2012 » cted punts dont show up in box scores like other st

MINNEAPOLIS -- At the top of the Vikings shiny, new $1.1 billion football palace, there is a ring of glass separating the seating bowl from the roof that the team and the stadium designers call the clear story.At night, when U.S. Bank Stadium is lit up, the clear story gives the visual impression that the roof is floating. And on sunny mornings, the large windows allow sunlight to flow in from the east, bathing the seats on the other side of the stadium in a yellow glow.The clear story is one of the many calling cards for architects of the stadium -- and one that almost didnt make the cut: With the cost of the project rising, Mortenson Construction told the Vikings that eliminating that particular feature would save the team $800,000.At the time we were over a perceived budget. They said, `Well, wed like to accept that, said John Hutchings, sports principal-in-charge at HKS Sports and Entertainment.We said, `Over our dead body. ... It was a decision that we fought hard to keep. We didnt win all of them, but that was one that was pretty important for the overall look of the stadium.The discussion was one of the countless debates that come with designing, approving and building a stadium of this kind of size and scope.In the end, HKS won that tussle. Vikings owner Mark Wilf pointed to that clear story as a sign of the additional investment the team put into the project to try to achieve the world class designation that the franchise has used to describe it from the stadiums infancy.The first official event is Wednesday, an international soccer exhibition that has sold more than 55,000 tickets.When you weigh those millions of dollars versus the span of a building like this, we wanted to make sure that in five or 10 years this building wouldnt be instantly obsolete. We want this building to last for decades and generations to come, Wilf said.Things like letting in that light, hundreds of decisions like that, our whole team really made sure to implement that vision that the fan experience were to be maintained.There were other points of contention. Some designers preferred to have a scoreboard hanging over the field like the famous giant boards at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.The Vikings wanted to have video boards above the lower bowl in both end zones so that fans didnt have to crane their necks upward to see replays.And the huge glass doors on the west side of the stadium that open to allow fresh air inside the fixed-roof facility were initially proposed to go from the plaza cement up to the very top of the stadium, some 240 feet high.We got the numbers back and they said, `No way can we do that! a smiling Hutchings said. They said, `What would it take to have the biggest ones in the world? We said, well they need to be 100 feet tall.And there they stand now, five doors ranging from 75 feet to 95 feet tall and 55 feet wide.It never became personal, Vikings chief operating officer Kevin Warren said.We had some very tough and tense disagreements. But we always moved forward. At the end of the day, we knew we would get this done and build an incredible building that one day would revolutionize how professional sports franchises handle their buildings and how fans get a chance to watch their teams.In the end, an architectural marvel was born. Sixty percent of the roof is made of a translucent material called ETFE that allows the sun to pour in and create the feel of an outdoor venue.The cramped concourses and scarce bathrooms of the Metrodome are a distant memory, replaced by the open-feel, amenity-loaded stadium that features a giant glass wall looking toward the downtown Minneapolis skyline.The seats are the closest to the field in the NFL and a one-of-a-kind retractable section can be moved to allow baseball to be played indoors.When they showed us this design, we were just blown away, Wilf said.The Vikings first game will be an exhibition against the San Diego Chargers on Aug. 28, with the real curtain raiser coming on Sept. 18 in a Sunday night game against NFC North rival Green Bay.And then, of course, the big show is not far off: The Super Bowl will be held at the stadium on Feb. 4, 2018.More than 200,000 people visited the stadium for an open house that was held last weekend.Initially, the Vikings pledged $477 million toward the project, with the rest coming in public funding. By the end of it, the team contributed an extra $125 million to add the bells and whistles it wanted.This project had its share of pushing and pulling in that respect. But look at this place, said John Wood, senior vice president of Mortenson Construction.When you compare it to some of the NFL facilities being built right now or being planned right now, its a bargain.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCheap Adidas Shoes Wholesale .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Adidas Shoes Cheap Uk . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. http://www.cheapadidasshoesuk.com/ .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. Cheap Adidas Shoes Uk Outlet . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Cheap Adidas Shoes Free Shipping . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day.ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan and Texas are tied for blocking the most kicks this season in major college football.The fourth-ranked Wolverines are also one of two teams, along with Akron, to lead the nation with two touchdowns off punts.Coach Jim Harbaugh, knowing how important special teams are, often keeps his best player on the field even when Michigans offense and defense are on the sideline.Do-it-all Jabrill Peppers was named Big Ten special teams player of the week on Monday after returning a punt 54 yards for a score, capping a 21-point run the Wolverines had to pull away and beat Colorado 45-28 on Saturday.Special teams have been contributing greatly, Harbaugh said. It was our best unit in the last game.Harbaugh raved that Peppers has played a few positions on defense and a few on offense in addition to returning punts and kicks and covering punts and kickoffs. Peppers shared honors for Big Ten defensive player of the week.I cant think of another player like Jabrill, Harbaugh said.The Wolverines, though, will have some thinking and correcting to do this week as they prepare to open the Big Ten season at home against Penn State.Kenny Allen missed two field goals -- from 37 and 44 yards -- against the Buffaloes after making his first four this season.Well get that improved this week, Harbaugh said.Michigans punt team, meanwhile, has stayed under the radar just as it would want to after a botched punt by the unit led to a heartbreaking loss to rival Michigan State.The Wolverines rank in the middle of the Big Ten pack in net punting this season.Theyre excelling when teams have to punt.With Michigan needing a boost during its slow start against Colorado and trailing 14-0 when Michael Jocz blocked a punt, Grant Perry eventually scooped up the football and returned it 6 yards for a score.Harbaugh,, unsolicited, said that while he was with his pregnant wife at an ultrasound appointment Monday morning, her doctor described the play as a slippery watermelon.ddddddddddddhe ball was loose, a lot of people had their hands on it, Harbaugh said.Michigan has gotten hands on punts but hasnt gotten credit for blocking them because the footballs ended up getting past the line of scrimmage.I know we have three that dont count as blocks, Harbaugh said.Deflected punts dont show up in box scores like other statistics such as broken-up passes, but Harbaugh suggested that getting hands on a punt should be recorded.They track everything else, he said.Chris Wormley has blocked two field goals, both in the 51-14 win over Central Florida.Maurice Hurst doesnt show up in the box score for either block by the 6-foot-6 Wormley, but the 6-2 defensive tackle felt like he was part of the accomplishment as an interior lineman on the play.I was close, Hurst said. Our goal inside is to get the guys knocked back. Chris is a tall guy, so his hands can get to the ball a little bit easier.It hasnt been easy, Hurst insisted, to improve Michigans ability to make plays on special teams through three games this season. He said the coaches, including Jay Harbaugh and Chris Partridge, who are in charge of special teams, have made blocking field goals and making plays elsewhere on special teams a point of emphasis.I think its practice with more intensity and I think people are really paying attention to what special teams can do, Hurts said. When you see the results weve had, it makes you want to work even harder to try to make big plays happen.---AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '