The Cardinals are putting Mathieu in his natur

YAS MARINA, Abu Dhabi -- Sebastian Vettel downplayed the gearbox trouble he encountered at the end of FP2 and hinted that Ferrari can get in the mix with Mercedes in Abu Dhabi.Vettel had turned out an impressive performance in FP2, finishing 0.296s behind session-leader Lewis Hamilton. In the closing minutes of the session Vettel pulled over at the side of the road but he said it is not an issue which should lead to a gearbox penalty later in the weekend.When asked whether it was a practice gearbox unit, he replied: Thats what I think, but you should ask other people to confirm. I dont think it has an impact. Its not ideal, I would have liked to finish the run and get a couple more laps and do a start.Ferrari is on the verge of its second winless season in three years but Vettel is determined to finish on a high and was encouraged by the early signs from the opening 180 minutes of track time.I hope so. I dont want to affect the outcome but I want to have a strong race, we want to have a very, very strong last race. If that means splitting them or even running in front of them by however the race turns out, then thats good news. They are the absolute favourites, nothing has changed in that regard.Its been a tough year for us, I dont need to go into details. But were here to fight and finish strong. Mirco Mueller Devils Jersey . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Taylor Hall Devils Jersey .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. http://www.devilssale.com/authentic-mirco-mueller-devils-jersey/ . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Scott Stevens Devils Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Andy Greene Devils Jersey . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. When San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Frank Gore bounced the ball to the outside, I knew there was a problem. Yeah, my legs were moving. And I was playing hard as a safety for the Washington Redskins back in 2005. But I just couldnt get there. That burst I had counted on as a defensive back was missing.The reason? I had blown out my knee less than a year before. It just gave way while covering a kick on a Sunday night game against the Baltimore Ravens. Boom. See ya next season.It takes a long time to get back on the field after popping an ACL -- and an even longer time to feel like yourself as a player. I learned that the hard way against Gore, who took that run 72 yards to the house, the first of many in his long career.You see, my plan was to knock him out of bounds. Just survive the play after taking a poor angle from the jump. But when I couldnt quite get there, I dove for Gores legs and came up with nothing. Zip. Well, except for a face-first landing into the grass at FedEx Field.Man, Mondays film session was brutal. I barely recognized the guy lumbering after Gore in an attempt to save that touchdown. Everyone in the meeting room knew the gig was up. Heck, I was still in recovery mode. The explosion, the burst, the acceleration? Nah. It just wasnt there yet. But you try to play through it. You have no choice when your job is on the line.That was a lonely moment for me -- a reality check, too. And I was just a guy at that point, a special teams dude playing some safety, trying to grind out a couple more years in the league.For defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, the situation is obviously different as the Arizona Cardinals get ready to play the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Mathieu is one of the best overall players in the league. And I mean that. The versatility? The ball skills? The natural coverage ability? Off the charts, all of it. I love this guys game.But Mathieu tore up his right knee in December. Trust me, hes a straight-up warrior for being back in the lineup this soon, but you cant just expect him to go back to playing like himself immediatelly.ddddddddddddUntil Arizonas Week 5 matchup against the 49ers, Mathieu wasnt playing his normal role in the slot. Instead he was aligning over the top as a safety. That allowed the Cardinals to ease him back onto the field and to also limit the change-of-direction movements -- and stress -- put on his knee as a slot defender.Lining up as a slot corner is one of the toughest jobs in sports when youre healthy. But when youre less than nine months removed from ACL surgery, as Mathieu was when the season started, its a whole different ballgame.Mathieu has been here before, having torn his left ACL in 2013. Plus, Mathieu got some serious run in the slot against San Fran in Week 5: 71 snaps. Thats a big workload on a short week for a guy still working his way back. His performance? Head coach Bruce Arians called it rusty, and Mathieu himself?had similar opinions. I get it. All players do. This thing takes time.The positive sign here? The Cardinals are putting Mathieu in his natural role again. Its a start, a progression of sorts, as Mathieu continues on this road back.And thats the key thing to understand with Mathieu. Not everyone can perform like Adrian Peterson did coming off an ACL in 2012, when he nearly broke the single-season rushing record.That type of performance is super rare, and the narratives surrounding ACL injuries arent that simple. You dont just flip a switch and immediately start lighting up guys on the field after getting cut on and pushing through the rehab cycle.Nah, it doesnt work like that. Even when youre back practicing or playing, the daily maintenance is a grind. Ice. Stretch. Ice some more. Push through the stiffness, the drop in flexibility. Deal with the residual pain that lingers after practice, after games.Its constant.But I would bet big on Mathieu to push through. Hell be back wrecking game plans and dictating matchups in no time.ESPN.com NFL analyst Matt Bowen played seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL. ' ' '