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SAN DIEGO -- Manti Teo is just one of the guys. Hes confident he can be a three-down linebacker in the NFL. It takes some serious leverage to play against tight end Antonio Gates. Being drafted by the San Diego Chargers has put the former Notre Dame star in a "perfect place" because of the support from those in the organization. Oh, and Teo and some friends "just chilled and had a good time" last month in Hollywood at a party hosted by Maxim magazine, which included Teos fake girlfriend on its list of the worlds 100 hottest women. Kept largely off limits since the draft by rookie head coach Mike McCoy, Teo was allowed to speak with reporters for the first time in more than a month as the Chargers opened minicamp Tuesday. Questions about football outnumbered the ones about the fallout from him being the target of a hoax involving a fake girlfriend. Teo said hes had no problem putting behind him the issues that dogged him since they surfaced in January. "When were out on the football field, everything else doesnt matter," he said. "Thankfully for me, Im surrounded by a bunch of teammates who have really pushed me to be better. All they care about is that No. 50 is working his butt off. Ill take care of the work ethic part and for them, they just make sure that Im going in the right direction. Personally, that hasnt been difficult at all. "We have a saying in the defensive room: Keep the main thing the main thing. Im here to play football. Im here to be the best Charger I can be and Im not going to let anything get in the way of that. Well keep the main thing the main thing." The last time Teo was allowed to speak with reporters was on May 10 during rookie minicamp. Since then the team has had several weeks of organized team activities, which are basically practices in helmets, shorts and jerseys, but no pads. Minicamp is the same thing, with no pads until training camp. Teo said the biggest difference between college and the NFL is technique. "The speed, there are guys that are faster, but for the most part, speed isnt the biggest thing," he said. "Its how everybody is technically sound. For young guys youve just got to learn. You cant just run off blocks, you cant just run through a hole. Youve got to use techniques when you do the simple things. Its those guys who are great at this game who have mastered those little things." There were questions before the draft about whether Teo could handle being a three-down linebacker, including passing situations. "Yeah, its very exciting for me," said Teo, the Heisman Trophy runner-up. "I have confidence in my ability to be a three-down linebacker. For me to go against guys out here like Antonio Gates, whos a future Hall of Famer, and compete with him every day, is only going to get me better." The rookie said going up against Gates is "very difficult. With Antonio Gates, not only does he run crisp routes, but he changes it up on you. He changes his get-offs and he changes the way he comes out of his breaks. And so for a defender youve always got to play him honest. Youve always got to keep your feet moving. Youve always got to win with leverage. ... As each day goes by Im getting better at it." Quarterback Philip Rivers said Teo is "one of the guys. He hasnt been treated differently than any of the other guys, He hasnt acted any differently than any of the other guys. Hes acted himself. Hes lived up to everything thus far that I think is expected of him, both on the field and off." Actually, Teo was the only Chargers player kept away from the media. "Coach and the organization had a plan for me," Teo said. "That plan was to prepare me the best way for the season. Were out here for football. I think thats the bottom line. The plan was for me to focus on football, focus on getting my head in the playbook and just trying to make that transition as quickly as possible. I definitely have reaped the benefits of that and am thankful that Ive had the time to just focus on the plays and focus on what goes on on the field. That has definitely helped me improve each day." Teo said the biggest thing hes learned from the veterans is to "just come in and work hard. The worst thing you can do is be somebody that they have to push. And so for me, one of the strengths has always been my work ethic." Dave Valle Mariners Jersey . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Jay Buhner Mariners Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. https://www.cheapmariners.com/1825k-taijuan-walker-jersey-mariners.html . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Juan Bernhardt Jersey . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Erik Swanson Jersey . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Match factsAugust 6-11, BulawayoStart time 0930 local (0730 GMT)Big PictureA week ago, Zimbabwe were wondering how to stay alive in the first Test against New Zealand. Now, they will be thinking about saving the two-match series and denying New Zealand a chance to claim a cup from the first leg of their self-termed African safari.Victory for Zimbabwe and a share of the spoils seems improbable unless they are able to correct perennial problems that creep into their approach, almost all of which stem from a lack of game time. Their struggle to build partnerships and bat for long periods of time will be crippled further by the absence of Hamilton Masakadza, who will miss the Test with a back injury. Their attacks battle to sustain pressure over extended periods also result in them falling behind early on. They have showed the ability to fight back, but that will probably not be enough against a more complete New Zealand unit.For New Zealand, a second victory and a clean sweep would be the perfect start in their search for more consistency after they lost ground to Australia. It will also give Kane Williamson a solid foundation on which to build his captaincy and sound a warning to South Africa that they could prove a challenge. Coach Mike Hesson could not find too many work-ons after the first Test but Trent Boults pace - which averaged in the late 120s - and the spinners returns will be areas to zone in on.The other area of interest will be the venue itself. Queens Sports Club will host back-to-back fixtures in a test of the ground staffs ability to turn around quickly. The outfield, which was sluggish for the first Test, would have been trimmed and may be a little quicker while the pitch itself is expected to be slow, low and flat. With school holidays and a long weekend, crowd numbers could be higher, especially as Bulawayo does not know when it will see Test cricket again.Form guideZimbabwe LLLLL (last five matches, most recent first)New Zealand WLLWWIn the spotlightAfter crashing to 36 for 4 and 17 for 4 in the first Test Zimbabwes top order will want to give their team a better start. Their ability to cope with a swinging new ball and a hostile short ball will be under particular scrutiny after Tim Southee and Neil Wagner used those tactics to run through them. In the absence of Masakadza, the responsibility will fall on Tino Mawoyo and Chamu Chibhabha.Apart from Trent Boult bowling below pace, the only aspect of New Zealands game that they may want to work on from the first Test is their spinners. While Mitchell Santner was economical, Ish Sodhi was expensive and with long spells likely to be needed on a flat ttrack, he will need to tighten up and try to stifle Zimbabwes batsmen a little more.ddddddddddddTeam newsThe biggest blow to Zimbabwe is Hamilton Masakadzas injury. Opener Tino Mawoyo has recovered from a hand injury to take his place at the top of the order alongside Chamu Chibhabha. Peter Moor is in line for a Test debut in place of Regis Chakabva who battled tonsillitis during the first Test. Although Chris Mpofu looks fit and firing, Donald Tiripano and Mike Chinouya are likely to keep their places with John Nyumbu coming in as a second specialist spinner.Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Tino Mawoyo, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Sikandar Raza, 4 Craig Ervine, 5 Prince Masvaure, 6 Sean Williams, 7 Peter Moore (wk), 8 Graeme Cremer, (capt) 9 Donald Tiripano, 10 John Nyumbu, 11 Mike ChinouyaNew Zealand confirmed the same XI for the second Test which means no experiments to play Jeet Raval, Doug Bracewell or Matt Henry before they head to South Africa.New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Neil WagnerPitch and conditionsWhile Neil Wagner extracted a surprising amount of bounce from the surface for the first match, this one is expected to offer nothing of the sort. The teams are likely to face a hard, flat strip, which will keep run-scoring slow and make wicket-taking difficult. The fielders will not be able to enjoy any respite from the weather either. Temperatures will remain in the mid-to-high 20s and the skies will be cloudless.Stats and triviaKane Williamson and Tim Southee will be playing their 50th Tests individuallyFive years ago this week, Zimbabwe returned to Test cricket after a six-year self-imposed exile and won their comeback Test against Bangladesh. Craig Ervine and Tino Mawoyo are the only players who took part in that match who may be involved in this oneQuotesWe spent a day at Heath Steaks farm. We managed to get out of the hotel which is good. It was awesome to get out and see a bit of Zimbabwe. We saw a pretty cool sunset and got some relaxing time before a pretty big five days ahead.BJ Watling spills the beans on how the team utilised their free time.The good thing is that we have had one game already. The guys have had a good look at how they got out. The guys have done some work. Theres a little bit more grit needed, a little bit more application and time to suss out conditions.Tino Mawoyo is clear about the situation his team is in. ' ' '