ame and we just want to play.---Associated Press writer

LeVeon Bell insists hell do everything in his power to make sure his latest run-in with the NFLs substance abuse policy is his last. Vontaze Burfict isnt so sure he can say the same about his reprimands from the leagues disciplinary committee.Either way, two of the NFLs most dynamic players head back to work this week after serving three-game suspensions to start the 2016 season. Bell sat for running afoul of the drug policy for the second time, Burfict as penance for a series of unhinged moments on the field that culminated in his helmet-to-helmet knockout blow of Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown in last years wild-card round.Their returns should give their teams -- both expected to compete for a playoff spot in the hypercompetitive AFC North and both coming off one-sided losses last Sunday -- a boost as October dawns, the front edge of a wave that will include other bold-faced names (including some dude in New England) that will come off the suspended list next week.How their teams have survived in the absence of such vital parts is a mixed bag.For all of Bells talent, DeAngelo Williams led the NFL in rushing through two weeks before Pittsburghs hot start came to a sudden and decisive halt in Philadelphia. The Bengals, however, have missed Burfict -- the emotional touchstone of a defense that is among the NFLs best when it at its finest.Their comebacks, however, come with a caveat. Any potential missteps going forward would carry far harsher penalties. Bell doesnt think that will be an issue.Im not a perfect person, the 2014 All-Pro said. I never will be. I know there are some things I can get better at.Burfict, meanwhile, doesnt seem to care whether his helter-skelter style of play incurs the wrath of the commissioners office.Why would I change anything? he said earlier this week.Thats just Vontaze being Vontaze. A look at the returns on the horizon and what they could mean going forward.THE PLAYER: LeVeon Bell, RB, PittsburghTHE RETURN: Sunday night vs. Kansas CityTHE IMPACT: You mean besides giving fantasy football owners a headache as they try to decipher how much Bell will be used? Bell was one of the best versatile backs in the league before tearing the MCL in his right knee on a tackle by Burfict last November. The knee is fine (Bell decided against wearing a protective brace) and he begins the final year of the rookie deal he signed in 2013 trying to prove to the Steelers -- and 31 other teams -- that hes matured as a person while remaining as explosive as ever.THE PLAYER: Vontaze Burfict, LB, CincinnatiTHE RETURN: Thursday vs. MiamiTHE IMPACT: The Bengals need more than just Burficts production -- hes perhaps their most dynamic defender when healthy -- they need his energy, too. Cincinnati gave up four touchdown passes to Denver on Sunday and looked downright polite in a loss at Pittsburgh in Week 2. Burficts presence could provide the Bengals with an emotional boost they desperately need. A trendy pick to make a deep playoff run, Cincinnati is a middling 15th in total defense and seems to have lost a bit of its swagger. Burfict should help provided he keeps his cool -- never a guarantee.THE PLAYER: Tom Brady, QB, New EnglandTHE RETURN: Week 5 at ClevelandTHE IMPACT: Try not to muss up all of Jimmy Garoppolos and Jacoby Brissets hard work. Kidding. (But only a little). Bradys 21-month battle with the league over Deflategate will finally end when his four-game suspension expires following this Sundays visit from Buffalo. The Patriots have chugged right along in Bradys absence, though all that success will likely just spur Brady to send a message that New Englands dominance doesnt rest solely on the shoulders of coach Bill Belichick.THE PLAYER: Josh Gordon, WR, ClevelandTHE RETURN: Week 5 vs. New EnglandTHE IMPACT: Massive. Maybe . With Gordon, you never know. He led the NFL in yards receiving in 2013, but that was three years and a handful of suspensions ago. Following a miserable start, the Browns are starting to show signs of life with Terrelle Pryor doing a little bit of everything. Pryor thinks the Browns offense could get ugly (in a good way) if Gordon stays out of trouble. Thats a mighty big `if though.THE PLAYER: Marcell Dareus, DL, BuffaloTHE RETURN: Week 5 at Los AngelesTHE IMPACT: Like Bell, the Bills highest-paid player missed time for a second straight season for finding himself on the wrong side of the NFLs drug policy. Like Bell, Dareus has watched the guys filling in get by pretty well without him. Sacks and turnovers are up in Buffalo, which whipped Arizona last weekend and will face the healthiest Patriots quarterback available (and not suspended) on Sunday. The 331-pound Dareus (his listed weight anyway) may need time to get into playing shape but his presence in the middle could free things up for defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to get creative with how he uses guys on the edge.OTHER GUYS ON THE WAY: Rob Ninkovich, DE New England; Mike Pennel, DL Green Bay; Arthur Jones, DE Indianapolis--AP Sports Writers Joe Kay in Cincinnati, John Wawrow in Buffalo, Kyle Hightower in Boston, Schuyler Dixon in Dallas, Mike Marot in Indianapolis and Genaro Armas in Green Bay, Wisc., contributed to this report.Cheap Oklahoma City Thunder Jerseys . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Kevin Durant Jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. http://www.cheapthundersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-josh-huestis-jersey . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Daniel Hamilton Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Shawn Kemp Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team.From Cleveland to China, the message was clear on Wednesday: There is real hope of the NBA and its players getting a new labor deal done in the coming weeks.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that the league and its players will resume discussions on a new deal next week. Those meetings will be a prequel to the leagues Board of Governors session in New York on Oct. 20 and 21, where the labor talks will surely be very high on Silvers agenda of things to review with the full ownership.Why wouldnt I be optimistic about it? Cleveland star LeBron James said. First of all, Im a player who loves the game and I see how our league is steamrolling right now. Ive been a part of this league for 14 years and Ive had one stoppage of play and it wasnt good for both sides. Over the last couple of years, Ive seen our league grow more and more and more, so why wouldnt I be optimistic about it?In Beijing, where he was attending the NBA Global Games, Silver said he would return to the U.S. on Thursday -- and then planned to pick up where talks left off. He said he has been meeting with union representatives, including union head Michele Roberts and president Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, as well as owners who are on the negotiating committee.Both sides have been very engaged and eager to get a deal done, Silver said.The mere mention of optimism makes these talks considerably different than the often-dysfunctional discourse that went on five years ago, when the league and its players were so far apart that the 2011-12 season wound up getting shortened from 82 games per team to 66 -- the result of a 161-day lockout that wounded both sides.Either side can opt out of the existing 10-year contract in December. But with both sides in deal-making mode, a new deal could come before that.Nobody wants to have a lockout, Miami guard Goran Dragic said. I dont want to sit down at home and do nothing. I want to play basketball and hopefully the players union and the league are going to make a deccision and that decision is going to be good for everybody.dddddddddddd So far, its looking good so hopefully well make a deal.Dragic said players are being briefed regularly by the union on the status of talks.More money than ever is now flowing into the league, thanks to the new $24 billion television contract. And with salary caps now higher than ever and expected to continue to rise, its hard to envision why either side would want a work stoppage.Just being on the Players Association, having the opportunity to talk to the owners, talk to our commissioner, things seem optimistic, said James, who has had a regular dialogue with Silver about several issues -- such as scheduling of back-to-back games and the desire for a longer All-Star break, which the league now has.But you still have negotiations, so you know, you never know what could happen from that, James said. But optimistic means I feel optimistic about it. Theres no reason for me not to.Silver and Roberts even met recently in Spain, when she was accompanying the Oklahoma City Thunder for their preseason trip there. Thats another example of how talks now look in no way like the talks in 2011, when neither side was shy about expressing a level of mistrust with the other.Miami forward Justise Winslow said hes following the talks closely, and acknowledged that hes a bit worried about what another lockout next summer may do to the game.We dont want to be jobless, Winslow said. So we worry about it, a little bit. Its not like guys are worrying about it too much, but we would like to have that job security. We make a lot of money, but its just the principle of the matter. Part of it is the money aspect, part of it is we love the game and we just want to play.---Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant contributed from Beijing. Krawczynski reported from Minneapolis. Reynolds reported from Miami. ' ' '