night. . He was attracted by the punishing defence, the strong running game and a coaching staff he trusted. The 49ers announced Thursday that Manningham had signed a two-year deal to join the team he helped knock out in the NFC championship game two months ago in their latest offensive upgrade at wide receiver. CHICAGO -- Manny being Manny has been a positive so far for the Chicago Cubs. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein praised Manny Ramirez on Friday for his work with the Cubs minor leaguers in Arizona, and said the former major league star could join Triple-A Iowa next week. Ramirez signed a minor league deal in May and reported to the teams facility in Mesa to get some at-bats in extended spring training. When Ramirez moves to Iowa, he will be a player-coach for Chicagos top farm club. "Ive gotten unsolicited emails and texts from a lot of the staff down there saying that hes been a breath of fresh air and the best thing that ever happened to the kids down in Mesa," Epstein said before the Cubs 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "So Im really pleased with the impact hes making on the organization. "Probably sometime next week that hes ready to go to Iowa, but were not in a rush because hes making an impact with the young kids down there who are getting their first taste of pro ball as well as guys like Jorge Soler, who are there rehabbing. Mannys been a really nice influence so far." The 42-year-old Ramirez is a .312 hitter with 555 home runs in 2,302 games covering 19 major league seasons. But the Cubs brought him in to serve as a mentor for some of their young players and insist he is not a candidate for a promotion to the major league club. The addition of Ramirez was a bit of a gamble for Epstein, who was the general manager in Boston when the enigmatic slugger helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and 2007. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers after testing positive for a banned drug. He retired in April 2011 instead of serving a 100-game ban for a second positive test while with Tampa Bay, but later agreed to a reduced 50-game suspension and played in the minors for Oakland in 2012. He also has been criticized in the past for lackadaisical play, but Epstein thhinks he can be a valuable teacher for Chicagos rich minor league system. . "Hes been meeting with the young kids there daily, pulling them aside, talking about hitting, talking about not making some of the same mistakes that he made off the field, really keeping them focused on working hard and having a passion for the game and doing things the right way," Epstein said. When Ramirez gets to Iowa, he will get a chance to work one of the majors best prospects in third baseman Kris Bryant. The No. 2 overall selection in last years draft hit .355 with 20 homers in 68 games with Double-A Tennessee, and then belted a two-run shot in his debut with Iowa on Thursday night. The promotion to Triple-A means Bryant is just one step away from joining the Cubs, but Epstein made it sound as if that would be next season at the earliest. "I dont forsee a scenario where hed be up this year," he said. "I dont think its the right thing to do for someone in his first full professional season, barring extraordinary circumstances both in respect to the player and whats going on at the big league club." Epstein also is pleased with what he has seen so far from this years first-round pick, Kyle Schwarber. The No. 4 overall selection from Indiana University was quickly promoted from Chicagos short-season Class A affiliate in Boise, Idaho, to Single-A Kane County. There is some question about whether Schwarber will play catcher or left field in the pros, but it looks as if that decision can wait for now. "We decided this year, his first exposure to pro ball, were going to have him see a lot of time in left field, let him catch about once a week, maybe twice a week, so he can stay fresh with his catching, DH some so that he can keep his bat in the lineup when he needs a day off," Epstein said. "Then were going to sit down at the end of the minor league season and see whether its an appropriate time to make a call." ' ' '

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