News » on par with the one for his 40th.

The NFL has a new kickoff rule. Whether the NFL will still have a kickoff remains to be seen.

After multiple attempts to make the so-called “most dangerous play in the game” less dangerous by using it less frequently Alan Page Jersey , the NFL has made the play less dangerous by making it safer. Which is fine, but one question remains: How safe does the kickoff have to become in order to save it?

Packers CEO Mark Murphy recently explained that players are five times more likely to suffer a concussion on a kickoff than during a play from scrimmage. So what does the new ratio have to be? Saints coach and Competition Committee member Sean Payton didn’t have a specific response when asked that question during a recent visit to PFT; the goal for now is to simply make the play safer.

Still, someone surely has an idea as to how safe it will have to be. If the revamped kickoff doesn’t address the broader goal of reducing the overall physical risks associated with the play, the play will not survive.

And at a time when football fans should be far more concerned about the impact of the rule regarding the lowering of the helmet when initiating contact on the sport as we know it, the potential elimination of the kickoff could be the thing that does far more to alienate fans than players taking a knee during the national anthem.

Julian Edelman has made peace with the fact he won’t be playing football for the first four weeks of the regular season.

It won’t stop the veteran Patriots receiver from preparing like he will be on the field.

Edelman made several rounds of apologies to his team and fans following the four-game suspension handed down by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancers. Now he says he plans to use what’s left of training camp to make sure his surgically repaired knee will be ready when he is able to return. The 32-year-old receiver missed the entire 2017 season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.

Working his way back has been a slow process that’s just beginning to pick up.

”It’s been a grind,” Edelman said Friday. ”You’re compounding day after day after day after day. … You’re always trying to go out and get better and I have to do a lot better. I feel like I got to get my legs under me a lot more.”

Edelman will miss a home game against Houston Forrest Lamp Jersey , trips to Jacksonville and Detroit, plus a home game against Miami.

He will be eligible to return to the active roster Oct. 1, enabling him to make his 2018 debut Oct. 4 against Indianapolis.

Part of the urgency for Edelman is fueled by changes the receiving corps has undergone since the end of last season. It will certainly have a fresh look to it when the season opens thanks to Edelman’s suspension, the free agency departure of stalwart Danny Amendola and trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams.

That is compounded even more with the uncertainty surrounding the status of Malcolm Mitchell, who has yet to participate in a full practice after spending last season on injured reserve (knee).

It’s left openings for someone to earn playing time, and the list of candidates is long.

Among those in camp looking to make the roster are Chris Hogan LaAdrian Waddle Jersey , Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson and Braxton Berrios. Free agent Eric Decker signed with the team Friday following the release of Jordan Matthews earlier in the week.

Edelman said he is encouraged by the work so far from the group. He was particularly high on Patterson, a trade acquisition from Oakland.

”He’s a great guy to be around,” Edelman said. ”He works hard, he’s very athletic Brian Poole Jersey , and he definitely helps push the unit, so I’m happy we got him. He’s going to contribute in a whole different other way. He’s very versatile, and just from his track record I’m glad we have him.”

Coach Bill Belichick also has been complimentary of the work Patterson has put in during camp.

”He has skills in offense and the kicking game in a number of different areas, return skills, coverage skills, blocking skills Cameron Brate Jersey , catching skills,” Belichick said. ”He’s got some experience, so he’s able to utilize that. He understands his skill set and how it matches up against different types of players.”

NOTES: Friday marked Tom Brady’s 41st birthday and the team gave him a celebration on par with the one for his 40th.

There was a balloon figure version of Brady and a giant No. 12 cake. There were also birthday cards set up outside the practice field entrance for fans to sign. Fans serenaded the 19-year veteran with a rendition of ”Happy Birthday” after he took the field.

His teammates also got in on the act. Womens Terrell Edmunds Jersey