Bilderecke » ed to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesda

MINNEAPOLIS -- While Teddy Bridgewater is weighing options for surgery, the Minnesota Vikings are scrutinizing the possibilities for another quarterback.Bridgewater visited team headquarters Thursday, just two days after the freak non-contact injury to his left knee sent him to a hospital by ambulance and devastated a team that was counting on its beloved leader to help make a legitimate push for the Super Bowl.The initial diagnosis was a dislocation of the knee and a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament, plus other significant damage that the Vikings have not disclosed, and the likelihood of it occurring was pegged at less than 1 percent.Bridgewaters representatives and family members flew to Minnesota and joined him in a meeting with Vikings head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman and general manager Rick Spielman to delve into the details. Spielman said a decision about when and where to have the operation should be made before the weekend.Given the timing and the severity of the injury, Bridgewater could have trouble returning to full strength for the 2017 season. Spielman declined to speculate the timetable for recovery until the surgery has been completed. The Vikings have said Bridgewater was fortunate to avoid damage to his arteries and nerves.The other thing hes got going for him is Teddy is a young 23-year-old guy, Spielman said. Youre not talking about a 34-year-old guy toward the end. So we expect a full recovery from Teddy.Spielman referenced running back Adrian Petersons swift recovery in roughly nine months from an ACL injury to start the 2012 opener.Hopefully were talking about Teddy the same way next year at this time, he said.Bridgewater drafted a statement distributed by the Vikings, thanking the entire organization, highlighting Sugarman and his staff and expressing appreciation for the well wishes from fans.Your thoughts and prayers mean a lot to me and have helped me in this difficult time. There are great players and great leaders in our locker room who are going to fight to the end to reach the goals we set for 2016. I will be there mentally, physically and in spirit to support them accomplish those goals, Bridgewater said.In order to have a testimony, you have to have a test. I come from amazing DNA. I watched my mom fight and win against breast cancer. We will, as a team, attack my rehab with the same vigor and energy. My faith is strong, my faith is unwavering and my vision is clear. My purpose will not be denied.The statement was shown on the video boards during the second quarter of Minnesotas preseason game against the Rams. The crowd, with some of the patrons clutching get-well-soon signs, began to clap before hitting a crescendo with a roar.Spielman and his lieutenants in the front office have had a hectic two days, scouring the list of free agents, studying film during marathon sessions and assessing candidates who could be cut on Saturday afternoon or otherwise available in a trade.Essentially speaking to the rest of his peers around the NFL during an interview with reporters on Thursday night, Spielman said hes already rejected several offers he considered to be crazy by other teams assuming desperation with the Vikings.Were not giving up any of these talented young players we have. I can tell you that right now, Spielman said. We worked too hard, our coaches and our scouts, to build this thing and go out and draft guys and develop guys to just give them away for a guy to come in here and may only be here for seven months.No, he hasnt called Peyton Manning. Spielman joked about speaking with Brett Favre, the newly minted member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.I think the gold jacket put the seal on that one, he said.For now, 15-year veteran Shaun Hill will take over for Bridgewater.We have the utmost confidence in Shaun Hill, Spielman said. The way hes played this preseason, how he runs this offense.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Richard Dent Youth Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Anthony Miller Youth Jersey . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. http://www.bearsfootballpro.com/Authentic_Anthony_Miller_Bears_Jersey/ . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Walter Payton Womens Jersey . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. Akiem Hicks Bears Jersey . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine says the school mascot missed a mens hockey game because he was a passenger in a car whose driver was arrested on a drunken driving charge en route to the arena.Matt Donahue, an adviser to the local Alpha Delta National Fraternity chapter, which directs the mascot program, said a recent graduate who was pinch-hitting as the mascot was asked not to perform Saturday night after the driver was charged. The driver was a sstudent.ddddddddddddThe arrest took place at around the time the game started. University spokeswoman Margaret Nagle says the matter has been referred to the UMaine Student Conduct Office.The mascot skates during hockey games and mingles with the crowd.UMaine beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 4-2 without the mascots services. ' ' '