n funky positions. A really common injury is popping ribs out

LANDOVER, Md. -- Maybe this time, the Dallas Cowboys really are ready to win without Tony Romo. Certainly a turnover-free Dak Prescott helps in that regard.From the last game of the 2013 season through the end of last season, Dallas went 1-13 when Romo was unavailable. With fourth-round draft pick Prescott suddenly elevated to the starting QB spot when Romo hurt his back late in the preseason, the Cowboys will take a 1-1 record into next weeks game against the Chicago Bears.Prescott was 22 for 30 for 292 yards plus a 6-yard scamper for a touchdown in a 27-23 victory at the Washington Redskins on Sunday. That followed a one-point loss to the New York Giants in Week One.You see him do the right thing -- and good things -- when hes under pressure, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. Hes like a sponge. ... He has an overachiever attitude about soaking it up.The best sign for the future, according to teammates, was the way Prescott was calm during the 10-play, 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter that led to the go-ahead points on former Redskins running back Alfred Morris 4-yard TD run.He treated it like it was the first play of the game, receiver Dez Bryant said. It says a lot about him as a person. He was ready for this game. He is built for this kind of stuff.What else we learned from Cowboys-Redskins:FIXES NEEDED: Washingtons game at the New York Giants next Sunday becomes quite significant. Coach Jay Grudens Redskins are 0-2 ; the Giants are 2-0. We can hang our heads and cry all we want to, Gruden said, but the fact of the matter is, we got a game at 1 oclock next Sunday. Asked in what ways his team regressed after winning the NFC East last season, Gruden replied: I cant put my finger on them right now. I think its a combination of a lot of things. Weve got to fix them, quick. Among the problems: QB Kirk Cousins now has three interceptions and one TD this season.RECEIVING LINE: Not only is Bryant going to become more and more involved in Dallas offense -- after one catch for 8 yards in Week One, he had seven for 102 yards against Washington -- but it looks as if Cole Beasley could be Prescotts No. 2 target going forward , rather than Terrance Williams. Through two games, Beasley has 13 receptions for 140 yards; Williams has three catches for 34 yards, with zero targets Sunday.NO ADJUSTMENTS: Redskins DL Ricky Jean Francois wants to see his defensive coaches make more adjustments to counter what opposing offenses do. He sees a trend going back to last season. Every team that adjusts to us, we dont adjust to them, Jean Francois said. Every team we play against, it just feels like they see something and they pounce on it and they keep doing it -- and it feels like were just not responding. Dallas ran for 102 yards on 30 carries, and Jean Francois said it looked to him as if the Redskins were stuffing inside runs, so the Cowboys started taking rushing plays outside -- and Washington never accounted for that.ZEKES BALL SECURITY: Seems a safe bet that Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott, the No. 4 overall draft pick, is going to put in extra time working on protecting the football: He fumbled twice against Washington. Morris said he told Elliott: You have to have short-term memory. At the same time, youve got to be able to take care of the ball. If you dont take care of the ball, then you cant be on the field. Thats just the way it goes.DURANT STEPS UP: For a Dallas defense missing DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory and Rolando McClain because of suspensions, a familiar face could wind up with a bigger role than expected. LB Justin Durant played last season with Atlanta, but hes back with the Cowboys, and the nine-year pro broke up a fourth-and-1 pass with just under two minutes to play Sunday. He cut in front of a ball intended for Pierre Garcon, knocked it down. No other way that I can get that feeling -- especially being in somebody elses place and feeling the air come out of the building, Durant said.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrichCheap Nike MLB Jerseys . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Clearance MLB Jerseys . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new.For the past nine years, Ginny Nyhus has collected calluses on her hands and spent hundreds of hours lifting and pushing giant tires, running up hills and doing planks. Shes also gained a new appreciation for lower-back pain.The reason? Tug-of-war. Its a sport she first thought of as weird, but its now become her passion. The sport tapped into her competitive spirit, fed her desire to be fit and has taken her around the world as a member of DJs Tug of War club, one of the countrys most successful programs.By day, Nyhus, 38, is a director of special education for Minneapolis public schools. On nights and weekends, she trains, competes and escapes into a different world. The work that I do in education, it can be intense. Some people go to an elliptical [machine] and put headphones on. Some people read books. I go pull tug-of-war. ... Thats my outlet.The strenuous workouts and matches clear her mind and allow her to be more present as an educator and as a mother to her 5-year-old son, Shea.Nyhus grew up in Prior Lake, Minnesota, where she still lives. In her home, her parents had three expectations: She had to take music lessons, have a sport and be involved in a community-based activity. For her, the sport was swimming from about the age of 7. In high school, she also dabbled in gymnastics, cross-country skiing and track.But after graduating from college and starting her career, Nyhus couldnt find an activity she liked. She was out of shape and eager to get fit. Thats when she found tug-of-war, a stroke of serendipity she owes to her reluctance to pay for a professional trainer. I started looking into personal trainers and found out how much they cost monthly, and I was like, This is crazy! she says.Thats when she remembered a friend -- who had tried to entice her to join her tug-of-war club -- had mentioned they worked out three nights a week with a trainer. Im like, Brilliant idea! I should go to tug-of-war, she recalls. I can get three nights a week of a workout and get into a routine that Im looking for. So, I kind of stumbled into tug-of-war.The history of tug-of-war goes back centuries, to ancient Greece and Asia. The sport was part of the Summer Olympics from 1900 through 1920, and today, tug-of-war is still aligned with the Olympic movement. The governing body of the sport is the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF), which received recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 2002. More than 50 countries have organizations (here its the U.S. Tug-of-War Association) that stage national championships and send teams to the world championships. Nyhus has become so involved that shes on the executive board of the U.S. Tug-of-War Association as its treasurer.During Nyhus time with DJs Tug of War, the women have won multiple national championships and a bronze medal at the 2014 world championships in Madison, Wisconsin. Shes also traveled to Ireland, Switzerland and South Africa to compete in world championships.Its a year-round sport, with indoor and outdoor workouts. When Nyhus first attended workouts nine years ago, she liked the exercise and the friendships. But when she took part in her first competition a few months later, she was truly hooked. All the teams, the energy, the camaraderie and the physical demands of pulling opened her eyes. I was like, This is all right. This is cool, she says.In competition, each team has eight pullers, and teams compete in a best-of-three match.dddddddddddd There is a spot marked on the rope, aligned in the middle between the two teams. The goal for each team is to pull that spot on the rope past a line on the ground 4 meters (13.1 feet) away. Each round (called an end) can be as quick as 30 seconds -- or last as long as several minutes.When good teams are evenly matched, a three-end competition can be grueling. Nyhus says her teams bronze-medal match in the club competition at the 2014 world championships was tough. I think our first end of the match was just shy of five minutes, the second over three minutes and the last one was right around two because we were all burned out, she says. Thats five minutes [where its like doing] a full-body plank with your arms, your legs, your core. Mentally you have to be in it to win it. That was more than nine minutes of pulling.But, she says, it was worth every second. After winning their medals, Nyhus took a selfie of the grinning team. It ranks as her tug-of-war career highlight. Having everyone come to our home turf, she says. American pride, representing your country in your country just provides for a significant amount of spirit. Youre feeling like a host and a competitor and you dont want to disappoint. Plus, you have way more people cheering. It was fantastic.To be part of a pulling machine takes some serious training -- just the kind Nyhus was looking for nine years ago. She works out five times a week on her own, 30 to 45 minutes at a time lifting weights. She also attends team workouts and practices three times per week. Each session is two and a half to three hours, with extra time added ahead of national or world championships.Those workouts include hill sprints for endurance, box jumps for explosiveness and a variety of cardio exercises. Tractor-tire flips, four-minute planks, swimming scissor kicks and pushups are part of the routine. Rope climbs strengthen shoulders, the upper body, core and hands.Then, theres the pulling. Teams can pull at three to four stations in the gym, including some where pulleys, poles and weights create tremendous resistance. Because of the physical nature of the training and competition, there can be injuries. But so far, Nyhus hasnt had to deal with anything major. The most time shes missed was when she was pregnant with her son. For me, I typically have some lower-back issues, she says. Theres a lot of pressure on the rope; your bodys in funky positions. A really common injury is popping ribs out. Several of us have chiropractors that we visit frequently.Nyhus laughs at her aches and pains, but she plans to keep on pulling. The sport is a big part of her life. The exercise is great, but the social aspect is just as important. Shes proud to be part of a team.When her friend took her to that first club practice nine years ago, Nyhus had no idea what she was in for. What our coach has said is, if you come back a second time [to practice] well know well keep seeing you, she says. Because the first time its awkward. It puts weird pressure on your body in weird places and you just feel out of sorts because it doesnt feel natural. And I kept going.But, she adds, laughing, I think part of that was because my girlfriend kept taking me. ' ' '