LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears did not rule out Lance Briggs this week. They also didnt say whether the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker will play against the Dolphins.Briggs, who sat out in Atlanta because of a rib injury, did not practice Wednesday, and coach Marc Trestman doesnt expect him to Thursday, either. When asked whether Briggs will take the field Sunday, Trestman said, Well see, noting theres no indication Briggs ribs are broken.The Bears (3-3) knocked off the Falcons last week 27-13, the most balanced win of the season. Now, theyre looking for their first home win.Jay Cutler threw for 381 yards Sunday in the second-biggest passing game of his career, and the defence came through with one of its best performances in two seasons under co-ordinator Mel Tucker.The defensive line got a boost with tackle Jeremiah Ratliff returning after missing three games because of a concussion. And the linebackers showed some speed and burst, and Atlanta managed just 12 first downs and 287 yards.It was even more impressive considering how decimated that group was. The Bears were forced to go with Khaseem Greene, Darryl Sharpton and Christian Jones with Briggs, D.J. Williams (neck), Jonathan Bostic (back) and Shea McClellin (hand) sidelined.They might have some more options at linebacker this week — if not some decisions to make — although Tucker indicated the starters will return to the lineup once theyre ready.We got a one-game evaluation on these guys. They stepped in and we feel good about what they did, Tucker said. So when guys are healthy and ready to go, I anticipate those guys getting back in there and filling those roles again.McClellin appears close to returning after missing four games. He went through a full practice on Wednesday. Bostic was limited, and Williams did not participate.Getting those (starter) guys back would be great, defensive end Jared Allen said. Only the doctors know when thats going to happen. Weve got to continue to prepare as if theyre not going to be there. These guys showed that they could step up to the task so we expect them to do it again.Sharpton seemed comfortable making the calls at middle linebacker against the Falcons and was credited with 10 tackles — not bad considering he signed with Chicago three weeks ago after being released by the Washington Redskins.Hes making a good impression in Chicago, and has a history with linebackers coach Reggie Herring. They were together in Houston, where Sharpton played from 2010-13.Were going to need everybody as we move forward, Trestman said. There are not only players that are playing linebacker positions, theyre playing on special teams and doing other things. The more players we have available, the better off were going to be in the total picture.NOTES: S Chris Conte (shoulder) and RT Jordan Mills (left foot) sat out practice on Wednesday, as did RB Matt Forte and DT Stephen Paea for reasons that were not injury-related. LT Jermon Bushrod (knee/ankle), who has missed the past two games, was limited along with S Ahmad Dixon (hamstring) and CB Sherrick McManis (quadricep/knee).__Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Custom New England Patriots Jerseys . Although head coach Randy Carlyle jokingly wondered how much actual training Bolland got done while in London. "I dont know how much training goes on when you go back to the junior team that you played for so I wouldnt read too much into that," laughed Carlyle after the Maple Leafs were put through an up-tempo practice that concluded with a 10-minute bag skate on Thursday. Stitched Patriots Jerseys . Fielder has been out with a herniated disk in his neck, and surgery was recommended after a follow-up exam and another scan Thursday with Dr. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/. -- The anointed starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders is strengthening his hold on the position this training camp instead of losing it. Patriots Jerseys 2019 . The club announced Friday that Mauro Biello will be kept on as an assistant to coach Jesse Marsch when the Impact join the MLS in 2012. Patriots Jerseys China . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. PINEHURST, N.C. -- Comparisons were inevitable by hosting the U.S. Open and U.S. Womens Open on the game golf course in consecutive weeks. Only these had nothing to do with numbers. Stacy Lewis found comfort in comparisons with U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer. The No. 1 player in womens golf studied Pinehurst No. 2 on her own a few weeks ago, formulated an idea how to play the golf course, and then watched Martin Kaymer follow the script she had in her head and win by eight shots. Just like Kaymer, she opened Thursday without a bogey on her card, a 3-under 67 for a one-shot lead over Michelle Wie. "It was cool to see the plan I had laid out in my head. He was kind of doing the same thing," Lewis said. "So it was nice coming into the week knowing that my plan was going to work on this golf course. ... If youre hitting the ball well enough, you can definitely run away with it. At the same time, you have to know par is a good number and keep grinding away." Right behind was Wie, who studied as hard for Pinehurst as she ever did at Stanford. She was at Pinehurst on Sunday to watch the final round, and later picked up the yardage books from a few friends in south Florida -- U.S. Open runner-up Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley -- and compared notes. Wie charted her way to four birdies on the back nine for a 68. "I did a lot of homework," she said. "Just took the notes from both of the books. It really helped just because they played last week in similar conditions. And theyre obviously great players. I definitely learned a thing or two." Her putter certainly helped. Wie rolled in long birdie putts at Nos. 12 and 14, made a good par save after going into a bunker on the 17th and hit her approach to 5 feet on the final hole. It was her lowest opening round in a U.S. Womens Open. She had started with an 80 or higher four of the last six years. They were among only five players under par when the first round was halted by thunderstorms with 30 players who did not finish. Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., were the top Canadians on the day. They both shot 71 to finish the first round in a tie for 11th place. Kaymer, who started with a bogey-free 65 on his way to a wire-to-wire win, was among 15 players who broke par in the first round of the mens Open. The scoring average Thursday was 75.73, about 2 11/2 shots harder than it was for the men.dddddddddddd Pinehurst No. 2 played 1,064 yards shorter than it did for the opening round of the U.S. Open. That didnt make it any easier. Except for Lewis. "It was such an easy day," Lewis said, referring to her game more than the golf course. "I played really, really solid, other that I had to make a few par putts. But other than that, I didnt put myself in too bad of spots and made a few birdies." Former Womens Open champion So Yeon Ryu, Katherine Kirk and 18-year-old amateur Minjee Lee were at 69. "I think we put on a great show," Wie said. "There are a couple of red numbers out there. There are a lot of people hovering around even par. But I think its great. I love that we are playing on the same stage as the men. I think its really interesting. It makes it very exciting." The show belonged to Lucy Li, the 11-year-old from the Bay Area who became the youngest qualifier in U.S. Womens Open history. She missed only one fairway and was rarely out of position, though it cost the sixth-grader dearly when she was. Li made one triple bogey and two double bogeys, three blemishes on her card that led to a 78. "I mean, its 8 over," Li said. "Its not bad. But I was 7 over in three holes, so thats 1 over in 15 holes. So yeah, I just need to get rid of the big numbers." There were plenty of those to go around. At least 17 players failed to break 80, including Laura Davies. She had an 82, her worst score in a Womens Open since Cherry Hills in 2005. Perhaps more shocking was Lydia Ko, Cristie Kerr and defending champion Inbee Park, each of them at 76. Karrie Webb and Paula Creamer were at 70. Juli Inkster, at 53 and playing in the Womens Open for the 35th time, had a 71. "I dont think the course is on the edge at all," Webb said. "I think the USGA had to be a little bit cautious. We havent played a tournament here with this course setup before, and it is the second week. So I think theyre probably trying to see how the course is playing, just to see where theyre at with the golf course. I think they were just sort of seeing how we handled it." One thing didnt change from either week. Anything around par in a U.S. Open was not a bad place to be. "It was a grind out there today," Wie said. "It will probably be a grind the next three days." ' ' '