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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Jay Cutler has been here before, in more than one respect.The Bears quarterback has gone from a hero one week to zero the following week, as he did in the Oct. 31 win over the Minnesota Vikings and in their 36-10 loss Sunday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that left Chicago at a woeful 2-7.As the team prepares for a road game this Sunday against the New York Giants, Cutler will be throwing to a crew of backup receivers -- like he did much of last season.Winning fixes a lot, thats for sure, Cutler said Thursday. Ive talked to the receivers and well try to rally the troops. Its going to take more than just me to rally; it takes the whole group to make this thing happen. And the guys in the locker room know that.In that win against Minnesota, Cutler went 20-for-31 passing for 252 yards with a touchdown and one sack. In three losses this season, Cutler is 44 for 88 for 555 yards with two touchdowns, four interceptions and two lost fumbles. He was sacked 12 times in those games.He turned it over four times against the Buccaneers and said he expected criticism afterward. He declined to address reports that teammates have had enough of Cutler.If people actually start putting their names on it, we can have a discussion about it, Cutler said. Ive never felt like that in the locker room with those guys. But myself and the offense included, were definitely working to get better.Trying to turn things around against the Giants got more difficult this week because wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was suspended for four weeks by the NFL for violating its performance-enhancing substances policy. The Bears already were without their other starting receiver. Kevin White suffered a broken leg in Week 4. White missed all of last season with a shin injury and Jeffery missed seven games due to an assortment of injuries.This all means Cutler will be throwing to wide receivers Josh Bellamy, Cameron Meredith and Deonte Thompson.Its pretty much the same, coach John Fox said about his backup receivers. Its kind of the same set of characters actually, even as last year.Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said the Bears will miss Jefferys ability to go up for a back-shoulder throw or in a jump-ball situation.Theres things that he does better than the rest of them, Loggains said. Theres things that they do that will play into their strengths, and well try to put those guys in those spots.One difference from last year is veteran slot receiver Eddie Royal is available. He has played through a toe injury after missing time last season.Another possible plus is the return of Marquess Wilson from the physically unable to perform list this week. However, coaches arent sure what to expect out of Wilson because he missed all of training camp, part of the offseason work and the first half of the season due to a foot injury.Cutler expressed confidence in the receiver group.We know how to use those pieces, he said. We know what those guys do well. And bottom line: theyre going to have to make some plays for us.Game notes Starting nose tackle Eddie Goldman (ankle) missed practice for the second straight day with an injury. His backup, Will Sutton, is out for the year with an ankle injury suffered last week. . Right tackle Mike Adams returned to practice after being away a day due to illness. Adams could start Sunday because starter Bobby Massie suffered a concussion last week and has not yet cleared the NFL concussion protocol.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Hydro Flask Coffee Uk . 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TALLADEGA, Ala. -- When Sweden beat the U.S. womens soccer team during the Olympics by using a conservative strategy, goalie Hope Solo was lambasted for calling the winners a bunch of cowards.NASCAR fans seemed to have adopted Solos attitude in response to Joe Gibbs Racings strategy Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. The team has four drivers and three were guaranteed a spot in the third round of the playoffs if they simply stayed out of trouble at Talladega.So they lollygagged at the back of the pack.All day.Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth raced with a purpose, but it wasnt to win the race. Their goal was to finish the race and move on to see another day in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.A vocal faction of fans seems outraged at the JGR strategy, even though it worked to perfection. Not only did Busch, Edwards and Kenseth advance in the Chase, but so did Denny Hamlin, who was forced to race as a one-man team because of the organizational plan.Hamlin just about needed a miracle to avoid elimination, and with his teammates offering no assistance in his bid to win the race, he had to find rival drivers to work with on Sunday. Hamlin wound up third, beating Kurt Busch for the position and the one point it was worth, by 0.006 seconds. That result tied him in the standings with Austin Dillon, and Hamlin got the last berth in the playoffs on a tiebreaker.There are eight cars left in the Chase field. Four of them come from JGR . For that, the team should be commended.Instead, fans are griping that they prefer to see drivers race and not ride around the back of the pack.To that, Kyle Busch had a simple answer on Monday.Dont hate the player... Hate the game, Busch posted on Twitter.Kenseth finished 28th on Sunday, Edwards 29th and Busch was 30th. All were satisfied with the result, although they didnt really love executing the plan. Busch found the strategy to be dull and not very motivating, but it accomplished what he needed.Two years ago, Busch went to Talladega in decent shape to advance in the Chase. He was involved in a wreck and eliminated from the playoffs.Theres no reward to go race and get wrecked, Busch said. Youve got to try to survive and do what you can.Kenseth seemed to acknowledge the pootential for disappointed fans, but rationalized it by pointing out what was at stake.dddddddddddd Kenseth was eliminated from the Chase at Talladega last year.It goes against everything you ever want to do as a race car driver, Kenseth said. You cant afford to go up there and get wrecked and not have a chance to race for a championship. I dont think any of us had any fun and none of us enjoyed it, but it was just what we had to do.Those upset with the way JGR raced likely fall into two camps. There are the people who just dont like the team, whether its because Gibbs uses Toyotas or because the organization has 11 wins this year. And there are the fans of the individual drivers who dawdled at the back of the pack at Talladega, and they wanted to see their favorites compete for the win.The first group is common in sports. People dont like the Yankees, or the Red Sox, or the Patriots, or the Cowboys. Theyll find fault in anything those teams do. In the case of Gibbs, the domination over the last two years has rubbed people wrong, and there are some who just dont like that they drive for a Japanese automaker.But you cant fault the team for figuring out how to work as, ahem, a team, and accomplish big-picture tasks. Remember, JGR worked flawlessly together along with Martin Truex Jr. at the Daytona 500, where Hamlin won and Toyota drivers took four of the top five spots.Some have argued that JGR at Talladega violated the NASCAR rule that all drivers give 100 percent during a race. False. JGR gave 100 percent in determination, patience and strategy in racing for the bigger picture.Thats why fans of the individual drivers should also take a step back and appreciate what the organization accomplished. Sure, they wanted to see their drivers mixing it up at the front and trying to win the race. But with that came a risk of accident, or overheated engine (see: Truex or Brad Keselowski ), and that would have ruined the rest of the season.JGR was brilliant at Talladega, where they took the system at its face, worked within the rules and claimed 50 percent of the playoff positions. Thats a good day. ' ' '