team, with the veterans they have on that team, they dont

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph spent his first three seasons playing in the Metrodome, a cramped, dingy noise box that tested the patience of fans and players alike.The home locker room only had five bathroom stalls for 53 players and dozens of coaches and support staff. So when he walked around U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings new $1.1 billion stadium that is set to open this season, he said comparing the two was like ground chuck and filet mignon.The Vikings held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday to mark the official beginning of life in their new home. The celebration featured current coach Mike Zimmer blowing the gjallahorn -- a huge horn used in Viking lore -- with coaching legend Bud Grant by his side and fireworks after a host of speakers praised the new stadium.With a cutting-edge design that includes a translucent roof to allow in the daylight, a wall of glass with 100-foot doors that open to let the autumn breeze in and a locker room that is twice the size of their former home in the Metrodome, U.S. Bank Stadium has thrust the franchise into the 21st century.The Metrodome as a player, its an awesome environment, Rudolph said. Its loud, the turf is fast, its a controlled environment. But the amenities and the fan experience that this place brings, its second to none. Just look at all the things that this place has. Theres probably 10 times the stalls that there were in the Metrodome. We had five for the entire team. That kind of puts it in perspective in terms of our quality of life here in the new stadium.The Vikings spent the previous two years playing in the University of Minnesotas football stadium across town while the Metrodome was taken apart to make room for the new stadium, and the party on Friday was the culmination of 31 months of construction and more than 10 years of lobbying by the Vikings for help from the public in financing the project.I try to think of the proper word, and all I can come up with is awesome, said Grant, the revered coach known for his stoicism during his Hall of Fame career.The Vikings will hold an open house for fans on Saturday and Sunday and thousands are scheduled to attend. The first big event will come with a soccer game between Chelsea and AC Milan next week and the Vikings will hold their first preseason game on Aug. 28. Their home opener is a Sunday night game against NFC North rival Green Bay on Sept. 18.The stadium opens at a time when confidence in the team on the field is reaching a crescendo. The Vikings are coming off a division title and an 11-5 regular season. They lost a heartbreaker in the playoffs to Seattle when Blair Walsh missed the go-ahead field goal in the closing seconds and fans fully expect the team to compete for a Super Bowl berth.When we bought the team, now in our 12th season, we had three goals: to be engaged in the community, build a new home for our Vikings and win championships, owner Mark Wilf said. Two out of three weve done pretty well at. And now, our teams starting to jell. Thats still our ultimate goal. And wouldnt a Lombardi look great here, or multiple Lombardis?Business leaders, designers and architects, politicians and fans all gathered on Friday for the festivities. And a project that was contested from the very beginning received universal praise, even from Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, who voted against public funding for the project when she was on the city council.Hodges fully acknowledged her initial opposition on Friday, but pointed to the development in a once-run down side of downtown that has boomed with the stadiums arrival. A new city park and more than $1 billion in new apartments and office towers have sprouted in the area around the stadium.The stadium will also host the Super Bowl in 2018, the NCAA mens Final Four in 2019 and ESPNs X-Games in 2017 and 2018.Ten, eight, even five years ago we wouldnt have been able to imagine this transformation, Hodges said. But today we get to let our imaginations run wild about five, eight or 10 years from now, or even beyond. And even so, we still cant imagine all the ways that whats happening right now in this stadium will continue to transform us.New Balance Clearance Australia . 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The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. New Balance Cheap Australia . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. CALGARY -- The Calgary Stampeders quarterback situation feels familiar. A year ago, starter Drew Tate didnt finish the second game of the regular season because of injury. Backup Kevin Glenn made his first start July 12 in Montreal. Fast forward to now. Tate didnt finish Game 2 last week. Glenn will start Friday, again July 12, in Montreal against the Alouettes. "For me to be coming out Week 3 against Montreal in Montreal, its pretty much deja vu," Glenn said Wednesday. The difference is Tates injury is minor compared to the shoulder separation he suffered in 2012. Subsequent surgery and rehabilitation sidelined Tate until the final two games of the regular season. His current injury is a strained forearm muscle in his throwing arm and his status is day-to-day. The 28-year-old did not throw the football in practice for a third straight day. "Its just not ready," Tate said. Glenn replaced Tate for the final minutes of last weeks 36-21 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina. Tate will dress for the game at Percival-Molson Stadium, but it will be Glenn behind centre. The 34-year-old filled in admirably during Tates absences in 2012. Glenns record was 9-5 after Tates shoulder injury. He compiled 4,220 yards in passing for 25 touchdowns and a completion rate of 66.7 per cent. When Tate fractured his forearm in the West Division semifinal, Glenn helped Calgary win the division final versus the B.C. Lions with three touchdown passes and 303 throwing yards. He went 14-for-27 and had no touchdown passes in Calgarys Grey Cup loss to the Toronto Argonauts. Glenn isnt as fleet of foot as Tate, but has shown he can get the job done. "What he accomplished last year will add the confidence level to not only himself, but the players on the field," Stampeder head coach and John Hufnagel said. With Tate unable to throw, Glenn took first-team reps in ppractice every day this week.dddddddddddd "Its still Week 3 for everybody in the league, even the first-string guys," Glenn said. "This isnt Week 9 or 10 when weve got a bunch of games under our belt." "Its still a growing process, but for the most part, I know where guys are going to be, they know where theyre going to be. Its going out and executing it." What Glenn recalls of his start against the Als last year was a costly interception late in the game that led to Montreals 33-32 comeback victory. "A lot of times as a player, you remember the bad stuff," he said. "That kind of stuff brings back memories of I dont want to do this again. The late interception, if I had to take anything back from that game it would have been that. "Im not the first or the last guy to throw an interception. You have to get over it, come back, this is a whole new season." Calgary and Montreal are both 1-1. The Als lost 19-11 to the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers last week. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo was sacked seven times in the game. "You know that type of team, with the veterans they have on that team, they dont lose at home," Glenn said. "Those guys are going to be ready, especially with what they went through last week. "We went through a similar thing that was on the road and not at home. Were going to have attitude too going out to Montreal." CFL West all-star defensive back Keon Raymond is expected to make his season debut after sitting out the first two games with a sprained ankle. Hufnagel said receiver Maurice Price (leg) was doubtful to play Friday. Offensive lineman Dan Federkeil (illness) was also questionable. Defensive backs Derrius Brooks (leg) and Jamar Wall (knee) are out and defensive lineman Kevin Huntley is expected to start in place of Micah Johnson (torn oblique muscle). ' ' '