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Michael Sam will face a daunting set of challenges that most rookies dont have to deal with when making the already formidable jump from college to the NFL. The SECs co-defensive player of the year is about to find out if Americas most popular sport, rooted in machismo and entrenched in locker room hijinks, is ready for its first openly gay player. First, hell have to find a team willing to put up with the media circus that will surround him. Then, hell have to find acceptance like he did at Missouri, where his sexuality was a non-issue during a 12-2 season. Only now, hell face opponents and their fans who know hes gay. He might even face cheap shots and teammates hesitant to shower alongside him or undress in his presence. While several teams and coaches said Monday that Sams sexual orientation wouldnt affect his draft status, former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, who contends his championing of gay rights led to his release from the Minnesota Vikings last year, wasnt so sure. "The majority of players will be supportive of Michael Sam or just wont care," Kluwe said. "Youll have isolated guys here and there who might try to make a fuss about it, but players by and large are very much, Hey, were here to do a job, were here to go out and play football. "In terms of the coaching/front office side, I think theres where issues are going to arise because they are going to look at this like, Hey, is this going to cause a distraction for the team? And by distraction, they mean, Were not really OK with having a gay player on our team, we cant come out and say that, so were going to use the word distraction," Kluwe added. "And unfortunately, those are the people who determine if youre employed or not." John Elway has a unique perspective running the Broncos front office now after a Hall of Fame playing career, and he said Monday hed have no problem drafting Sam. "We will evaluate Michael just like any other draft prospect: on the basis of his ability, character and NFL potential. His announcement will have no effect on how we see him as a football player," Elway said. "Having spent 16 years in an NFL locker room, the bottom line is that its about treating others with respect and earning that respect. By all indications, it appears Michael has done just that throughout his football career." Several coaches said if a player is accountable and a winner, being gay is a non-issue. "If anybody can come in and help us win games and be successful -- black, white, yellow, straight, gay -- I dont think it matters," said new Green Bay quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. Before Sam revealed his sexual orientation, the pass-rusher was projected as a mid-round draft pick. Kluwe said reports that Sams draft stock could drop because he revealed his sexual orientation "basically could have been lifted from any American sporting paper in the 1940s when Jackie Robinson was about to enter Major League Baseball. Its like weve been here before. Why do we have to keep doing the same thing?" Sam will likely face even more scrutiny from opponents fans than Chargers linebacker Manti Teo did after getting fooled by a hoax involving a fake girlfriend while at Notre Dame. What will help Sam is landing on a team with strong veteran leadership, something that was lacking in Miami, where tackle Jonathan Martin walked away at midseason, alleging guard Richie Incognito led daily harassment with racial, aggressive and sexually charged comments. Incognito was suspended for the final eight games and Martins career was thrown in limbo. Former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley said Sams performance on the field and as a teammate should quickly overshadow any stereotypes about sexual orientation. "I dont think he faces any challenges as a player. I dont think he faces a lot of challenges as a person," Cooley said. "I think once he establishes himself as the kind of teammate hes going to be, I think everybody will accept it fine." Eagles All-Pro guard Evan Mathis said Sam will face obstacles no matter what. "NFL players shouldnt judge Michael Sam based on his sexuality but some guys will. MLB players shouldnt have judged Jackie Robinson based on his skin colour but some did," Mathis said. "Whether or not the NFL is ready for it, it needs to happen. There are still people on this Earth who lived through the prohibition of alcohol and the Civil Rights movement. They can look back and reflect on how primitive those times were. "Current generations will look back at marijuana prohibition and gays having to fight for equal rights and think how primitive those times were." Nike Zoom Rea . Schaub will start for an injured Case Keenum and try to help the Texans end a 12-game skid. Schaubs last action in Houston came when he took over late in a game against Oakland on Nov. 17 as Keenum was struggling. Billiga Vapormax Plus .Bacca took advantage of Cristian Alvarezs hesitation to head a lobbed pass over the goalkeeper and then used his feet to roll the ball into an empty net in the eighth minute. The Colombia strikers 10th goal pulled him level with Lionel Messi as the leagues third-leading scorers, far behind Cristiano Ronaldos runaway tally of 23 goals. http://www.airvapormaxsverige.com/vapormax-plus-rea/herr.html . The two-time Olympic halfpipe gold medallist informed ESPN on Monday he plans to compete in Apsen, Colo. Nike Air Max Plus Tn Dam ." Bach is in Rome for the European Olympic Committees general assembly and meetings with Pope Francis. He also visited with Italian Premier Enrico Letta. "The prime minister appeared to be interested in a bid from Italy for 24, because he has realized that the games can serve as a catalyst for development for a city and a country," Bach told The Associated Press on Saturday. Nya Vapormax . The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees. LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers season series with the Arizona Diamondbacks went just swimmingly for the defending NL West champions. Adrian Gonzalez hit a pair of three-run homers to reach 100 RBIs for the seventh time, and Los Angeles capped a three-game sweep of the downtrodden Diamondbacks with a 7-2 victory Sunday after being held hitless by Trevor Cahill for more than five innings. Los Angeles won 15 of the 19 meetings against manager Kirk Gibsons injury-ravaged club, which still harbours resentment over the way the Dodgers celebrated clinching the division title last season by romping around in the swimming pool at Chase Field after the obligatory clubhouse champagne ritual. "We dont really buy into that. For us, its just about winning games," Gonzalez said. "Theyre a team that we were able to handle pretty well this year. Obviously, we have really good pitching and these guys do a really good job of preparing for their hitters." Los Angeles increased its lead in the NL West to three games over San Francisco, which lost 6-1 at Detroit later. It is the fifth time since the start of divisional play in 1969 that the Dodgers defeated a team 15 or more times in one season. They were 16-3 against Arizona in 2004, 16-2 against San Diego in 1974, 15-2 against Atlanta in 1973 and 15-4 against Colorado in 2006. "Sometimes you have those years when you play well against a team, and this year its the Diamondbacks," said Matt Kemp, who homered and threw out a runner at the plate to complete a double play with the bases loaded in the second. Cahill (3-11) yielded three runs, two hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings. The right-hander went 0-4 in four starts against the Dodgers this season, allowing 20 earned runs in 17 innings. "This is a terrible series weve had against these guys this year," Gibson said. "Weve had years where weve had their number, but Gonzalez and Kemp both hit our pitching good this year and did a lot of damage." Zack Greinke (14-8) gave up two runs and six hits before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter during Los Angeles three-run sixth. The division-leading Dodgers now have three pitchers with at least 14 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1977-78, when they had four in both years. Greinke, the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner, is 5-0 witth a 1.dddddddddddd9 ERA in his last six starts against Arizona. Dee Gordon slapped Cahills 68th pitch of the game, a sinker down and away, inside the left-field line for an opposite-field double that broke up the no-hit bid with one out in the sixth. Hanley Ramirez walked on four pitches and Gonzalez smacked a 3-1 delivery over the centre-field fence. "Im looking for the same pitch, every pitch from him -- fastball middle-in, and stay up the middle," Gonzalez said. "He missed some barrels earlier with all that movement he had on his pitches. But for us, it was more about just staying with our game plan and trying to hit strikes." Gonzalez, whose six RBIs tied a career high, made it 6-2 in the seventh against Oliver Perez with his 22nd homer. That gave the four-time All-Star 31 homers and 101 RBIs against the Diamondbacks, more than any other active player. Kemp homered on Perezs next pitch, and the left-hander then plunked Andre Ethier with a slider -- resulting in a warning to both benches by plate umpire Scott Barry. That was followed by some extracurricular chirping by Dodgers manager Don Mattingly and ace Clayton Kershaw, leading to the ejections of both. DOWN IN THE ORDER Dodgers CF Yasiel Puig, whose average has dipped from .323 on Aug. 3 to .293 -- his lowest since April 30 -- was 0 for 2 with a walk after getting dropped to seventh in the lineup for the first time in his two-year career. "Who do you want the extra at-bat going to? Right now, thats not necessarily Yasiel," Mattingly said. "Yas is probably hitting where he should be hitting right now. I think its a place where youre not putting extra pressure on him." UP NEXT Dodgers: Kershaw (17-3, 1.70 ERA) faces San Diego on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner has a chance to become the first Dodgers starter to finish with an ERA under 2.00 in consecutive seasons since Sandy Koufax (1963-64). Kershaw is 14-1 with a 1.21 ERA and six complete games over his last 17 starts, including a no-hitter. Diamondbacks: Wade Miley (7-10, 4.18 ERA) makes his 100th big league start Tuesday night at San Francisco as the Diamondbacks begin a stretch of nine games in which they will face the Giants six times. Arizona trails the season series 8-5. ' ' '