EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Kai Forbath spent his first morning in Minnesota at the stadium where hell make his debut with the Vikings, testing his footing on the artificial turf and gawking a bit at the light-filled, luxurious building that will give him the advantage of a controlled climate.Such conditions are every kickers preference. The same goes for the fresh start Forbath will be afforded with his new team and its discouraged fan base.This isnt my first time coming in and replacing someone, said Forbath, who finalized his contract with the Vikings on Wednesday following the teams fourth straight loss and the release of struggling incumbent Blair Walsh.Forbath, whos 69 for 82 on field goals (84.1 percent) and 124 for 127 on extra points (97.6 percent) over his NFL career, also has the benefit of working with fellow UCLA products long snapper Kevin McDermott and punter/holder Jeff Locke.So Im feeling pretty confident going into it, said Forbath, who was part of a six-man tryout group last week before the Vikings decided to give Walsh one more opportunity to escape his slump.Forbath overlapped with McDermott and Locke in the program for three years, and theyre offseason workout partners in Los Angeles along with, coincidentally, Walsh, who missed his league-most fourth extra point last week at Washington.Having been cut by the Redskins one game into the 2015 season, Forbath knew that feeling of sudden job loss.Ive learned the hard way that this is a tough business. I obviously wish him the best, Forbath said, adding: He did really well for a long time. Im just here to take it one kick at a time, and hopefully Ill be here for a long time.Forbath estimated the long end of his field goal range around 57 yards. One of the reasons Washington cited in cutting him last year was a lack of distance on kickoffs, but Forbath said he believes he has improved that skill through experience.Locke handled kickoffs at UCLA, leaving Forbath to focus on extra points and field goals, but the Vikings want Locke to stay solely a punter during what has been a solid season for him.Its nice to have that familiarity especially with a quick change like this, McDermott said.The cold, hard nature of NFL business sure hit the Vikings specialists hard this week.Its vicious sometimes, and its really hard to see people go through it, but hes going to get an opportunity to go somewhere else, McDermott said.I believe that hes going to be successful in the future and hes just an unbelievable guy, so I really have just the utmost respect for him. I consider him one of my closest friends.With the Vikings (5-4) still tied for first place in the NFC North, they werent willing to keep risking victories with missed kicks.It was just something we felt like we needed to do, kind of move forward, coach Mike Zimmer said.Were all accountable for the things we have to get done, and I think we gave him a lot of opportunities. Although Blairs a great kid and it was hard to do, its just part of the business.In a season of an almost unfathomable series of shuffles the Vikings have had to make, its only fitting that theyll have another new left tackle Sunday when they host Arizona.Jake Long had surgery Wednesday on his left Achilles tendon, bringing the total of tackles the Vikings have lost to injury since the week before training camp to five.Zimmer wouldnt reveal who would start against the Cardinals, but left guard Alex Boone sounded as though hell be the one to move so the Vikings can keep T.J. Clemmings at right tackle.Ive played it before, Boone said. I just feel like itd be an easier move for me than T.J., but at the end of the day its up to the coaches.In that scenario, Jeremiah Sirles would move to left guard. He has played every position but center this year.We know everyone thats going to be out there, Boone said. Weve just got to figure out where theyre going to be.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCheap Roger Clemens Jersey . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. http://www.cheapredsoxjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-nomar-garciaparra-jersey . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Cheap Red Sox Jerseys China .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Cheap MLB Jerseys . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. Hawthorn have inched closer to signing Gold Coast gun Jaeger OMeara but star midfielder Jordan Lewis could be set to follow Sam Mitchell out the door.The Hawks on Friday secured the No.10 pick in this years AFL draft from St Kilda in exchange for picks 23, 36 and a future first-round selection.Gold Coast are adamant any deal for OMeara will need to include both a first-round draft pick and a player, although its not clear which Hawks they have enquired about in their ongoing negotiations.The deal might provide some consolation to Hawks fans after Mitchells bombshell trade to West Coast was made official, the gun onballer joining the Eagles following 15 years and four premierships with the Hawks.Hawthorn will effectively receive pick No.88 in exchange for the 34-year-old - a staggering win for the Eagles, who also agreed to swap late draft picks, considering Mitchell is coming off a season in which he topped the Hawks best-and-fairest count for the fifth time.Mitchells manager has said the three-time All-Australian was blindsided by coach Alistair Clarkson suggesting a trade to West Coast, a discussion believed to have been driven by Hawthorns need to clear space in their salary cap.Talk quickly turned to the future of fellow veteran Lewis when it emerged he had sounded out interest from Melbourne following a similar discussion with Clarkson about his future.Hawthorn list manager Graham Wright on Friday confirmed the two clubs had spoken about Lewis but insisted the 30-year-old would be staying put at this stage.He had an open and honest conversation with Clarko a couple of weeks ago about what his future would look like, Wright told reporters.AAs of yesterday afternoon, we decided we really didnt want Jordan to go anywhere.ddddddddddddrom his point of view, its about exploring what might be out there for the future but hes a contracted and required player.The Demons, after meeting Lewis management on Friday, are understood to remain hopeful of getting a deal done.A 264-game veteran, Lewis remains one of the Hawks most-important players, finishing second behind Mitchell this year in the clubs best-and-fairest count.Mitchell, racking up 307 games for the Hawks, will take a coaching role at West Coast at the end of his playing career and insists there are no hard feelings between him and Clarkson.I know that everyone thinks Clarkos a big mean wolf but I think he was actually looking out for me and seeing if he could help me out with my transition, Mitchell told AFL trade radio.In other player movement news on the fifth day of the trade period:* St Kilda secured young midfielder Jack Steele from Greater Western Sydney in exchange for a future second-round pick* Gold Coast said they were confident of landing Brisbanes Pearce Hanley, while a deal to send Dion Prestia to Richmond was edging closer and would include the Tigers No.6 draft pick* The Western Bulldogs signed veteran defender Matthew Boyd on a new one-year deal, while insisting rookie Marcus Adams would not be granted a move home to WA* GWS confirmed they were in talks to send Caleb Marchbank and Jarrod Pickett to Carlton* Carltons leading goalkicker in 2016, Matthew Wright, signed a new one-year deal ' ' '