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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Jay Cutlers return has come at the right time for the Chicago Bears.Cutler is back as the starter after five weeks away with a thumb sprain as a replacement Brian Hoyer, who went on injured reserve with a broken left arm.And Bears coach John Fox is thankful to have Cutler healthy enough to play, even if earlier he hinted there was a chance Hoyer could keep the job.He doesnt have a choice, I guess, at this point, Cutler said about Fox. Brian is out, so Ive got to go.Ive had good conversations with Foxy this week, last week, the week before. Theres never been any strain in our relationship. Were both very open and honest, and were on the same page. We just want to win football games.While Cutler was away, Hoyer played five-plus games without an interception and a 98.0 passer rating.It led to talk Cutler might have played his last down for the Bears, who are 1-6 on the season. And Fox didnt exactly throw cold water on the situation by saying the starting position is performance-based.It is what it is, Cutler said. Anytime you have a backup quarterback -- and to Brians credit, he played well.I think as a team, we wish we would have won some more of those ball games. But Brian went in there and did a great job.My discussions with everybody that I have relationships with in here were positive, and whenever I was ready to go, Id be ready to go.There was never any discussion regarding that with me.Cutler said he didnt expect to have a discussion.It didnt concern me, he said. I wasnt ready to play. My thumb wasnt healed.The future, Cutler said, will be an issue when it comes.Whatever happens at the end of the year, its supposed to happen, and will go accordingly, Cutler said. But right now its not something that I worry about.Its my 11th year, my eighth year here. Ive seen a lot of ups and downs, and its how it goes. At the end of the year, we can have those conversations. Whatever happens, happens.Cutler said the thumb sprain is no longer giving him pain.I havent gotten hit, Cutler said. Throwing good -- you cant feel it throwing.Fox on Monday said the plan all along was to bring Cutler back when he was healed, regardless of what he told reporters about performance-based starters.I think Jay kind of knew all along what our plan was, Fox said. And thats the important thing.Cutler said he wanted to return before Monday nights home game against the Minnesota Vikings.I mean, as a player you always want to come back probably sooner than you should, than the doctors allow, Cutler said. This being my right thumb and being kind of vitally important to my job.We thought that erring on the side of caution was best.It wasnt a situation Cutler enjoyed.Ive never liked being hurt, never liked being out, Cutler said. It could get to be a lonely feeling at times watching everyone else go out there and try to win ballgames. Youre kind of just a helpless bystander.So being able to get in the mix and trying to help these guys is going to be fun.Cutler threw in practice on the side the past few weeks, but wasnt involved with team drills except for one brief appearance three weeks ago. Its the first time in his career hes returned to play in a season after a layoff this long.Anytime you take a layoff like that and come back, theres going to be some (rust) youve got to knock off, he said. Luckily I was still around, saw the game, visualized the game, was able to stay behind the quarterback and stay involved, and weve got a long week.When Cutler started out the season with a 75.7 passer rating for two games, he was playing behind a completely revamped offensive line with Josh Sitton and Cody Whitehair making their first Bears starts.Now he returns with Sitton suffering from an ankle injury and right guard Kyle Long suffering from a pectoral muscle strain. Their status for the game is unknown. Eric Kush replaced Sitton and Ted Larsen took over for Long against Green Bay in a 26-10 loss Thursday.Its how it goes, Cutler said. Weve got a bye week after this, so hopefully well get those two guys back. Kush played well. Ted has played a lot of football. The good thing about it is we have had a lot of different guys in there through camp and during the games and stuff.We shouldnt miss a beat with those guys.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Rod Rutledge Jersey Retro . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Robert Jones Jersey Retro . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/walt-merrill-jersey-retro/ .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Ray Neal Jersey Retro . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Bruce Thornton Jersey Retro . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. If the Edmonton Oilers?glanced a little to their right toward the?Pittsburgh Penguins?bench at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday night, they could have been excused for wondering, perhaps hoping, that they were catching a glimpse of their own future.Sure, its too early to start drawing lines from the recently hopeless to the defending Stanley Cup champions. But its not as implausible as it was even a few weeks ago.A month into the 2015-16 season and coming off a solid 2-2-1 road trip that concluded with Tuesdays exciting 4-3 loss to the defending Cup champions, its fair to suggest that the Oilers are the story of the season so far.I do think that theyve taken a significant step with the additions theyve made, said one veteran Western-based scout who has seen the Oilers play multiple times this season.It starts with top-end coaching from Todd McLellan and great goaltending from?Cam Talbot, who has turned in a .938 save percentage in his past nine games. Talbots definitely the real deal, the scout said.The Oilers also boast an emerging, better-than-expected defense and a balanced, big and fast offensive group.The pieces are in place, the scout said. And I think theyre coming together; theres an excitement around the team.And, oh yeah, theres a kid named Connor McDavid, a player the scout said is the closest thing to the incomparable Wayne Gretzky that the league has seen yet. And thats with all due respect to two-time Stanley Cup winner and defending playoff MVP Sidney Crosby, against whom McDavid faced off for the first time in his young career Tuesday night and delivered a virtuoso, three-point performance in a losing effort.[With] this guys acceleration and the ability to attack the way he does, the scout said, I think theyve got a helluva chance to make the playoffs.Mention playoffs to Edmonton general manager Peter Chiarelli and he practically claps his hands over his ears. Its way, way, too soon for that kind of talk.But part of the reason for the giddiness is that given the Oilers successes -- even after Tuesdays loss, they remain atop the Pacific Division with a 9-4-1 record -- it seems almost as if we are discussing some completely different franchise when compared to how quickly most of the past 10 seasons devolved into chaos and disarray.They sure have found hope in Edmonton that has been crushed early most years in the last decade, one former player and current executive also based in the West said. And its well-timed in [their] new rink.So much of this early season has not been Oilers-like. After Tuesdays loss Edmonton is still the leagues top road team, with a 5-2-1 record. Last season, the Oilers won just 12 games away from home.They werent much better at home, winning just 19 times as they finished last in the Western Conference with a minus-42 goal differential -- third-worst in the NHL. This season, the Oilers are 4-2-0 and boast a respectable plus-8 goal differential at home.Edmonton has dealt with some early injury adversity. Theyre missing a slew of everyday players, including Kris Russell, who has arguably been the teams besst defender after signing as a free agent during the offseason.ddddddddddddBut still the Oilers keep striding forward.The good teams, they just kind of get used to the winning atmosphere, the winning mentality. You go into every night expecting to win, former No. 1 overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said Tuesday. Were starting to get that back into our mindset now.Like Nugent-Hopkins and everyone else connected to the Oilers, Chiarelli is preaching patience.Its a message thats a lot more palatable for fans who havent had a sniff of the postseason since Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup finals.The Oilers own the second-ranked road power play and the top road penalty-killing unit, having allowed just four goals on 41 shorthanded opportunities. They are 12th in the league with the man advantage and fourth when killing penalties. Last season they were 18th and tied for 17th, respectively. They are fourth in the league in hits -- a marked departure from a year ago, when they were 20th.Chiarelli oversaw the building of a Stanley Cup champion in Boston. He understands better than most the hundreds of building blocks that go into erasing years of disappointment and underachievement.Milan Lucic, the key offseason free agent signing by the Oilers, was with Chiarelli in Boston when they raised a Stanley Cup after knocking off the?Vancouver Canucks?on the road in Game 7 in 2011, the Bruins first championship since 1972.The two have talked internally about the need for this team to avoid the long, soul-snapping streaks that can scuttle a season. And Chiarelli notes the teams improved play in all three zones has been a key to avoiding such slides.This road trip was a good test, as the Oilers dropped the first two games and were actually winless in three before beating the New York Islanders?and then the?Detroit Red Wings?heading into Tuesdays loss.Its just about keeping perspective over a long season, Chiarelli said. I dont think, Oh, weve turned a corner.Fair enough, but how many steps does it take before a team reaches said corner?Another few weeks of solid play and Chiarelli is going to have walk around with ear muffs on because the playoff talk will only intensify.Obviously, we wanted to have a good start, and weve established that, Nugent-Hopkins said. We established ourselves at home really well, which is another important thing. So far weve done everything within our control. Now we just have to have the same mentality and not get too caught up in stuff and not get too ahead of ourselves and just keep playing the same we have been.After a decade of misery, the Oilers deserve a chance to bask in the unusual glare of a welcome spotlight, dont they? As long as they dont become blinded by it.To get the good start rolling, it definitely brings the team together, Nugent-Hopkins said. And yeah, youve got to enjoy that. When youre having fun it makes it a lot easier to go out there every night. So we just got to keep it going. ' ' '