past Smith, who was screened by Bruins forward Chris Kelly.

IRVING, Texas -- Michael Sams second chance will be with the Dallas Cowboys. Coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday the leagues first openly gay player has been added to the practice squad. The Cowboys, who are seeking help with their pass rush because of injuries and the off-season release of franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware, added Sam four days after he was released by St. Louis when teams had to cut rosters to 53 players. Sam isnt likely to be on the active roster for Sundays opener against San Francisco. Garrett said the move was "about football" and deflected any questions about the impact of bringing in Sam or how it might affect the locker room. "Thats your decision what question you want to ask," Garrett told a larger-than-usual crowd at his daily news conference. "Were focused on football. Thats where our attention is, and what people say outside this organization is really up to them." Any team can sign Sam off the Cowboys practice squad, but would have to put him on the 53-man roster for a minimum of four weeks. Sams CFL rights are owned by the Montreal Alouettes, who placed the former Missouri star on their negotiation list, giving them exclusive negotiating rights to the defensive lineman should he wish to play football in Canada. Being on the Dallas roster means Sam is returning to his home state. He was a lightly regarded recruit out of Hitchcock, Texas, a town of about 7,000 along the Gulf Coast about 65 kilometres southeast of Houston. His first two years at Missouri, Sam backed up Aldon Smith and Jacquies Smith, both of whom are in the NFL. The Cowboys didnt have Sam on their draft board, with owner Jerry Jones saying his size and skill set had him caught between defensive end and outside linebacker. Dallas passed on him with three of five seventh-round picks before the Rams got him at No. 249 out of 256 selections. But Dallas heads into the opener with serious questions about its defensive line after giving up the most yards in the NFL last year -- and third-most in league history. Defensive end George Selvie, who might miss the opener with a shoulder injury, is the only Dallas lineman who had more than two sacks last year. Tackle Terrell McClain, one of the key free agent signings, is likely out with a sprained ankle. The other major free agent pickup, tackle Henry Melton, missed all the preseason games with a groin injury. He hasnt played since tearing a knee ligament with Chicago in Week 3 last year. Rookie DeMarcus Lawrence, who was drafted in the second round with the hope that he could at least partially fill Wares void, cant play until after the eighth game. Hes on short-term injured reserve with a broken right foot. "Its well-documented the guys we had here last year are no longer with us," Garrett said. "So we want to make sure we are giving ourselves the best chance with young players. With veteran players. With guys who are with us. With guys who are on other teams to come help us be as good as we can be on the defensive line." Sam, the SEC defensive player of the year with 11 1/2 sacks at Missouri last season, couldnt crack a St. Louis roster that was stocked with proven pass rushers. But he also lost out to Ethan Westbrooks, the Rams top target among undrafted rookies. Sam had three sacks, one more than Westbrook. But most of the preseason, he was playing with the second- and third-stringers. Westbrooks was the Division II defensive player of the year when he had 19 1-2 sacks for West Texas A&M. After coming out as gay to his Missouri teammates before his senior season, Sam told the rest of the world about three months before the May draft. Kobe Bryant Shoes Free Shipping . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Kobe Bryant Shoes For Sale . PETERSBURG, Fla. https://www.cheapkobebryantshoes.com/ .com) - St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk and Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury have been selected as the NHLs top players for last week. Cheap Kobe Bryant Shoes .com) - The Boston Bruins announced Monday that the team has signed goaltender Niklas Svedberg to a one-year contract. Wholesale Kobe Bryant Shoes . - Regan Smith had the checkered flag in sight at Daytona a year ago and a freight train of cars in his rearview mirror.BOSTON - Tuukka Rask made 21 saves and the Boston Bruins beat the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 on Thursday night for their seventh consecutive victory. Zdeno Chara and Jarome Iginla scored for Boston. The Bruins took over the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 93 points, one more than Pittsburgh. Mike Smith made 18 saves for the Coyotes, who had won two straight, The Bruins scored twice in the first period, the first coming on Charas wrist shot past Smith, who was screened by Bruins forward Chris Kelly. It was the 16th goal of the season for the Bruins captain — three short of his career high. It was still 1-0 when the Coyotes had their best early scoring chance, getting a puck that got through Rask and trickled behind him. But the goalie reached backk with his stick and swiped it off the goal line for the save.dddddddddddd On the ensuing breakout, the Bruins got the puck to Johnny Boychuk at the blue line and his slap shot was deflected by Iginla into the net. It was his 21st goal of the season. Lauri Korpikoski scored for Phoenix with 12 minutes left in the game to spoil Rasks shutout. Phoenix had a chance to tie with about 2 minutes to play but Rask slid to his left and deflected a shot off his skate and into the post before it rolled harmlessly away. Notes: The teams combined for five shots in the second period. ... Phoenix F Shane Doan played in 1,300th NHL game. ... The Bruins had lost four straight to Phoenix in Boston. ... The victory was coach Claude Juliens 300th on the Boston bench. ' ' '