last to be resolved and the former Norway international converted the penalt

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Linval Joseph had solidified himself as one of the leagues best run stoppers, entering his seventh year in the NFL, but the Minnesota Vikings still saw room for their big man in the middle to play even better.The typical hunker-down mentality of the nose tackle, whose ideal role is to push back the point of attack, plug the holes in the line and occupy multiple blockers, doesnt automatically translate to aggressively pressuring the quarterback when hes dropped back in the pocket.He loves playing the run, but if he could ever develop that mentality of when its time to pass rush, coach Mike Zimmer said during training camp, I think he could go to the next level.Three games into this season, Joseph has taken that step. He already has three sacks, closing in on his career high of four and contributing to Minnesotas league-leading total of 25. Hes fourth on the team with 10 quarterback hurries.Just picking up where I left off, Joseph said, trying to downplay his pass-rush improvement, and everythings falling into the right place for me right now.Joseph will find himself facing some of his former teammates on Monday night when the Vikings (3-0) host the New York Giants (2-1), the team that drafted him out of East Carolina in the second round in 2010.Bygones are bygones, he said. Theyre another team. Theyre on schedule, and we need to win.When he signed a five-year contract in 2014 worth as much as $31.25 million with $12.5 million guaranteed, Joseph left behind plenty of admirers in New York.One of the hardest-working guys. Always in the weight room. Probably one of the strongest guys in the NFL, Giants left guard Justin Pugh said. Definitely got our work cut out for us.Joseph is listed on the light side at 6-foot-4 and 329 pounds. Theres hardly a player in the locker room who will recite the company line more consistently, whenever the subjects of personal accolades or long-term team success are raised by media.We really dont care about what people say about us, to be honest with you, Joseph said. We just want to go out there and do our best.Joseph needed time to adjust to Zimmers system in his first year with the Vikings in 2014. His first training camp was frighteningly interrupted by a calf injury caused by a stray bullet at a nightclub shooting a few hours after a preseason game. Last year, Joseph made significant strides, but he missed four games because of a painful turf toe injury.Now?Hes playing at the level that we thought he was capable of and has played at before, so nobody in here is surprised, linebacker Chad Greenway said. I think hes obviously a complete monster in the middle, and youve got to block him with multiple people, and thats so great for us linebackers.The Vikings arent even to the quarter mark of the schedule, of course, but the defense appears to be in full stride in Zimmers third season. The Vikings also lead the league with a plus-8 turnover margin.Three years working together, I think that helps. Just sticking to the repetition, day in and day out, working with each other, playing with each other, just being around each other, Joseph said. If we just keep playing at a high level and everybody stays healthy, the skys the limit.The 4-3 scheme, well-known for the double A-gap blitzes that Zimmer calls, or bluffs, for linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, is predicated on a synchronized pass rush along the defensive line. If one player freelances, even if he believes he can complete a sack, the plan wont work. Individual sack totals, then, can be lower because the rush in Zimmers system comes from so many different places.I think were all having fun and enjoying playing with one another, safety Harrison Smith said. Thats not just the makeup of the defense, but of the team.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Nike Air Max 270 Outlet . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Nike Air Max 270 Sale . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . https://www.cheapnikeairmax270china.us/ . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. 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PRISTINA, Kosovo -- Footballs newest country is hoping to be the surprise package of the World Cup qualifiers, just a few months after gaining FIFA membership.Kosovo became a UEFA member in May, joined FIFA a week later and was fast-tracked into 2018 World Cup qualifying.It earned a credible 1-1 draw in Finland last month in its competitive international debut and is looking to spring more surprises against Croatia and Ukraine, even if coach Albert Bunjaki believes the European Championship in 2020 is a more realistic target.Kosovo plays Croatia on Thursday in Albanias northern city of Shkodra as it has no stadium certified by UEFA. It also plays on neutral territory three days later, with its away match against Ukraine being held in Poland as its opponent does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.It will be a hard game, Kosovo coach Albert Bunjaki said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday. We know that Croatia is a good team and after three days well play against Ukraine. But at the same time you know in football you can surprise.Weve started the qualification. Our goal is 2020. At the same time of course we will try to do the best in every game, so the next one is the Croatian national team. We will get the answer after the game. We will try to surprise them as we can.It was a far from easy match against Finland. Kickoff was less than five hours away when the sportss governing body finally allowed six players who had represented other countries to switch their allegiance to Kosovo now the former province of Serbia is recognized as a football nation.dddddddddddd.Valon Berishas case was the last to be resolved and the former Norway international converted the penalty which secured Kosovo a point in Group I, putting it level with the other teams after both Croatia-Turkey and Ukraine-Iceland also ended 1-1.Its going to be hard for us because we just started up with this national team, Berisha said. We are a lot of new young players who dont know each other very well. I think it will take time until we form a really good group.We made a good first impression I think and we could have won the game against Finland. But now we are up against two really good international teams. It will be hard for us but we can surprise them because they might take us a little bit easy and it might go against them.Defender Leart Paqarada also believes Kosovo has the right mix of talented individuals to spring a surprise.Our team spirit is very well and we are well prepared for the game, he said. We have individual quality in the team and thats why I think maybe we can surprise somebody.---Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania contributed to this report. ' ' '