ped them rank third in the nation in turnover margin at plus-12 and tied for fifth with 21 takeaways.Going into the last three games, this is everything weve wanted, Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner told the Star Tribune.Said Golden Gophers coach Tracy Claeys: After our first two conference

DETROIT -- An offensive lineman who played back in the 1950s, Dick Stanfel didnt have a lot of stats floating around to help his Hall of Fame case.What he had was people like Marv Levy who were willing to stand up on his behalf.I realize he played so long ago that a lot of the people that are voting now dont even remember the time, but this guy is so deserving, said Levy, the Hall of Fame former coach of the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. I remember going back to Hall of Fame meetings where guys like Gino Marchetti and Artie Donovan would tell me he was the best offensive lineman that ever played.Nearly six decades after the end of his playing career, Stanfel is being enshrined posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week. In a class of inductees headlined by more recent luminaries Brett Favre and Tony Dungy, Stanfel offers a history lesson -- a chance for fans to learn about and appreciate one of the games standouts from the pre-Super Bowl era.Stanfel played seven seasons with Detroit and Washington, leading the Lions to NFL championships in 1952 and 1953. He earned All-Pro honors five times in his relatively short playing career.You hate to use the word technician, but he was, Hall of Famer Mike Ditka said. Dick was a hell of a football player.Stanfel would eventually work for Ditka, serving on his staff with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints as part of a coaching career that spanned 40 years.Stanfel died last year at age 87. Hed come close to making the hall in 1993 and 2012, falling short as a finalist.After dads death, we pretty much had resigned ourselves that he would just be forgotten, Stanfels son Rich said.Instead, Stanfel was selected as a finalist again last August by the seniors committee, a couple of months after his death. He was voted in last February and will be enshrined Saturday in Canton, Ohio, with the rest of his class.Rich Stanfel said the family has been ecstatic that Dick finally made it in.Were really happy to be a part of this, he said. Its been pretty much an amazing ride for us right now.After being drafted by the Lions in 1951, Stanfel missed that season with a knee injury. He recovered from that setback and played the next four years with Detroit.After three seasons with Washington, he ended his playing career at age 31; Redskins coach Joe Kuharich left to go to Notre Dame, and Stanfel went with him as an assistant coach.That type of move would be unusual nowadays -- and the early retirement might have hurt Stanfels Hall of Fame chances -- but Rich Stanfel said the financial ramifications of going from playing to coaching were different then.Im glad dad took that opportunity, Rich Stanfel said. He might not have gotten another opportunity to coach, and he made an entire career of it.Levy, who was the coach at California from 1960-63, hired Stanfel as a line coach. Stanfel had played at the University of San Francisco and was born in the area.He blew me away with how well he taught, said Levy, who will be Stanfels presenter for his enshrinement. I recall one instance when he wasnt happy with how a guard was pulling and trapping an outside linebacker, so he stepped in -- no pads, no helmet -- to demonstrate, and Ive never seen anybody do it better than he did.By the mid-1980s, Stanfel was with the Bears, coaching their offensive line. He was part of Ditkas staff in 1985 when Chicago dominated the league en route to a Super Bowl title.He was the most consummate line coach Ive ever been around, Ditka said. He was a great teacher, and he related to the guys.Stanfel was on Ditkas staff in New Orleans before retiring from coaching after the 1998 season. He could have easily dropped off the radar as a Hall of Fame candidate after that, but Levy in particular wouldnt let it happen.Marv Levy would always come back to that committee when they asked him, `Who do you think should be in? Rich Stanfel said. And hed always, you know: `First and foremost, Dick Stanfel.Levy insists he wasnt alone in the push to help Stanfel reach the Hall of Fame, an effort that at long last has succeeded.I and so many other current Hall of Famers are really elated that this so-well-deserved honor is finally taking place, Levy said. Ive been among many whove campaigned for him.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLBlack Air Max 2018 Outlet . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. White Air Max 2018 On Sale .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. http://www.wholesaleairmaxsale.com/ . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Wholesale Air Max 2018 Free Shipping . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Cheap Air Max 2018 China . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No.With an embarrassing 62-3 loss to College Football Playoff contender Ohio State last week knocking it out of CFP contention, Nebraska sets its sights on winning the Big Ten West title and hoping Tommy Armstrong Jr.is healthy.The 19th-ranked Cornhuskers host Minnesota on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) in Lincoln, Neb., with their senior quarterback in concussion protocol and questionable to play after banging his head hard on the Ohio Stadium turf following a big hit. He went to the hospital, but returned to the sideline in street clothes.This is out of our hands, which is a good thing, Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. That decision will be made medically.The Cornhuskers are in a three-way tie with Minnesota and Wisconsin atop the West at 7-2, 4-2 Big Ten. Nebraska lost at Wisconsin 23-17 in overtime Oct. 29, so a loss to Minnesota would virtually eliminate it from contention. Wisconsin hosts Minnesota in the regular-season finale Nov. 26.The Golden Gophers ride a four-game winning streak into Memorial Stadium, defeating four of the five worst teams in the Big Ten -- Maryland, Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue.It feels good, but we have bigger goals, Minnesota sophomore running back Rodney Smith told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. This week coming up is a big week for us, and we know that. Weve just got to fix our mistakes and prepare for Nebraska.If Armstrong cannot play, fifth-year senior Ryker Fyfe will call the signals against Minnesota. Fyfe was 5 of 18 for 52 yards with an interception after taking over for Armstrong last week. He has completed 51.7 percent of his 89 career passes with seven touchdowns and six interceptions.Hes been here for five years, just like Tommy, so were confident what he can do, Cornhuskers center Dylan Utter told the Omaha World-Herald.Riley is confident his team can bounce back after a demoralizing loss, but said: You dont exactly flush it. Its not that easy.Nothing has come easily in the passing game lately for Nebraska, which completed 21 of 64 passes for 279 yards with four interceptions against Wisconsin and Ohio State.Part of thhe reason is the quarterback isnt allowed any rhythm, Riley said.dddddddddddd Weve got to do a little cleaner job there. Weve got to run the ball better. And my guess if we do that, our passing percentage will go up.If Armstrong cannot play, the Cornhuskers also lose a significant part of their running game (4.5 yards per 98 attempts, seven touchdowns). Senior running back Terrell Newby (133, 4.8, five) and sophomore running back Devine Ozigbo (90, 3.8, 5) would be left to carry the load.I think that the number one thing we need to do is establish two identity runs that we can repeat better throughout the ballgame that look good, Riley said. Sometimes when youre not doing well, you jump around a little bit. So I think establishing identity well in that way and really rehearsing that is really going to be big for us and proving that and getting back to it.The Golden Gophers defeated Purdue 44-31 last week and are 7-2 for the third time in four years. Part of their success comes from an opportunistic defense that has helped them rank third in the nation in turnover margin at plus-12 and tied for fifth with 21 takeaways.Going into the last three games, this is everything weve wanted, Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner told the Star Tribune.Said Golden Gophers coach Tracy Claeys: After our first two conference games nobody gave us a chance ... to be in here. They kind of said the season was over. We just kept battling one game at a time and we fought our way back into this thing.Smith averaged 127 yards and scored eight touchdowns during the winning streak. He leads the Big Ten with 14 touchdowns (13 on the ground) and is second in rushing yards with 954.Im proud of the way hes been rewarded for the work hes put into it, Claeys said of Smith. Hes become a much more complete back.Nebraska is 3-2 versus Minnesota since joining the Big Ten, including a 48-25 victory in Minneapolis last year. The Golden Gophers prevailed 28-24 in Lincoln in 2014. ' ' '