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HOUSTON -- J.J. Watt was back on the field in Houstons 23-14 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but not quite back to form after missing the entire preseason following back surgery.Im knocking a little bit of rust off, and I think as we move forward here Ill start to feel fully like myself again, he said. But theres definitely some things I wish I could have done differently today.Coach Bill OBrien wasnt surprised at how Watt looked and thought he improved as the game progressed.I think its hard when you havent practiced in a long time or played in a game in a long time, OBrien said. I thought at the end there, he was really revving. He was going pretty good.Watt said he didnt feel any lingering effects from the surgery he had in July to repair a herniated disk and he played about as much as he normally does. But the man who has won NFLs Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons and three of the last four wasnt the game-changer he has routinely been in the past.Physically my body feels fine, he said. I just need to get back into fully being myself out there and trusting my body and letting my body take over and do what it knows how to do.While Watt, who led the NFL with 17 + sacks last season, didnt sack Jay Cutler on Sunday, he did register three hits on the quarterback. Watts teammates sacked Cutler five times, with Whitney Mercilus getting two and Jadeveon Clowney, Josh Simon and Andre Hal tallying one each.Watt enjoyed watching his teammates get after Cutler and cant wait to see what Houstons defensive front will be able to do once hes back to full strength.Its a lot of fun out there and its fun when everybody is making plays, he said. You never know where its going to come from ... it could be anybody and thats whats so fun about our defense.Watt had a difficult offseason and had surgery to repair five torn muscles in his core in January before going under the knife again to repair his back problem. Watt wasnt too hard on himself for not playing up to his lofty expectations on Sunday after the months of rehabilitation it took to reach his goal of returning for Week 1.Its been a long road and to be out there with my teammates for a win, it feels great, he said. We overcame a lot.While Watt was still shaking off the effects of his injury, Clowney looked to be completely healthy for the first time since his NFL debut in 2014. Clowney, who was the top overall pick in 2014, has failed to live up to expectations in two injury-filled seasons.But on Sunday the Texans moved him around often and he showed flashes of what convinced them to select him first in the draft. He finished with five tackles, including two for losses and had a career-high three hits on Cutler.My first game ever was shaky, first two seasons were shaky, had a couple of injuries, but Im feeling better and going out there competing and having fun, Clowney said. Were winning games. So thats great.With Watt not at full strength the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Clowney had to deal with some of the double-teams that Watt normally commands on Sunday.It was rough, Clowney said with a laugh. I know what he goes through.Clowneys performance drew rave reviews from coaches, players and even team owner Bob McNair.Hes doing what we thought he would do when he was healthy, McNair said. Hes going to be fun to watch, and J.J. will play himself back into shape. So the defense will do nothing but get better.----Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL NFL Store Online .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Clearance NFL Shop . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. http://www.cheapnfljerseyswholesale.com/ . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Cheap Authentic Jerseys . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. For a good part of the first quarter of last season, it seemed as though the future of the Philadelphia Flyers was still somewhere off in the distance. A rebuild with an emphasis on the build part under rookie head coach Dave Hakstol seemed to be about as good as it was going to get for Flyers fans.But a funny thing happened to all of those dire predictions of being a lottery team: The Flyers scratched and clawed their way into a most unlikely of playoff berths and then managed somehow to stretch the powerful Washington Capitals to six games in the first round.Theres already healthy skepticism that last season was a blip on the rebuilding radar and the Flyers will be back outside the playoff bubble. But Im not so sure, especially watching rookie of the year nominee Shayne Gostisbehere playing so well at the World Cup of Hockey and veteran Mark Streit helping Team Europe to an unexpected berth in the tournament finals.Certainly GM Ron Hextall isnt letting the players feel its a given theyll get back to where they were last season. Essentially were starting fresh here, Hextall said in a recent interview.Best new facesA tinkering summer for Hextall brought in a couple of veterans to help augment the youth movement that is fully in place in Philadelphia. Veteran center and defensive specialist Boyd Gordon will be looking for fourth-line minutes, while Dale Weise will be expected to be a kind of everyman, even bringing unexpected offensive upside. Ivan Provorov is another young defenseman with a big top-end skill set. The left-handed seventh overall pick in the 2015 draft is just 19, and at one point during training camp was paired with Gostisbehere. A glimpse of the future or is the future here?Biggest unknownsCan the Flyers continue their upward arc in terms of evolution while weve seen so many teams (the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets come to mind) take one step forward and then regress for a season or two? Specifically, can they find enough offense to help take the pressure off the defense and goaltending? Last season, the Flyers were 22nd in scoring. Only one team with a worse offense made the playyoffs (Detroit Red Wings).dddddddddddd The penalty kill, tied for 20th, needs to improve.Can the unlikely goaltending tandem of Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth continue to provide the high level of netminding we saw down the stretch and into the playoffs? And who is the No. 1? Neuvirth had an eye-popping .981 save percentage in three starts in the playoffs against the Capitals. Hextall has said hes looking for more from younger players Scott Laughton -- who is expected to miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury -- Jordan Weal and Nick Cousins, who all have strong pedigrees but need to prove they are NHL-ready. And NHLers in the fold need to give more, such as Jakub Voracek, who struggled for much of last season after signing a monster contract extension last summer.Sure thingsNot sure how Dave Hakstol didnt end up on the ballot for coach of the year, but thats a moot point. What isnt moot is that Hakstol, who came to the NHL after a long, successful stint with the University of North Dakota, should be even better in his sophomore season in terms of how to schedule practices and his familiarity with his own group and with the opposition. He showed he was a quick study a season ago and his skill set behind the bench should be even more evident this season.Up front, you have to figure captain Claude Giroux is motivated after making Team Canadas World Cup of Hockey roster and then not playing. He rebounded after being left off the 2014 Olympic roster with a place on the Hart Trophy ballot a few months later, so expect a similar response this time around.Is there anyone steadier -- and maybe more underappreciated -- than Wayne Simmonds? Hes coming off a career-best 32-goal campaign and has become one of the on-ice leaders, having averaged a hair less than 30 goals a season over the past three.PredictionThe bottom of the Metropolitan Division is a dogs breakfast. But Im liking what is going on with the Flyers, even if they finish just outside the playoff picture. Fifth in the Metropolitan. ' ' '