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INDIANAPOLIS -- Andrew Luck is tired of talking about the Indianapolis Colts sluggish starts. Its time to fix it.At training camp, coach Chuck Pagano changed the practice routine to emphasize the need to be ready from the moment they hit the field, to play faster and to get more physical. On Sunday, the Colts will find out if theyve found a solution.Coach has done a great job of getting us to start aggressive and physical in practice, Luck said. Guys have taken it upon themselves to make sure we are ready to go in practice, and we have to translate it into the game.Perhaps nobody is more eager for the season opener against Detroit to arrive. Luck struggled early last season, then missed the last seven games with a lacerated kidney. He hasnt made a regular-season start since Nov. 8.Luck was only part of the problem, though.Eight times last season, the Colts trailed at halftime. Five times, the Colts failed to score a touchdown in the first two quarters. And three times, they went to the locker room with no points on the board.Not surprisingly, they opened a second straight season at 0-2.That was nothing compared to the Lions plight.In the midst of an awful start, Detroit changed offensive coordinators. After falling to 1-7, the Lions fired general manager Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand.Yet somehow, coach Jim Caldwell righted the ship, leading Detroit to a 6-2 finish that produced hope brighter days were still to come. The next step is getting an opening-day win on the road.You want to start the season fast, you want to start the game fast, especially on the road. This year is no different, quarterback Matthew Stafford said. Its obviously a unique challenge, going and playing a good football team at their place. Got to go and start the season off the right way.Stafford and Luck have plenty in common. Both were Texas high school stars who attended out-of-state colleges. Both were taken No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. Both are former Pro Bowlers, who have battled injuries, and now are after the same goal Sunday -- start this season fast.The stuff you can control -- the penalties, the sins as you call it, the dont dos. You have to be clean in that regard to give yourself a chance to execute, Luck said, noting the goal is always to score 50 or 60 points a game. We just have to go out and try to beat a good Detroit team.Here are some other things to watch for Sunday:DEFENSIVE CHALLENGE: The Colts maligned defense knows it must improve. But team owner Jim Irsay doesnt expect a lot in September because of missing pieces. Starting defensive linemen Henry Anderson (recovering from torn ACL) and Art Jones (suspension) wont play Sunday. Pagano remains hopeful defensive end Kendall Langford (knee surgery) will extend his streak of consecutive games to 129. Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis (ankle) probably will sit out, though the other starting cornerback, Patrick Robinson (groin), may play.NEW LOOK: After Jim Bob Cooter took over as offensive coordinator in November, he used the offseason to install his full system with the input of Stafford. The full unveiling comes Sunday. Its not just the Lions who have made changes, though. Stafford has already detected defenses playing less exotic schemes with the retired Calvin Johnson not around. Stafford said during the preseason the Lions faced more traditional defenses.CALDWELLS RETURN: Since Caldwell was fired by the Colts in January 2012, he has visited Indy several times for the NFLs annual scouting combine. But he hasnt worked a game at Lucas Oil Stadium, and the usually low-key Caldwell acknowledged this time will be different.It is going to be unique coming into the stadium to play the ballgame, he said. It is going to be fun.Caldwell went 14-2 in 2009, leading the Colts to the Super Bowl in his first season as coach. He also was an assistant with the Colts in 2006 when they won the Super Bowl.PATRIOTIC START: The Colts will hand out 60,000 American flags and will honor the 9/11 anniversary by paying tribute to first responders. Eleven first responders will run onto the field during player introductions, and another 200 will hold an American flag that stretches the length of the field as Indianapolis police officer Christopher Wilburn sings the national anthem. At halftime, the Colts will celebrate Indiana athletes who competed in the Rio Olympics.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLDJ LeMahieu Yankees Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. 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The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net.PHILADELPHIA -- As Ryan Howards time in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform counts down, fans are going to see more of the former MVP at Citizens Bank Park.Howard has been platooning with fellow first baseman Tommy Joseph for the majority of the season, and Joseph has been getting most of the starts lately. But manager Pete Mackanin said Thursday he plans to use Howard in all three games against the Marlins -- a series which starts Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.I spoke to Joseph and Howard. Joseph will play today and Howies going to play the next three unless we see a lefty, Mackanin said. I re-thought that and decided that Howie is going to play a little bit more because this is possibly his last year here.Howard is in his final year of a five-year, $125 million deal, and he has just eight home games left with the Phillies. Mackanin added he wants Howard to also play in the final three when the Phillies close out their season against the Mets at home on Sept. 30-Oct. 2.A three-time All-Star, Howard is the last remaining piece of the Phillies 2008 World Series team still on the roster. Philadelphia fans have seen Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz all traded in the last two seasons. Mackanin is hoping Howard will get a warm send off in what could be his final games at Citizens Bank Park.Hes really meant a lot to this organization, Mackanin added.Howard, 36, has made only eight starts in September. For the season, he hhas 19 homers and a .dddddddddddd78 OPS in 103 games. Meanwhile, Joseph has had a solid rookie campaign, belting 19 homers in his first 92 major league games.The Marlins are scheduled to throw three right-handed pitchers in the weekend series, starting with Tom Koehler on Friday.Koehler (9-11, 3.97 ERA) will be making his 30th start of the season, his fifth of which has come against the Phillies. In his first four outings against Philadelphia in 2016, Koehler is 2-1 with a 2.19 ERA and has gone at least seven innings in three of them.Koehler was not so sharp his last time out, allowing four earned runs and three homers in five innings against the Dodgers.The Marlins, who were off Thursday, enter the series in fourth-place in the National League Wild Card race. The Marlins are on a two-game winning streak, and at 73-73, they cant afford many losses in their remaining 16 games.Obviously, it was a big game because every win is big, Marlins manager Don Mattingly told MLB.com after his team beat the Braves on Wednesday.The Marlins will be facing Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan (2-10, 5.73 ERA). Morgan shut down the Marlins earlier in the month, holding them to one run on five hits in six innings on Sept. 5.Morgan has gone at least six innings in each of his last three starts and has a 2.41 ERA and 0.696 WHIP in that span. ' ' '