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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- While three straight blowout losses have turned up the heat on Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and his staff, general manager Rick Spielman says the organization stands firmly behind its head coach and is optimistic things will turn around this season. "Leslie Frazier is not going anywhere," Spielman said Friday. "I am telling you that we are very committed to Leslie Frazier and this coaching staff. And were committed to our players, and everybody is working extremely hard to get this thing turned around." The Vikings have opened the season with six losses in their first seven games, and the defeats have grown progressively more one-sided as the season has worn on. The Vikings came out of their bye week with losses to Carolina, the Giants and Green Bay over the last three weeks and have started a different quarterback in each of those games. Frazier announced Friday that Christian Ponder will start his second straight game when the Vikings play at Dallas on Sunday, a somewhat surprising decision over Josh Freeman, who was brought in three weeks ago to get a shot to become the long-term solution at the position. Frazier said he was "trying to pick the guy you feel like would give you the best chance to be successful on Sunday, and we think thats Christian." Ponder went 0-3 to start the season, sat out the teams only victory with injured ribs, and was benched for two more games while veteran Matt Cassel and Freeman got chances to bring some dynamic play to the offence. All three have tried, and all three have failed, calling into question Spielmans ability to evaluate players at the games most important position. Spielman said he leaves the decision on who plays totally up to Frazier, but did say they continue to evaluate the future of all three players, both in games and at practice. "I know by the end of the year we should definitely have idea on what direction if we have a franchise quarterback on this roster right now, or do we have to go into the draft potentially and look for a franchise quarterback, or where do we go at the end of the season," Spielman said. "But if you dont have them in your building to get a fair assessment and true evaluation, this will give you a clearer picture of the direction you have to go at the end of the year." That they still dont know is one of the biggest reasons theyre in last place in the NFC North this season. Spielman has long been one of Ponders biggest backers in the organization, and he spoke confidently before the year began that the former 12th overall draft pick would break out in his third season. That hasnt happened. Ponder is completing just over 60 per cent of his passes with just two touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. He has looked skittish in the pocket and had difficulty making plays on third down to keep drives alive. "I understand outside the building theres not as much patience as there is inside the building because you know the development," Spielman said. "But the biggest thing we talked about was where Christian was more consistent toward the end of (last) season, we probably havent seen that same consistency through the first part of the season. "Now if he ends up being our starting quarterback and playing the rest of the games and you see him come on and see that he is playing consistently, then maybe he is the guy were going to go into the future with. " Freeman had a rough debut against the Giants, completing 37 per cent of his passes and looking completely unprepared to play. He missed last week with a concussion and Spielman said the team could still evaluate him at practice if hes not playing in games. "If Christian Ponder is playing the rest of the year and were winning games, Im totally fine with that," Spielman said. "Our goal is to win ball games and whatever we have to do to get this turned around to win games, were going to do." As patient as the organization appears to be with the coaching staff right now, Spielman did say the only way they will measure success going forward is by victories. He complimented Fraziers leadership and ability to keep the players focused during such a tough start. But in the end, wins and losses will likely make the decision. "Were not in this business not to win," Spielman said. "Its just expected. You expect to go out and win and you expect to go out and win every week and thats what this business is about, is getting wins." Rod Woodson Jersey . Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. Joe Greene Jersey .com) - Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending May 11. http://www.authenticsteelerspro.com/Heath-miller-steelers-jersey/ . Steve has built a solid reputation throughout the years - first as a hockey player, then as an NHL general manager and now as a scout. Dermontti Dawson Jersey . -- The Anaheim Ducks have signed left wing Dany Heatley to a one-year deal, returning the 33-year-old unrestricted free agent to the Pacific Division. Jack Lambert Jersey . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. CLEVELAND -- John Axford had other choices where he could pitch next season. The Indians closed the deal. Axford, who had 46 saves for Milwaukee in 2011 but lost his closers job last season and was traded to St. Louis, finalized a $4.5 million, one-year contract Thursday and will close for Cleveland in 2014. The 30-year-old Axford had other teams interested in signing him, but he decided to join the Indians because of their turnaround in 2013, a strong clubhouse and manager Terry Francona, who sold Axford with his typical straightforward approach. "He was very, very up front with me about the team, the organization, the city," Axford said. "It just sounded to me like a situation I want to be a part of." Axford replaces two-time All-Star closer Chris Perez, who was released in October after Cleveland made its first playoff appearance since 2007. Axford agreed to the contract with Cleveland earlier this week, and completed the deal after taking a physical on Wednesday. The right-hander can earn another $1.75 million in performance bonuses based on games finished: $250,000 for 38 and $300,000 apiece for 43, 48, 53, 58 and 63. The Indians initially considered filling the closers role within the organization -- right-handers Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen were the top candidates -- and pursued several veteran free agents before working out a deal with Axford. The Indians werent scared off despite Axford struggles last season, when he started horribly and was demoted by the Brewers before eventually being traded to St. Louis in August. "We thought he was the right guy to take a chance on," Indians general manager Chris Anntonetti said.dddddddddddd "We feel like we added an experienced, power arm to the back of our bullpen." Antonetti said the team wasnt reluctant to give the job to Shaw or Allen, its just that Axford was a better option and the club feels he can "bounce back" and be an elite stopper again. Axford attributed some of his early problems last season to pitching in the World Baseball Classic. He was throwing hard from the get-go and went through a "dead arm" period when his velocity dropped following the WBC. But after making some adjustments, Axford settled in and posted a 2.92 ERA in his final 71 appearances with the Brewers and Cardinals. "I dont like to make excuses," Axford said. "I really enjoyed pitching for my country, but I really dont think my arm was ever ready for the start of the regular season. I had a dead arm and my velocity was down in those first few games of the regular season. But when you give up four home runs and have an ERA of 22 after four games, you cant be surprised that youre not the closer anymore." Axford has a 22-19 career record with a 3.29 ERA and 106 saves in 281 relief appearances. He said being a free agent "was fun, but it was difficult." Ultimately, he thought the Indians were the best fit for him because they provided a chance to close again and Cleveland is just a 4 1-2 hour drive from his home in Ontario. It also helped the Indians are on the rise after earning a wild-card spot in 2013. "There were certainly other teams in the mix," Axford said. "They had a great season last year. It seemed like a team I would want to pitch for." 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