andere Teams » no way a forced resignation or firing by Baylor, F

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings put up 30 points on the Arizona Cardinals to finally snap a four-game losing streak that had soured their season.On paper, that should be reason to celebrate for an offense that has struggled this season to sustain drives, open holes in the running game and put the ball in the end zone. But one of those touchdowns came on a 100-yard interception return by Xavier Rhodes, and another came on a 104-yard kickoff return by Cordarrelle Patterson.The Vikings followed a similar path to victory on Sunday as they did during their 5-0 start to the season, during which they got two TDs and a safety from their defense and two more TDs from special teams to inflate their scoring numbers. They know that they cant expect to sustain that kind of production over the final six games of the season, starting in Detroit on Thursday.Any time we get help from our defense or special teams, obviously, its a huge help, quarterback Sam Bradford said. And its great to have that, but as an offense, we cant rely on that. Weve got to go out there expecting for us to go out and play well and put up enough points to win.The Vikings offense did score twice in the first half against the Cardinals, but managed just three points in the second half and put up 217 yards in the game. New offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur pulled out several different trick plays to try to loosen up the defense, using some wildcat formations to get a little production out of the leagues worst running game and even going to a flea-flicker that drew a penalty and set up another touchdown.I still think theres a lot of room for improvement, Bradford said. Weve got to be better in the second half. But there were some positives, and obviously, just to get a win. I think that just does a lot for this team and does a lot for this group. Hopefully thats something we can build on going forward.Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata combined to rush for 64 yards on 21 carries. Thats not a number that jumps out, but considering they entered the game on pace to become the first team to average under 3.0 yards per carry since the Patriots in 1994, it was viewed as a step in the right direction.Coach Mike Zimmer was encouraged by the ability to convert a third-and-1 and for Asiata to pound into the end zone from two yards out after watching his team fail over and over in short yardage situations during that four-game skid.Were not going to be Eric Dickerson yet, Zimmer said. Were working on the little things.There remains a possibility that injured star Adrian Peterson could return to the field sometime in December, though he still has a long way to go in the rehab process following surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee. Peterson has been out since Week 2 against Green Bay, but he was only averaging 1.6 yards per carry before he went down.In Petersons absence, Patterson has emerged as a playmaker that the Vikings offense sorely needs. The 2013 first-round draft choice went through a 20-game stretch from 2015 into this season where he had just four catches for 24 yards. But in the last seven games, Patterson has caught 32 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. Those arent numbers that will make Julio Jones jealous, but its a start.Nothing is good as it seems and nothing is as bad as it seems, Zimmer said. Somewhere in the middle is where reality falls.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Air Max 270 Light Bone Hot Punch . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Nike Off White Blazer For Sale . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. http://www.nike270-airmax.com/nike-off-white-the-ten/nike-off-white-air-max-90.html . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Air Max 270 Light Bone Hot Punch . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Nike Air Vapormax Plus Womens White . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Liberty Universitys recent decision to hire former Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw is being met with ire from students and alumni.McCaw is coming off a tainted tenure at Baylor. According to a?Nov. 11 statement released by the school, McCaw and former Baylor football coach Art Briles failed to report an allegation of a 2012 sexual assault involving five football players to Baylors judicial affairs office.?On Nov. 2, Baylors former?Title IX coordinator said?McCaw asked her for immunity for football players when she started investigating allegations of sexual assault. (Briles has since sued Baylor officials for libel and slander.)McCaw is also named in a lawsuit filed by a former Baylor student who was raped by a football player who is now serving 20 years in prison for his crime, and an investigation by a Philadelphia law firm found that 17 women since 2011 reported incidents of sexual and domestic violence allegedly involving 19 football players, Baylor regents told The Wall Street Journal in late October. Four of the cases reportedly involved gang rapes.Prior to his resignation, McCaw presided over a football program that went to a bowl game every season from 2010 to 2015, the team winning three of the six.You look at what Baylor was able to do during [McCaws] tenure, it fits perfectly with where we see our sports programs going, Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. said in a Nov. 28?statement.I cant think of an athletic director in the country who is more sensitized to the importance of complying with the intricacies of Title IX than Ian McCaw, Falwell said in a separate Nov. 29 statement.Many connected to Liberty dont share Falwells confidence. Almost two weeks after his hiring, alumni, students and athletes contacted by espnW remain concerned by McCaws past and their universitys decision to seemingly put athletics before the Christian values it holds so dear.Libertys mission statement emphasizes a commitment to the Christian life, one of personal integrity, sensitivity to the needs of others, social responsibility and active communication of the Christian faith.Liberty alumnus Nick Tarter, the pastor at CityLife Baptist Church in Bethany, Oklahoma, grew up on Big 12 football as an Oklahoma fan and closely followed the Baylor scandal. Seeing McCaw get another chance, let alone at his school, felt like a punch in the gut, he said.To me its not even a question of whether hes been implicated in the investigation at Baylor, Tarter said. He didnt stand up and stand in the way of those things as they were coming down the pipeline. There is a stain on everyone who was involved.Liberty, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, put out a blanket order that all requests for comment on McCaw be sent to spokesman Len Stevens. When asked for a comment from Falwell, Stevens provided espnW with his previously released statements. Libertys Title IX coordinator also didnt return interview requests, and McCaw declined an interview request via the athletics department.Multiple requests for comment sent to members of the board of trustees were also rebuffed. A secretary at the parish of trustee Dr. Allen McFarland said all members were told to direct comments to Stevens.No student contacted by espnW wanted to speak on the record about McCaw for fear of retaliation. But interviews and a confidential online survey with more than two dozen Liberty students showed that almost none support Falwells decision. Every student said bringing in McCaw hurt the universitys public image.More than a dozen alumni conntacted by espnW said they dont support McCaw, and three said they wont be contributing money to the university as long as McCaw is in charge of the athletics department.ddddddddddddOne Liberty student said the administration uses the following rationale to sell McCaw: Good Christians believe in repentance, and McCaw deserves a second chance. That stance is then twisted to frame any stand against McCaw and Falwell as an immoral act, the student said.Its manipulative -- its abusive, honestly -- and Im surprised by the number of students that have fallen into that mindset here as well, the student said.A former Liberty athlete said if she was still playing, shed seriously consider leaving the school because of the McCaw hire.Many student-athletes disagree with Jerrys decision to force [former athletic director] Jeff Barber to resign and hire Ian McCaw, but we are afraid to speak up because we fear we will lose our athletic scholarship and no longer be allowed to play our sport here, said another current Liberty athlete, who also asked to remain anonymous.Falwell has a history of retribution at Liberty. After Falwell offered public support for Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, Liberty board member Mark DeMoss criticized the move in a Washington Post article. DeMoss had been on the board of trustees for more than 25 years and was involved with the university for more than 40. He was classmates with Falwell during their time at Liberty. DeMoss was asked to resign from the executive board following his statement.Falwell also reportedly blocked the publishing of a column in Libertys student newspaper that condemned Trumps commentary on locker room talk.?McCaw left his post at Baylor four days after the university decided to make sweeping changes across the athletic department and its administration. In May -- less than a year after law firm Pepper Hamilton began its independent investigation of the university, in which it found widespread failures in the schools Title IX process and voiced concerns about the tone and culture within Baylors football program -- Ken Starr was removed from his position as Baylor president, Briles was suspended indefinitely with intent to terminate his contract, and McCaw was sanctioned and placed on probation.[McCaws] decision to resign was his own choice. It was in no way a forced resignation or firing by Baylor, Falwell said in the Nov. 29 statement. If he made any mistakes at Baylor, they appear to be technical and unintentional, out of line with an otherwise distinguished record.McCaw isnt the only ex-Baylor official at Liberty. Former Baylor Title IX investigator Ian McRary, who left that post in January, was named associate general counsel for Liberty in February.Upon hiring McCaw, Liberty cited Baylors 58 Big 12 conference titles during his tenure. Liberty football sold out its 19,200-seat stadium once this past season, didnt make the FCS playoffs and averaged a little less than 3,000 empty seats per home game.McCaw said the goal of FBS football is very much at the forefront for Liberty, a Big South program now under his direction.I went there because I do believe in the things theyre saying about character and preparing people to impact the world from a Christian worldview, said Tarter, who got his graduate degree in theology from Liberty. Do we care more now about trying to build a good football program? ' ' '