CINCINNATI -- Trae Waynes gets a chance to show how far hes come in the year since the Minnesota Vikings made him their top pick.Veteran cornerback Terence Newman didnt make the trip to Ohio this week as the Vikings held two days of joint practices with one of his former clubs, the Cincinnati Bengals. Hell miss the preseason opener on Friday night because of an undisclosed injury, giving Waynes an opportunity.Waynes succumbed to hot and humid conditions on Wednesday, the first day of joint practices, but returned on Thursday and is expected to start the preseason game. He started only one game last season but led the Vikings in special teams tackles in an understudy role to Newman and Xavier Rhodes.We wish (Newman) could be here, but Im just going to try to take advantage of this opportunity, he said. Ill keep learning and progressing.Waynes is one of four former first-round picks playing for the Vikings, along with Newman (Dallas 2003), Rhodes (2013) and safety Harrison Smith (2012). Although he got sick on Wednesday, he returned a day later and covered A.J. Green.It was frustrating that I had to miss practice, but it was the smart thing to do at the time, Waynes said. Its a chance to get better going up a great receiver like (Green). It is only going to make you better because the competition level is so high with that.Waynes made his first career interception last January in the Vikings 10-9 NFC Wild Card playoff game loss to Seattle. The interception and 24-yard return in the third quarter set up a 43-yard field goal by Blair Walsh, a kick that gave Minnesota a 6-0 lead. That game was played in minus-25 wind chill conditions at TCF Bank Stadium.The conditions in Cincinnati the last two days for the joint practices have been the complete opposite. Temperatures have been in the upper 80s with humidity levels that have pushed the heat index toward triple digits.It was nice and hot out here, both days, so that was good, coach Mike Zimmer. I thought it was a very productive two days.Zimmer wasnt willing to divulge much about how much his starters would play, but quarterback Teddy Bridgewater isnt expected to see much time on the field after getting the bulk of the snaps against the Bengals in the practices.As is the case for most preseason games, Friday night will be more about backups than the starters.This game doesnt wait on anybody, said quarterback Shaun Hill, a 15-year veteran who is No. 2 on the depth chart behind Bridgewater. There are a lot of people on every NFL roster that have a lot to prove every single week in order to make a team. Thats the approach that you have to take. I know a lot of people just talk about the starters and how theyre in and out, but for the majority of the roster its a battle for four weeks to get on a team.Game notesBesides Newman, nine other players did not make the trip to Cincinnati. Wide receiver Jarius Wright (injury), cornerback Melvin White, cornerback Marcus Sherels, running back Jhurrell Pressley, linebacker Edmond Robinson (injury), linebacker Eric Kendricks (injury), linebacker Brandon Watts (injury), defensive tackle Sharif Floyd (injury) and defensive tackle Scott Crichton (injury) didnt travel for the practices. White, Sherels and Pressley were dealing with personal issues, Zimmer said, but it is possible they could be back with the team in time for Fridays game. ... Right tackle Andre Smith, who left Cincinnati as a free agent and signed with the Vikings, spent several minutes after practice catching up with Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. Theres no hard feelings, Smith said. I feel like I had a good opportunity in Minnesota.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFLUSA Soccer Shirts . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Stitched USA Soccer Jerseys . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. USA Soccer Jerseys 2019 . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf.NEW YORK -- Brock Nelson and Shane Prince each had a goal and an assist, Thomas Greiss stopped 33 shots, and the New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 Sunday night.Travis Hamonic, Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey also scored, and Nikolay Kulemin, Nick Leddy and Dennis Seidenberg each had two assists to help the Islanders snap a two-game skid.Jake Gardiner scored for the Maple Leafs and Jhonas Enroth finished with 30 saves. Toronto lost its sixth straight on the road (0-3-3).After GGardiner scored 50 seconds into the third to pull the Maple Leafs to 2-1, Prince and Bailey scored 2:39 apart to stretch new Yorks lead to three.dddddddddddd.The Islanders honored former fan-favorite Matt Martin with a video tribute during a stoppage in the opening period. It was the first time Martin played against them since signing with Toronto in the offseason. ' ' '