FRANKFURT, Germany -- Germany defensive midfielder Lars Bender will miss the World Cup because of a thigh injury. www.realmadridteamshop.com/James-Rodriguez-Real-Madrid-Jersey.html . The German Football Federation says Bender was injured in training in the teams camp in northern Italy. Benders injury increases problems for coach Joachim Loew in central midfield. Sami Khedira is coming off a six-month layoff because of a knee injury, and Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm are also nursing injuries. Bender, who plays for Bayer Leverkusen, already has left the camp. http://www.realmadridteamshop.com/James-Rodriguez-Real-Madrid-Jersey.html. - Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson has been pleading with his players to improve their defensive effort and efficiency for most of the last two weeks.Cristiano Ronaldo Womens Jersey . Big wingers Cole and Max Pacioretty each scored two goals and their diminutive centre David Desharnais had a pair of assists as the Canadiens ended a four-game winless run with a 5-2 victory over the Lightning on Wednesday night.RICHMOND, Va. -- Look at London Fletchers career stats, particularly the column of numbers under the letter "G." Nothing but 16s for "Games" played. On and on and on. Through four years with the St. Louis Rams. Five with the Buffalo Bills. Six with the Washington Redskins. Its become routine to say that Fletcher has never missed a game in his NFL career. Its routine to hear him say that hes been "blessed" with "good genes." Its routine to hear him insist that he only thinks about his playing streak when reporters bring it up. And, every year that passes, the routine becomes more remarkable. Robert Griffin III has missed a game, and hes only played one season. Keenan Robinson, the 2012 draft pick groomed as a possible successor to Fletcher, has already missed five games and had two serious shoulder injuries. He might not play at all this season. Fletchers streak is now at 240, the longest among active players in the NFL. Hes been credited with 1,321 tackles and 608 assists, which translates into nearly 2,000 confrontations with running backs, tight ends and quarterbacks -- and not a single impact that caused him to miss the next game. "London," Griffin said, "has been amazing." Fletcher is now 38, back for another year captaining the Redskins defence as an inside linebacker. It wasnt a sure thing that he would make it back this time. There were times last year when he couldnt practice because of injuries. Then he kept silent for a while after the end of the season and waited until he had ankle and elbow surgeries to proclaim that, no, he never seriously considered retirement. "Its just something where you get up every day and go to work and dont think about it," Fletcher said. "Its pretty much how I go about my business. I get up every day, come to work and dont think about the durability part until somebody brings it up. I feel good. I try to do a lot of different things to keep myself feeling good. The training staff does a great job of working with me, and the coaches do a great job of monitoring my reps and things like that. So I dont think about it a whole lot." Besides, now is not the time to quit. The Redskins went 32-48 in Fletchers first five seasons in Washington, and the losing was starting to wear on him. Xabi Alonso Real Madrid Jersey. Now they are the reigning NFC East champs. They are on the rise with Griffin, whose own medical marvel is the speed in which hes returned from reconstructive knee surgery. "Well, if I was impressed with him before (last) season, how do you think I feel about him now?" Fletcher said with a laugh. "I think he exceeded all expectations, and thats really hard for a guy like him to come in with such high expectations. And when you think about it, this franchise has been looking for a franchise quarterback for, I dont know, over 20 years. So to finally get one ..." Fletcher is two-plus seasons away from the record for consecutive games played by a defensive player, Jim Marshalls 282-game run from 1960-79. Hes in the last year of his latest contract, but thats immaterial. As long as he keeps playing well -- hes been second-team All-Pro the last two years -- the Redskins will want him back. "Really, in the National Football League, you are always on your last year of your contract for the most part," Fletcher said. "This is just the nature of the business. I have scratched and clawed my whole career. I came in as an undrafted free agent, so I was on the last year of my contract 16 years ago when you really think about it. Its not something I spend a lot of time with. Im focused on this season and thats pretty much it." Notes: Griffin was a bystander for nearly the entire practice Tuesday as the team prepared for Thursday nights preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. There were no 7-on-7 drills, and coaches arent letting Griffin do 11-on-11 drills because of his knee. Kirk Cousins will start at quarterback against the Titans and play about 15 plays. ... Running backs coach Bobby Turner, who is also an assistant head coach, ran the practice because head coach Mike Shanahan was away attending a friends funeral. Turner refused to take questions from reporters after practice. Asked why he wasnt answering questions, he said: "Because Im just filling in." ... Heavy rains forced the Redskins indoors for the first time at training camp: The morning walkthrough was held at Richmonds convention centre. ' ' '
