rst run in 1981, and its inaugural running was won by the great John Henry narrowly over The Bart in a photo that some folks disp

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Pat Shurmur has returned to a familiar role, taking over as Minnesotas offensive coordinator following the surprise midseason resignation by Norv Turner.The unofficial part of the job title is becoming a primary target of frustrated fault-finding fans.Yeah, they get a lot of advice, dont they? Shurmur said.Thats the gentle way to frame it, particularly when a team is struggling to score such as the Vikings. Head coaches are often criticized for using and misusing challenges and timeouts or perhaps not firing up the players.Quarterbacks get roasted for interceptions. The offensive coordinator can rank right up there at the top of the blame-game list.Shurmur, who has been either an offensive coordinator or a head coach in the NFL since 2009 , has learned to tune out the external scrutiny.That experience ought to come in handy here, with the Vikings ranking at or near the bottom of the league in most statistical measures of the offense. The fan exasperation over Turners strategy, fair or not, peaked after the 20-10 loss in Chicago on Monday night .Putting together a game plan that allows you to call the plays based on whats best for your players is important, and then being able to rep them so the players can execute them efficiently, Shurmur said.Then youve just got to go into it with a clear mind, and as the game plays out we have certain things we want to do in certain situations and we want to try to give the players the best one. So thats the challenge. The pressure? That comes outside in, and I dont worry about it.When Vikings coach Mike Zimmer hired Shurmur over the winter to work with the tight ends, the future for Turner turned murky. Both Shurmur and new offensive line coach Tony Sparano have been head coaches and offensive coordinators in the NFL before.After the Vikings acquired quarterback Sam Bradford to replace the injured Teddy Bridgewater, a trade made with valuable insight from Shurmur regarding his former pupil, the long-term fit for the 64-year-old Turner looked even more tenuous.Zimmer recently praised Bradfords confidence in expressing displeasure with a particular play during game planning, making clear the coaches will shelve one the quarterback isnt comfortable with, a potential source of frustration for Turner.Feeling squeezed by the closeness of the relationship between Shurmur and Bradford wouldve been a natural reaction for Turner, who told reporters on Wednesday he believed his removal from the equation could help the team.Theres certain things that may look different. Youll have to tell me after the game, Shurmur said, looking ahead to the matchup on Sunday against Detroit. I think what we need to do is coach better. We need to play better. If everybody on the field and everybody involved with the offense makes one less mistake, then we give ourselves the best chance to win.Turner worked from the booth above the field. Shurmur said hes planning to call the plays from the sideline, for more effective communication with Bradford between plays and possessions.Bradford, who played for Shurmur in 2010 with St. Louis and in 2015 with Philadelphia, cited an up-tempo, no-huddle style that Shurmur guided last season with the Eagles under coach Chip Kelly as one way the Vikings could alter their approach yet this season. Well behind the Bears in the second half, the Vikings displayed no urgency when they had the ball.When the Vikings won their first five games, the passing attack worked relatively well behind quick throws by Bradford. He took more deep drops the past two weeks and paid the price with a total of 11 sacks.The protection was problematic at Philadelphia and again last week at Chicago . The Vikings have never figured out how to get their running attack going, either, averaging a league-low 2.7 yards per attempt.Regardless of how Shurmurs strategy will differ from Turners, the lineup and all of its limitations will remain the same. Still, a fresh perspective can be effective.If a play doesnt work we used to say, `Hey, put it on the shelf, and then you move onto something that does, Shurmur said.The Vikings are at that point where such a shift could prove beneficial.He kind of has a feel for how we like to play, tight end Kyle Rudolph said. Id imagine hell just get this thing rolling.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Orioles Jerseys 2019 . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Baltimore Orioles Store . No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Orioles Jerseys 2020 . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Cheap Orioles Jerseys . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. The big race of this weekend is Saturdays Arlington Million at Arlington Park, just north of Chicago. And it says a lot about a race when it can wrest the stakes spotlight this time of year from Saratoga and Del Mar.Then again, the Arlington Million has always been a big deal. Its a true trailblazer that broke a glass ceiling the previous existence of which now seems almost quaint.The Arlington Million was first run in 1981, and its inaugural running was won by the great John Henry narrowly over The Bart in a photo that some folks dispute to this very day. As if to address the matter, John Henry went back to Arlington three years later and won the 1984 Million decisively.In any case, the thrilling finish of the first Million was really only part of the story, and maybe not even the biggest part. The Million was special before it was even consummated, and that was because of its purse.As the name suggests, the Arlington Million carried a purse of $1,000,000, making it the first ever million dollar Thoroughbred race. And that made it a major deal in the racing world, and I mean world. The then outsized purse proved a powerful lure for overseas horsemen, spurring international competition.Its funny, but I feel as though I have to explain what a thing it was for the Million to break the seven-figure purse barrier because many who became fans of the sport later on might not fully comprehend the significance of the moment.This is understandable. Certainly the advent and evolution of the Breeders Cup has reset the frame of reference of what big purses in U.S. Thoroughbred racing mean. This year, the 13 Breeders Cup races will have a total value of $25.5 million, with a minimum purse of $1 million that actually applies only to five Breeders Cup races, and spiraling up to $4 million for the Turf, to $6 million for the Classic.ddddddddddddBut even when you set aside the 13 Breeders Cup races, it might surprise you to know that the Arlington Million, once all alone in terms of value, now has company this year in the form of a staggering 29 other North American stakes with seven figure purses.The Triple Crown races are, of course, members of this club. The 2016 Kentucky Derby had a purse of $2 million, while the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes had purses of $1.5 million, each.The state-to-state breakdown of where these seven figure stakes are run is quite revealing. The Belmont Stakes is one of 11 million-dollar plus events this year in New York, by far the most of any state when you exclude the Breeders Cup, which you must since it is a floating country unto itself, although not nearly as much as it used to be.The state with the next highest number of million dollar-plus races is Kentucky, which has three others in addition to the Derby.Its a bit surprising to me that California has only three million dollar races to call its own (the Breeders Cup will be at Santa Anita this year, but ?), the same as Canada, and only one more than Louisiana and Pennsylvania. But I was also surprised that Florida, which is a major racing center for about 4-1/2 months a year, has only one seven figure race, the same number as West Virginia.That, however, is scheduled to change on Jan. 28, the date of the inaugural $12 million Pegasus World Cup, which, for the moment, anyway, has surpassed the $10 million Dubai World Cup as the richest horse race in the world.Man, just look at what the Arlington Million started. ' ' '