Regeln » ffense would only benefit from Bridgewaters presence,

Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Friday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EST:- NASSAU, Bahamas -- Tiger Woods starts the second round of the Hero World Challenge nine shots behind leader J.B. Holmes. Woods is playing alone because Justin Rose has a back injury and withdrew.- VIENNA -- Formula One champion Nico Rosberg retires from racing at age 31, a startling decision that comes five days after winning his first world championship.- The College Football Playoff is the only thing that really matters this weekend. Championship weekend is all about putting the playoff puzzle together.- SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- No. 4 Washington, led by quarterback Jake Browning, can help solidify its place in the College Football Playoff by beating No. 9 Colorado in the Pac-12 title game. Game starts 9 p.m.- ATLANTA -- Talk about a mismatch. No. 1 Alabamas defense is the best in the nation. No. 15 Floridas offense looks like one of the worst. Theyll face off Saturday in the SEC championships game.- INDIANAPOLIS -- For most of this season, the Big Ten contended it was the nations best conference. No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 8 Penn State get a chance to prove it in league championship.- ORLANDO, Fla. -- Deshaun Watson and No. 3 Clemsons nearly yearlong quest to get back to the College Football Playoff comes down to one game, the Tigers ACC title matchup against No. 19 Virginia Tech.- Quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer understand it all too well. Patchwork offensive lines can carve into a teams efficiency, confidence and, ultimately, its win total.- ARLINGTON, Texas -- With a less than artful victory over the Vikings out of the way, Dallas takes an 11-game winning streak into an extended break.- NEW YORK -- Major league teams face midnight deadline to offer contracts to unsigned players on 40-man rosters.- CHICAGO -- LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visit Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls. James and Wade played together for four seasons in Miami, leading the Heat to two titles. Game starts 8 p.m.- STORRS, Conn. -- The No. 2 UConn women were supposed to be vulnerable this year after losing their three best players to graduation. But the Huskies have yet to lose this season and have won 81 in a row.- LAS VEGAS -- Jimmie Johnson is honored for his record-tying seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup title and Tony Stewart is seen off into retirement at the sports season-ending awards banquet. Show starts 8 p.m.- LONDON -- A former Chelsea player says he was paid more than $77,500 by the Premier League club to keep a lid on the sexual abuse he was subjected to by the teams former chief scout.- RIO DE JANEIRO -- The family of one Brazilian soccer player is joyful its son survived the Colombia plane crash that left 71 dead. But the family is also struggling with losses of others on the flight.- KIVAL DISERE, France -- Norwegians Kjetil Jansrud and Aksel Lund Svindal finish 1-2 in a World Cup super-G, the first mens speed race of the season.A.J. Brown Youth Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Warren Moon Titans Jersey . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. http://www.authentictitanspro.com/Amani-hooker-titans-jersey/ . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Derrick Henry Titans Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Marcus Mariota Titans Jersey . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has resumed throwing with his sore shoulder.Coach Mike Zimmer has kept up his silence about Bridgewaters status.Bridgewater threw a few dozen short and medium-length passes in practice Tuesday, for the first time in front of reporters in a week. He didnt play in the preseason game at Seattle, and Zimmer has refused to discuss the injury. ESPN.com previously reported the shoulder problem, which Zimmer didnt confirm or deny.I told you guys when I first got here I would try to be as transparent and honest as I can. I will be, but there are certain things that Im not going to tell you, and if he had an issue with his shoulder then Im going to make sure that I err on the side of caution, Zimmer said. Because if I played him and he got hurt, you guys would be killing me in the press. So Im always going to protect the players. Im going to do what I think is best for the organization, and youre going to have to respect that.The curt, lecturing tone was aimed at the media members gathered for his post-practice news conference, but the irritant for Zimmer could well be rooted in concern about the health and depth of his quarterbacks.Bridgewater was in full pads during weekend practices, but he didnt attempt any passes. Backup Shaun Hill was also held out of those workouts, before returning to action Tuesday. Taylor Heinicke, the third-stringer last year, has been on the non-football injury list because of a severed tendon in his left foot. He was spotted Tuesday without a walking boot for the first time since training camp began.Undrafted rookie Joel Staves production as a passer at Wisconsin was unremarkable, but hed been taking turns with the first team in recent days. Brad Sorenson was signed Saturday to give the Vikings another arm, but he didnt even have his name sewn onto the back of his red jersey yet.ddddddddddddhis was originally slated as an off day for the players, but Zimmer switched the schedule to give them a break on Monday instead.I felt like the team was tired and they needed some time to get away, he said.The Vikings host San Diego on Sunday, the first game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Zimmer dismissed the importance of getting Bridgewater some snaps to stay sharp.Hes played an awful lot of games, Zimmer said. Its not like hes a first-year rookie.The offense would only benefit from Bridgewaters presence, though, and vice versa.We look to him as our leader, but we know that in this league with injury, people are not going to be out there sometimes, wide receiver Charles Johnson said. So we have guys on our offensive side and defensive side who have to step up and maintain that leadership role.Albeit a position of far less significance, tight ends are in ample supply for the Vikings.Rhett Ellison returned to action Tuesday for the first time since tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee in the last game of the 2015 regular season. He was a little ahead of schedule on his rehabilitation. With Kyle Rudolph, Mycole Pruitt and rookie David Morgan, theres a probability the Vikings will keep four tight ends on the 53-man roster once its established Sept. 3.Rhetts worked extremely hard, Zimmer said. Rhett is a great kid, team guy through and through. Its nice to get him back on the field.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '