Vito Mannone says helping secure Sunderlands survival would be special - just months after he wanted out of the club. The goalkeeper went almost three months without a game under Sam Allardyce and was ready to walk away from Wearside in the January transfer window.But he was recalled for a Boxing Day trip to Manchester City, and despite a heavy defeat it was the Italians rival for the No 1 spot Costel Pantilimon who was sold weeks later. Now Mannone is a fixture in the side as Sunderland aim to pull off a fourth great escape in as many seasons, and they go to Stoke this weekend outside the bottom three on goal difference after three clean sheets in four games. Mannone welcomes pressure Vito Mannone has welcomed the pressure to avoid relegation from the Premier League We are really fighting for each other and you can tell that by watching our performances, he told Sky Sports News HQ. Its working - lets hope its enough to gain the points to survive.Since the manager came in we had a good relationship. He gave me that chance finally before the transfer window when I was really thinking if Im not playing Im going.Its great to be back between the sticks and trying to do the best I can to help the team survive.When youre fighting at the bottom its heavy with the pressure, but if you turn it the other way its nice to do something special for yourself, your family. the club, the fans, everybody involved.Its something we want to achieve and hopefully we can do it. Also See: Mannone welcomes pressure Norwich and Sunderland fined Newcastle have it all to do Sunderland out of bottom three Air Max Tn Plus Sverige . 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. Vapormax Flyknit Herr . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. http://www.airvapormaxsverige.com/nike-zoom-sverige/fly.html . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36 Herr . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Nike Zoom Rea . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The timing is back for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of Green Bays offense.The Packers pass defense might need a little work, though.Rodgers threw for 205 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the first half to Jordy Nelson, and the Packers snapped out of their offensive funk before holding off the Detroit Lions for a 34-27 win Sunday.Rodgers was 15 of 24, leading the Packers to touchdowns on their first three series. Nelson had 101 yards on six catches, returning to the form that made him one of the NFLs best receivers before missing the 2015 season with a knee injury.Just got on the same page. Hitting Jordy for some big plays helps, Rodgers said. Jordy and I connected. Whenever were doing that, it kind of opens other things up for the offense.They moved the ball on the Lions short-handed defense with ease in the first half. The Packers (2-1) led 31-10 at halftime before the Lions slowly chipped away.Marvin Jones 35-yard touchdown catch with 3:34 left got Detroit (1-2) within seven. But Rodgers had a critical 11-yard run on third-and-8 from the Packers 27 with 3:22 left to effectively seal the win.Jones had a career-high 205 yards on six receptions. Matthew Stafford passed for 385 yards and three scores for the Lions, who held advantages in total yardage (418-324) and time of possession, holding the ball for 35 minutes.But the Packers burned the secondary with big plays to build a big lead, and Eddie Lacy ran for 103 yards on 17 carries.Obviously it was a difficult situation. We put ourselves in that situation. On offense, we didnt score enough points in the in the first half, Stafford said. Im proud of the guys for fighting back.PACK IS BACKSo much for the fuss over the Packers struggling offense.Coach Mike McCarthy and Rodgers heard questions about the out-of-sync passing game following the 17-14 loss last week to Minnesota.Now the Packers head into an early bye week with renewed confidence after a successful opener at Lambeau Field.Offensively the focus was to be a good, healthy mix of run and pass, so we accomplished that today, McCarthy said.SECOND-HALF SPURTThe Lions gained chunks of yardage in the second half after being forced to play catch-up following Green Bays big early lead. The Packers defense was also missing four starterss, including linebacker Clay Matthews.ddddddddddddStafford found holes over the middle of the field. He connected with Jones for a 23-yard completion on the first play from scrimmage in the second half to the Detroit 46.GET DEFENSIVEThe Packers allowed Detroit to convert on eight of 14 third-down tries, a problem that McCarthy planned to focus on during the bye week.But Green Bays staunch run defense had another big day, albeit against a Lions offense playing without injured tailback Ameer Abdullah. Detroit managed just 50 yards on 23 carries, with a team-high 38 yards on 10 carries by Dwayne Washington.The Packers also played without nose tackle Letroy Guion, safety Morgan Burnett and defensive lineman-linebacker Datone Jones, who we