NEWS » line 280 or bigger, and 5-10 freshman Levonta Taylor

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Thomas Davis said the Carolina Panthers game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings should absolutely be played as scheduled, even with the city being under a state of emergency due to violent protests over a recent police shooting.The All-Pro linebacker said football has a unique way of bringing people together and believes the game is something the community needs.If you take this game away I think it is going to just continue to add to the stress and add to what is already going on in a negative way, Davis said Thursday.Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in Charlotte on Wednesday night and has sent the National Guard and state troopers in to help restore peace after two nights of looting and rioting .The NFL said it plans are for the game to be played as scheduled, although it will continue to monitor the ongoing violent protests that have gripped Charlotte.Panthers president Danny Morrison said in a statement Thursday that the team is in contact with government officials, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the NFL. We are continuing to monitor events as we prepare for Sundays home game.Davis isnt alone in his belief that the game should be played.Eight Carolina players questioned and coach Ron Rivera all said they believe the game should go on, although tight end Greg Olsen said his family may be more cautious on Sunday.My wife usually takes the kids uptown and they tailgate with family and friends, but we said maybe this week we should just come to the game, park in our lot and go up to your seats and get settled in, Olsen said. Is it worth moseying around in a town that is in such a heightened state of chaos?Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who played five seasons for the Panthers and still owns a home in Charlotte, said Thursday hes a little nervous about coming home for the game.Right now I would be. Its definitely out of control, Munnerlyn said. I might just go check on my house and head back to the hotel. Right now Id definitely be worried. Its kind of chaos down there right now and I hope this clears up soon.Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he has not paid attention to reports of the unrest in Charlotte and has been focused solely on game planning for matchup against the Panthers.It has been impossible for the Panthers to ignore the events.What began as a peaceful protest Wednesday night led to more rioting and looting downtown with one person shot and four police officers injured. The protests began after an African-American police officer shot and killed 43-year-old Keith Scott on Tuesday.What is going on in Charlotte right now is not the way to solve this problem, said Davis, who is African-American. When you go out and loot and riot, you stand a chance of more people getting injured and getting hurt -- civilians and police. Its not the way to go about things.Davis, the 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year, has been with the Panthers for 12 seasons and is one of the most endeared players in the community.He said seeing the images on TV the last two nights have caused him great pain.I had to explain to my boys that not all cops are bad cops, just like cops out there have to realize that not all African-American males are hoodlums and going out there and deliberately getting into trouble, Davis said. ... Police are here to protect and serve us, but at the same time someone has to be held accountable for what is going on.At least one Carolina player suggested he was considering joining Colin Kaepernicks cause and staging a silent protest by kneeling for the national anthem before the game.Safety Tre Boston, who has been outspoken about his thoughts on the police shooting on Twitter, said its something he will decide on in the coming days. He said he wants to talk to people and do more research before making a decision.You have to find a way you are not disrespecting people and that everybody understands where we are coming from, but at the same time you want to get your message across, Boston said. And sometimes it can feel disrespectful when you send your message across and somebody doesnt believe in it. Well see.Davis said instead of just talking about the issue, he suggested athletes should do more.What we can do is get out in our community and connect with not only the people that we serve and work with in the community, but also really connect with the police officers and bridge the gap and create an ongoing relationship to help promote change, Davis said.---AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Khyri Thomas Jersey .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Cheap Pistons Jerseys .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. http://www.cheappistonsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-bruce-brown-jr-jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Wholesale Pistons Jerseys . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Cheap Swingman Pistons Jerseys . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Dino Babers has watched his winning percentage as a head coach drop nearly 6 percent during his first year at Syracuse. Hes still adamant the program is headed in the right direction, even after a lopsided loss on Senior Day.I think theyve written the introduction, this senior class, Babers said Monday, two days after a 45-14 home loss to Florida State, which is up two notches this week to No. 15 in the AP Top 25 . I think this program is trending up.Syracuse (4-7, 2-5 ACC) was trending big-time five weeks ago after Babers gave a stirring postgame speech after the Orange upset then-No. 17 Virginia Tech in the Carrier Dome. That win was followed by another, at Boston College, before reality returned.Syracuse has now lost three straight , outscored by 100 points, also beaten by No. 4 Clemson (54-0) and N.C. State (35-20) during the late-season swoon.Before Saturdays game, the school handed out bobbleheads honoring former Orange All-America Floyd Little, one in a long line of stellar tailbacks the university is renowned for -- from Jim Brown to Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis to Little to Larry Csonka, and so on. Then, with its offensive line banged-up and starting quarterback Eric Dungey out for the second straight game, Syracuse was outgained 654-233 and its run game was stopped again in its tracks, managing 37 yards on 35 carries.Syracuse enters the final week of its regular season ranked 122nd in rushing (ahead of only six other teams), averaging 109.7 yards per game and 2.99 yards per carry, a telltale statistic for the teams scoring woes.Even with Dungey putting up big yardage numbers earlier in the season, the Oranges up-tempo attack has had a difficult time scoring -- Syracuse ranks 112th, averaging 22.5 points. Before he was hurt in early Noveember against Clemson, the Orange averaged just over eight points in the second half of seven games against FBS teams, failing to score in six of 14 quarters after halftime.ddddddddddddhe key to any football game is being able to run the football and being able to stop the run on the other side, Babers said. When you can do those things, you can always be consistent. You can write it down, its never going to change.Before the opening kick on Saturday, Florida State passed the eye test, especially on defense. The Seminoles had seven players on the line 280 or bigger, and 5-10 freshman Levonta Taylor was the only player in the secondary under 6 feet.Recruiting that sort of lineup is foremost on the mind of Babers, now 41-23 as a head coach.Its been my most challenging year, mainly because of the process and making sure everyone understands how difficult this was, Babers said. A lot of guys are not playing the positions they were recruited for. As this process moves forward and we start to bring more personnel in, I think its only going to get better, faster. It takes time.Were going to be back to where we need to be. Were trying to build this to last so that it never breaks down again.Dungey, sidelined by a vicious first-quarter hit to the shoulder and head at Clemson, and backup Zack Mahoney are the only ones listed this week on the depth chart for Pitt. Babers said Mahoney likely will be the starter and reiterated that he did not know if Dungey had received results of further tests regarding his injury.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 ' ' '