EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - The Minnesota Vikings defence cant stop anybody. Theres a different quarterback under centre every week. The star defensive end is the subject of trade rumours. And the coaching staff is stepping out onto thinner and thinner ice with each successive blowout loss. Other than that, things couldnt be going better for them. The Vikings (1-6) have already lost as many games as they did all of last season while making a surprising run to the playoffs. After getting hammered by the Green Bay Packers in a 44-31 loss on Sunday night that was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated, coach Leslie Frazier finds himself trying to come to grips with a season that looks all but lost. "There was no scenario going through my mind that would put us at 1-6 in this juncture," Frazier said. "Looking at the way our games have transpired, I do understand why we are where we are. I do believe we can get some things fixed and get going here. Theres definitely some things we have to work on to get done, but I do believe its possible to get it done." If Frazier has exhibited one defining characteristic during his three-plus seasons on the job, its an unshakable sense of calm even in the most difficult moments. In the wake of an embarrassing loss to their NFC North rivals at the Metrodome on Sunday night, his resolve is being tested yet again. Aaron Rodgers dissected the defence, converting over 72 per cent of the Packers third downs and directing scoring drives on every possession but the last one, when he took a knee to mercifully run out the clock. For the season, opponents are converting 51 per cent of their third downs against the Vikings, by far the highest number in the league. "Were so bad right now on third down on defence," Frazier said. "Youve got to look at how were doing it, what were doing schematically, and also the people that youre asking to do certain things. Can they get it done? Do we need to be doing something different based on the people that were asking to execute the defence?" The NFLs trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon, and several Vikings have heard their names come up in the rumour mill. Defensive end Jared Allen and seldom-used backup running back Toby Gerhart are two of the players mentioned most often. "Honestly, Im not even going to address it," Allen said after the game. "Im not going to speculate on something that I havent had a conversation about. And Im not going to speculate on something that hasnt happened. I cross all bridges when I get to them and right now Im trying to figure out a way for us to make this defence better." Frazier said he knows players read reports on the internet, but coaches would buckle down on them this week to make sure theyre focused going forward. "Were going to try to continue to keep them focused on the task at hand, and in this case, its trying to prepare as well as we can for this ballgame against Dallas," he said. "Thats whats most important." Frazier declined to identify a starting quarterback for the Cowboys game. The Vikings have changed starting quarterbacks, either because of injury, ineffectiveness or both, five times in their last six games, and all indications are another change will be made this week. Christian Ponder started against the Packers because the recently acquired Josh Freeman had a concussion. But Ponder failed to seize the opportunity after being benched a month ago, looking skittish in the pocket and unable to work through his progression of receivers with any efficiency. Veteran Matt Cassel is the only quarterback to win a game for the Vikings this year, but Frazier said Monday that Freeman or Ponder will start against the Cowboys. "Hes done everything weve asked him to," Frazier said of Cassel. "Hes practiced well, prepared well. He was ready yesterday if needed be, and hell continue to work as hard he can. I dont know if theres any one thing I can point to and say why its Christian and Josh in this determination." As long as Freeman is fully healthy, he is the likely choice to face the Cowboys. He had a terrible debut against the Giants two weeks ago, but the Vikings want to get a long look at him to see if he could be their quarterback of the future. And while Frazier has heard fans calling for his ouster, the team still seems to stand firmly behind him. "Coach cant get out there and throw a pass or run, or block," Adrian Peterson said. "Its on us as players to make this turnaround." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org ___ Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski cheap jerseys china . However, this year youll have to wait a little while longer. The Canadian Soccer Association is planning to unveil its brand new 2014-2018 strategic plan sometime in January 2014. cheap jerseys from china . So, down by a run in the sixth inning, the Orioles switched to beat-the-rain mode and used the elements to their advantage in a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night. http://www.cheapjerseyschina.cc/ . As a rookie this year, the 27-year-old Lough batted .286 with five homers and 33 RBIs in 96 games. He played all three outfield positions. cheap nfl jerseys . -- The New England Patriots say they dont have any comment on published reports that tight end Rob Gronkowski has an infection in his broken arm that could keep him out into the season. cheap nfl jerseys china . The Marlins, who are one game behind Philadelphia for the NL East lead, received a superb outing from Anibal Sanchez in Thursdays 1-0 win over San Francisco that completed a three-game sweep of the defending World Series champions. MONTREAL -- Montreals baseball fans will get a chance to applaud the 1994 Expos for their memorable, strike-shortened season. Former manager Felipe Alou has confirmed to The Canadian Press that he and other members of that dominant squad will be at an exhibition game next March at Olympic Stadium. Alou says he doesnt know exactly whats planned but hell be sure to make it up from the spring training camp of the San Francisco Giants, for whom hes a scout. He said the details still need to be ironed out with former Expos star Warren Cromartie, who is spearheading the event. "I know hes trying to reach other players from that team, but I dont know who he got. He told me hed be in touch after the season," Alou said in a phone interview. A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday when Cromarties Montreal Baseball Project will also introduce some results of a feasibility study on baseball in Montreal, commissioned by the local board of trade. The Expos were enjoying the best season in their history in 1994 -- with an outfield of Larry Walker, Moises Alou and Marquis Grissom, and a burgeoning Pedro Martinez who entered the season as the teams No. 4 starter. They had the best record in the major leagues, at 34 games over .500, when the season ended prematurely in mid-August. And for a number of key regulars, that was it. The Expos were dismantled before the next years Opening Day, in one of the periodic fire sales that crushed the spirits of the local fan base. The Expos played in a mostly empty stadium before moving to Washington a decade later. Major League Baseball will make a brief return next March, as Olympic Stadium hosts two exhibition games between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets. The tickets have only been on sale for a few days but more than 40,000 total have already been sold for the games. That ensures a far better draw for the exhibition matches than what the Expos generally got for regular-season games in their final years. AAlou, a former National League manager of the year and a three-time all star during his playing days, maintains the city should have a big-league franchise.dddddddddddd "I always said Montreal would be a good city for Major League Baseball," Alou said. He added that there were whispers about minor-league baseball coming to Montreal, but he didnt buy it. "Montreal is a big-league city," Alou said. "Its a big-league city for hockey and I think it can be a big-league city for baseball." Theres one glaring prerequisite, though, for making baseball work there, Alou said: a downtown ballpark. The Olympic Stadium is located in the citys east end, away from central transport hubs. Its location required a lengthy night-time commute for fans who lived on the other side of the city core, or off the island. "I dont believe that any city that had Major League Baseball for 34 years went on without building a downtown major-league stadium," Alou said. Location wasnt the only problem, he said. He also suggested the cavernous concrete creation from the 1976 Olympics wasnt exactly propitious for baseball. "We never had a stadium in Montreal," Alou said. "Fans were fantastic to show up at Jarry Park and Olympic Stadium, but they never had the feeling to witness Major League Baseball in a Major League Baseball stadium." Alou remained popular with local fans throughout his time as Expos manager, as he compiled a record of 691 wins and 717 losses through various fire sales from 1992 to 2001. He later managed the Giants from 2003 to 2006, with a record of 342 wins to 304 losses. Baseball has crept into this falls municipal election campaign, with both main mayoral candidates speaking vaguely about the possibility of courting a new team. Alou said it wont work without a new ballpark. "If they get a team with no stadium, its going to fail," Alou said. "We cant go back and do the same mistakes." cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '