(SportsNetwork.com) - New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will cap an interesting past eight days when the Dallas Cowboys pay a visit to the Superdome Sunday night in a matchup between division leaders. You can watch all the action on TSN beginning with Football Night in America at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. In his first season running the Saints defense, Ryan has implemented a 3-4 scheme in the Crescent City and the players have adjusted nicely save their effort against the run (25th, 121.2 ypg). The Cowboys have struggled moving the chains on the ground and Ryan hopes to take advantage of his former employer. Ryan, of course, ran Dallas defense from 2011-12 and parted ways this past offseason. He eventually signed a deal to spearhead the Saints defense, which is fifth against the pass (211.9), eighth in points allowed (19.4) and ninth in yards allowed (333.1). Ryan is coming off an emotional 26-20 loss at the Meadowlands last Sunday against twin brother, Rex, who is the head coach of the New York Jets. The Saints trailed 20-14 at halftime and limited the Jets to six points in the second half. The only problem was that the Saints also scored six points over the final two quarters. New Orleans allowed 338 total yards and once again struggled to stop the run, as New York running back and former Saint Chris Ivory ran for 139 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Ryans defense did not force any turnovers and registered just two sacks. Saints veteran linebacker Jonathan Vilma is one of Ryans best players and wasnt pleased with Sundays loss, saying the defense has "to get better" and his knee issue is nothing to worry about. "I wish we could have won the game. I wish I could have made more plays to help the team. Outside of that I feel good," Vilma said. "I think tomorrow will be a good test, and then coming back Wednesday for practice will be a good test to see how the knee feels." Guess what? The knee doesnt appear to be strong enough to last the season and Vilma was reportedly placed on injured reserve Wednesday. Vilma played just 12 snaps in his first time back on the active roster Sunday. He was one of the four players suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last year for his alleged role in the Saints bounty scandal. New Orleans has lost two of three games since opening 5-0 and leads the NFC South by a game ahead of Carolina. The Saints upcoming schedule is not a forgiving one, as they are scheduled to play Dallas, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle and Carolina. But first the Saints have to take care of business with the Cowboys. Theyre hoping the defense shows up in this one. New Orleans recorded just 30 sacks last season, but already has 26 through eight games. Defensive end Cameron Jordan and outside linebacker Junior Galette have six and five sacks, respectively, and cornerback Keenan Lewis has three interceptions. Inside linebacker Curtis Lofton leads the Saints defense with 75 tackles. Lofton was asked about the mindset in the locker room and how the Panthers are creeping up in the NFC South because the Saints have lost two of three. "Well we dont care what any other team does. We dont care where Carolina is at or what theyre doing. We care about what we can control, and thats how we play," Lofton said. "If we go out and take care of business, we dont have to worry about any other team. November and December is the time where the real teams start to separate themselves. The great teams separate themselves from the good teams. We know that, and thats what were going to do." The Saints are 4-0 at home this season and 14-3 in the last 17 November games. Meanwhile, the Cowboys lead the NFC East by a game ahead Philadelphia and kept it that way by squeezing out a 27-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday in Big D. Dwayne Harris 7-yard touchdown catch with 35 seconds to play lifted the Cowboys, winners in three of their last four games. Tony Romo passed for 337 yards with two touchdowns and an interception while going 34-for-51, while Jason Witten caught eight passes for 102 yards and a score for the Cowboys, who bounced back from a one-point loss in Detroit. "All wins are big," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. "Every one is big. You only play 16 games and you count the wins up at the end. You have to bring your best every Sunday in this league. Weve got to learn from this one, move forward and get ready for New Orleans." One week after blowing up on the sidelines, Dallas mercurial wide receiver Dez Bryant caught six passes for 64 yards and was flagged for taking off his helmet to argue a penalty. Still, Bryant has emerged as one of the best young receivers in the game and is one of the reasons why Dallas is ninth in passing yards (267.1) and fourth in scoring (28.6). Bryant leads the Cowboys in receiving yards (705) and TD receptions (8). Terrell Owens had a team-record 15 TD catches back in 2007, so Bryant is getting close. You cannot count out Romo either for Dallas success. Romo is on pace for his fifth 4,000-yard passing season and already has 20 touchdown passes in 2013. His 100.0 QB rating is one of the best and he will look to exploit a tough New Orleans defense. Since the Cowboys have struggled to run the football, Romo will most likely attempt 45 to 50 passes Sunday. Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray returned after missing two games with a knee injury Sunday and had just 31 yards on four carries. He has 11 total carries in his last two games played. The Cowboys will enter the bye week after visiting the Saints, who trail the all-time series with Dallas by a 10-15 count. The Saints recorded a 34-31 overtime win in the last meeting on Dec. 23, 2012, as New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees threw for 446 yards and three TDs with no interceptions. Romo passed for 416 yards with four touchdown strikes and no picks. New Orleans has a 19-8 record on primetime television since 2006. Cheap Authentic Jordan 1 Nz . Just ask last seasons Supporters Shield winners, the New York Red Bulls, who were resoundingly defeated last weekend by a rampant Vancouver Whitecaps in a match which produced two contenders for MLS Goal of the Week from Sebastian Fernandez and Pedro Morales. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Nz Sale . According to TSNs Farhan Lalji, Richardson is heading to Toronto for a physical and is expected to sign with the Argonauts. http://www.cheapairjordan1nz.com/ . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Authentic Jordans Shoes Wholesale . At times during a solid but not spectacular season, they looked all three. Still the defending AFC champions persevered, riding their top-ranked defence and key contributions from younger players to a 12-4 record and their eighth playoff appearance since 2000, remarkable consistency in a league where change is the only constant. Jordan 1 Retro Sale Nz .Leicester won 25-21 in a heated European Rugby Champions Cup group match on Sunday.Toulon said on its website on Wednesday that it decided to open an investigation after Leicester complained about the behaviour of prop Martin Castrogiovanni and fullback Delon Armitage.DUNEDIN, Florida - Melky Cabrera envisioned the worst-case scenario when he was diagnosed with having a benign tumour in his back. "I thought he was going to pass away, I was going to die, I was going to leave his kids behind and his family," said Cabrera through third base coach Luis Rivera, translating Spanish to English. "I know one day hes going to die but I wasnt ready to do that yet." It was a harsh dose of reality for Cabrera not long after turning 29 last August 11. It was a strange time. Finally, Cabrera had a proper diagnosis for the knee tendinitis and quadriceps inflammation that had sent him to the disabled list earlier in the season. But to that point, Cabrera couldnt understand why hed been rendered relatively immobile on the field. The tumour, which if left untreated would have continued to grow and could have ended up wrapping itself around Cabreras spinal cord causing paralysis, even death, was about the size of a walnut at the time it was surgically removed. The scar on Cabreras back is about five inches long and runs straight down the spinal column. "I was worried because of the way I was playing and the pain I was feeling in my legs and his back," Cabrera said through Rivera. "I didnt know what was wrong with me until I they decided to check. I found out, my family and myself, it was a tumour. They didnt know if it was benign or cancer and we were real worried." Once the stiches came out ten days after the surgery, Cabrera immediately began working out. He started slowly, capped at curls with 15 and 20-pound dumbbells. By December, Cabrera had moved his offseason home to Tampa. Teammate Jose Bautista lives in the area and the two began two-a-day workouts immediately, including cardio and weight training in the mornings and baseball related activities, namely hitting, in the afternoon. Cabrera is plenty motivated to have a bounce back season. Limited to 88 games last year, he posted a .279/.322/.360 slash line. He was coming off a 50-game suspension in 2012 for performance enhancing drug use. Now in the final year of the $16 million, two-year contract, Cabrera is playing for his next deal while trying to shake a shady past. In solid physical shape and moving better than he has in more than a year, Cabrera is reunited with his hitting coach from three seasons ago in Kansas City, Kevin Seitzer. "Im real happy that hes here," said Cabrera through Rivera. "Hes a real good hitting coach. He knows what kind of swing I have and he can work with me better." NAVARRO CATCHES BUEHRLE Asked before Fridays game if he could remember catching a pitcher who works as quickly as Mark Buehrle, Dioner Navarro didnt waste any time responding. "Nobody," he said. Navarro wouldnt offer a prediction of how things would go, which necessitated a follow up when he left the game after six innings. "On the positive side I dont have to do conditioning now," joked Navarro. "It was fun. I think hes still trying to build in as spring training goes along. I dont think hee was throwing as hard as he can.dddddddddddd His mechanics looked fine. The ball was coming out fine. He likes to work fast, thats for sure." Buehrle threw two innings, allowing a run on two hits. He struck out one and walked one. "First thing I told him when we met, I said, Listen, I dont shake off, so I like the sign down and hope youve got a game plan back there, because I dont really go over one, I dont follow one, so I just kind of go off [the catchers signs]," said Buehrle. "Thats big for them to know the hitters and know what I like to throw in certain situations. So far, were just working on some stuff right now and getting his feedback on certain pitches that Im throwing, so its good." Buehrle sat in on a handful of advanced scouting meetings two years ago in Miami, at the request of then-Marlins pitching coach Randy St. Claire, but felt he wasnt benefitting from the information. Hed prefer if Navarro and pitching coach Pete Walker worked out the plan. Hell just throw the pitches, joking that if things go wrong it leaves the blame on the catcher. "We take the blame," said Navarro. "Hey, its been like that for 100 years. When somebody does good, good job. When something goes bad its the catchers fault. Ive got no shame on that. I take the blame. Its okay with me." IZTURIS ACCEPTING OF BACK UP ROLE As long as the regulars stay healthy, Maicer Izturis will find himself back in the role he had with the Angels. Hell play some second base, some shortstop and some third base and be a late-game option off the bench for manager John Gibbons. "Ive been in that situation before in Anaheim with Aybar and Howie Kendrick," said Izturis. "For me, Im coming in ready to help the team win. I just want to make the playoffs and win that thing. I think weve got everything here. We need to just compete." A 10-year veteran, Izturis also is serving as a mentor to Ryan Goins, who ended last season as the Jays second baseman and is expected to have the starting job when camp breaks. "Just be consistent, play good defense," said Izturis of his advice to Goins. "Hes got the same game that I do. Just play defense, move the runner, take some pitches, play for the team. Weve got a lot of players with power and speed. Thats what I try to tell him to help him understand his game." Izturis is fully healed following a season-ending ankle sprain late last August. He began running the bases and taking ground balls in November. LINDS BEARD GETTING ATTENTION Adam Linds goatee is being compared to the beard worn by former professional wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Shown a photo of Neidhart, Lind laughed and said, "Hes got a better tan." KRATZ DOES COMMERCIALS Check out these three commercials featuring new Blue Jays catcher Erik Kratz, done last year in Philadelphia for Godshalls Quality Meats. Some funny stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGOjaXfwdfghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bltl70SVyuUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oQi1uuq2xIChina NFL JerseysCheap Nike NFL JerseysNFL Jerseys CheapWholesale NFL JerseysCheap Basketball Jerseys OnlineStitched Hockey JerseysWholesale Baseball JerseysFootball Jerseys OutletCollege Jerseys For SaleCheap MLB JerseysWholesale Soccer JerseysWholesale Jerseys For SaleWholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '