the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months.NEW YORK -- M

HOUSTON -- J.J. Watt never doubted hed play in Houstons season opener while recovering from back surgery that forced him to miss all of training camp.Watt returned to practice this week and will be on the field when the Texans host the Chicago Bears on Sunday. He had been out since surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back in July.Last years NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who has never missed a game in his career, was asked Wednesday what he expects to contribute on Sunday.Anything and everything Im asked, he said. I feel great. I feel no limitations whatsoever. My body actually feels better than it did for the second half of last season, obviously with everything we were dealing with. So Im in a pretty good spot.Coach Bill OBrien said Watt has looked good in practice this week and that theyll increase his workload every day heading into Sundays game.Watts back surgery was his second of the offseason after he had a much more involved procedure in January to repair five torn muscles in his core.Both of my lower abs had to be reattached, he said. My right adductor had to be reattached and then two of my left adductors had to be reattached. I dont know the technical terms. A few of them were off the bone. A few of them were partially torn. That was pretty serious stuff.Watts comeback from back surgery seemed like a breeze after the weeks of painful rehabilitation following his procedure in January. It was then, while recuperating in a hotel in Philadelphia that he became discouraged and wondered about his future in the NFL.After the first surgery there were some days there where I really questioned whether or not Id ever be able to play again, he said. Just some of the stuff we were dealing with from a rehab standpoint, just the way that the recovery was going early on ... there was a very low point there and it was tough.For quite some time after the surgery, the 6-foot-5, 289-pound defensive end struggled not only to walk, but to simply get out of bed. He slowly started to feel better and began doing a new method of rehabilitation exercises with team trainer Roland Ramirez. But he still struggled with some basic moves. A big thing was not being able to lift his right leg straight up while lying down.Every morning he would try the move and he simply couldnt do it. Then Super Bowl week rolled around and he attempted it just like he did every morning. Only this time, mission accomplished.I called (Ramirez) right away and I sent him a video, Watt said. Then I got up and tried some other stuff ... I was like: `Dude it worked. Everything we did worked. And from that point forward as soon as you get that little bit of light, its full steam ahead, and thats whats awesome.Watt, entering his sixth NFL season, said this offseason was undoubtedly his most difficult. But his tough times helped him gain a different perspective on his career.It definitely gives you a new outlook, kind of a fresh approach, he said. You see things through a different light when youre going through stuff like that and you go through the ups and downs, and Im really looking forward to coming out and having a new mountain to climb.Watt led the NFL with 17 + sacks last season to win his second straight Defensive Player of the Year award and third in four seasons. He knows the coaching staff will try to put some limitations on him against the Bears after he missed so much time, but he doesnt feel thats necessary.Im a guy that likes to play every play and likes to do whatever I can to help the team win, so if they let me do that, great, he said. 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Charlie Huddy Jersey . "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. Kyle Brodziak Jersey . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months.NEW YORK -- Matt Klinewski scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Lafayette beat St. Francis (Brooklyn) 74-72 on Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak.Klinewski, whose previous high was 26, became the first Leopard to score 30 or more points since Nick Lindners 30 against Colgate on Feb., 25, 2015.Paulius Zalys and Eric Stafford made back-to-back 3-pointers -- both set up on drive-and-kicks from Lindner -- to take a 70-64 lead with 2:37 left. St. Francis pulled to 72-69 with 1:02 left affter Yunus Hopkinson made two free throws following a technical foul.ddddddddddddut Auston Evans had an offensive rebound and finish with 20.7 seconds left for a two-possession lead.Kyle Stout added 12 points and Evans had 10 -- both career highs -- for Lafayette (3-4).Glenn Sanabria had 21 points and seven assists, and Hopkinson made six 3-pointers and scored 20 points for St. Francis (1-7). ' ' '