opponents have used bracket coverage with two defenders in an attempt to limit Smith-Schuster, the Sun Devils use a wide array of pressures that leave the secondary having to defend receivers

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has a sprained thumb on his throwing hand but is not expected to need surgery, coach John Fox said Tuesday.To my knowledge, right now, no [he will not need surgery], Fox said. But to eliminate it down the road, Im not a doctor, so I cant tell you that. But it doesnt appear like that at this point.Fox said the veteran quarterback is considered day to day, but stopped short of declaring Cutler out for Sunday nights road game against the Dallas Cowboys.Not really [sure if he can play this week], well just take it day to day, Fox said. Brian Hoyer stepped in and did a pretty good job. Well evaluate that tomorrow and split up practice as need be.Cutler acknowledged he was concerned about the injury after Monday nights loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, saying he aggravated the injury earlier in the game and that he couldnt really grip the ball.Cutler said the injury contributed to his throwing an interception to Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham with 36 seconds left in the third quarter.That turned out to be Cutlers final play of the game.I couldnt get as much on it as I wanted to, to put it over the top of that backer, Cutler said of the interception. It was unfortunate, hurt the team. I knew I was putting the team, especially the offense, in jeopardy at that point. ... I knew my day was done.Cutler, 33, completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 157 yards and one interception. He also lost a fumble.An 11-year veteran, Cutler has missed 15 games because of injuries since 2010. He broke his right thumb in a Nov. 2011 game against the San Diego Chargers while trying to make a tackle following an interception. The injury caused him to miss the rest of the season.The Bears were 7-3 after beating the Chargers but lost their next five games and didnt make the playoffs.I think Jay probably originally hurt his thumb five years ago, Fox said. But he practiced every play of practice last week, I think you guys were out there.An eight-year NFL veteran, Hoyer, 30, passed for 2,606 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Houston Texans last year. However, Hoyer tossed four interceptions in Houstons playoff loss to Kansas City that prompted the Texans to release him in the offseason.The Bears signed Hoyer to a one-year deal that included $750,000 in guarantees.Kelly Oubre Jr. Jersey .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. 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The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play.LOS ANGELES -- When Southern California needed a big play on offense last season, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster or running back Ronald Jones usually stepped up.With the offense searching for consistency, the pressure is on Smith-Schuster and Jones once again.A quarterback change helped Smith-Schuster get more involved in the Trojans 31-27 loss at No. 18 Utah on Friday night, but Jones was all but invisible. The sophomore had 15 yards on eight carries.For offensive coordinator Tee Martin, trying to find the right balance between run and pass, and where those touches are allocated, is still a work in progress.You try to roll with it, Martin said Tuesday.The distribution of carries between Jones, senior Justin Davis and sophomore AcaCedric Ware against the Utes was criticized on social media after USCs last-second loss dropped the Trojans to 1/3 for the first time since 2001. Davis rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, but did not touch the ball in the fourth quarter.Martin said the intent going into the game was to rotate backs while also allowing for the possibility of relying on the hot guy. The rotation happened, but Martin did not say why Davis did not carry the ball in the critical moments.Justin ran well, Martin said. Ronald ran well. And Ced came in, had a big third-down conversion, and ran well.After nearly becoming the first USC freshman to rush for 1,000 yards, Jones began this season with immense expectations. But he has not demonstrated the same explosiveness so far.In four games, Jones has rushed for just 132 yards and one touchdown, though he was limited in the win over Utah State because of a rib contusion. The majority of that production came on a 46-yard run in the third quarter of a blowout loss to Alabama in the opener, and Jones does not have a rush longer than 16 yards inn two Pac-12 games.dddddddddddd.Martin believes Jones has grown as a back and is displaying a better understanding of the position, rather than simply relying on his speed and athleticism. Martin said information overload can cause a young back to become paralyzed at times but he expects Jones to work through his struggles.He is going to break loose, coach Clay Helton said. He is ultra-talented and we are going to keep on feeding him the ball.For Smith-Schuster, the initial struggles seemed to be resolved by naming redshirt freshman Sam Darnold the starting quarterback. Smith-Schuster caught eight balls for 98 yards against Utah, both season highs, and he expects to build on that performance Saturday against Arizona State.While opponents have used bracket coverage with two defenders in an attempt to limit Smith-Schuster, the Sun Devils use a wide array of pressures that leave the secondary having to defend receivers one-on-one. Though Arizona State coach Todd Graham has reduced the use of blitzes to take pressure off of his inexperienced defense backs, USC expects that to change against a quarterback making his second career start.That should give Smith-Schuster chances to deliver the big plays that have been missing.There is nobody else on the field, Smith-Schuster said. When its man-to-man, all I see is the person that is covering me and myself. Just beat that man, do your job and the ball will come.Game notesDefensive tackle Noah Jefferson could miss the next two to three weeks because of injury and academics, Helton said. Jefferson has missed the last three games with a sprained shoulder and briefly returned home to Las Vegas to attend to personal matters earlier this month. ' ' '