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OXNARD, Calif. Kerry Wood Jersey . -- Chris Maragos cant imagine an NFL without kickoffs.The Philadelphia special teams ace admits to sounding like a lobbyist when he said he never feels safer during a play that the league keeps altering in an effort to reduce high-speed collisions, backed by statistics that show most injuries occur on kickoffs.With competition committee member Stephen Jones of the Dallas Cowboys suggesting that safety is more important than players making a living covering kickoffs and punts, Maragos is quick on the counterpoint.Yeah, things are moving fast and youre running down the field. But I never feel like my safetys compromised, at all, said Maragos, who is going into his seventh year as mostly a special teams player. From what people look on the outside in, it looks like a chaotic play. But the guys who are really mastering it know what theyre doing. Its pretty under control.Five years after moving the kickoff to the 35-yard line from the 30 to reduce the number of returns, the NFL is trying something else to encourage more touchbacks by putting the ball on the 25 instead of the 20 on a one-year trial.There is still plenty of dialogue, too.Senior vice president of officiating Dean Blandino held a conference call with special teams coaches during the offseason.Among other ideas being discussed are eliminating the running start for the coverage team and pulling players on the receiving team closer to the kickoff line so that theyre moving more in the same direction as the kicking team, making it more like blocking for a punt return.Blandino said he doesnt think the kickoff will be eliminated.Its a big part of the game, he said. Its an exciting play.But the league increasingly sees it as a dangerous play, particularly with so much attention on concussions. And thats where Jones isnt swayed by the idea that it might mean fewer opportunities for players who arent good enough to be stars on offense or defense.At the end of the day the players health and safety is the No. 1 priority in this league, said Jones, the executive vice president of personnel for the Cowboys. If that comes at the expense of something else thats not as high a priority, then we certainly have to accept that.One of the most noteworthy plays of 2015 was actually a punt return, when Dallas safety Jeff Heath blocked Ricardo Lockette when the Seattle coverage man was in full stride and didnt see him. It was a legal play, but the resulting neck injury ended Lockettes career.While Heath has twice as many tackles on defense as Maragos in half the number of years, he still fits the special teams profile: part-time defensive player, full-time chaser of opposing kick returners. And he believes there will always be a need for that.Youre covering a lot of ground and youve got to be fast, said Heath, who is going into his fourth season. Theres a lot of skill that comes into it as well. Those type of guys tend to do well wherever they play. Defense, offense or special teams.Maragos would argue that kickoffs and punts are gateways to stardom, too. Among his peers, he points to Tennessee tight end Delanie Walker, his teammate in San Francisco when Maragos was a rookie. He says special teams helped keep Walker on the roster, and now Walker is coming off a Pro Bowl season in Tennessee.Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen was undrafted out of Division II Minnesota State Mankato and spent a year on the practice squad before becoming a key special teams contributor for the Vikings. He blocked a punt for a touchdown in 2014 and last season ran a fake punt 41 yards in the NFC North-clinching season finale at Green Bay.Thielen said the key to safety in kick coverage comes on the practice field.Every day, its technique, technique, technique, he said. I really dont think its more dangerous than an offensive play. You could get hit on a crossing route over the middle a lot harder than on a kickoff.Maragos grew up in Wisconsin rooting for the Green Bay Packers, who beat New England 35-21 in the 1997 Super Bowl. The thing Maragos remembers most is the anticipation of the opening kickoff. And by the way, Desmond Howard had a 99-yard kickoff return and was the games MVP.You talk about speed down the field, athleticism to avoid blocks. You talk about a heart, a grit, a determination, an inner desire, Maragos said. To me, it embodies everything that an NFL football player should be. And really what the game is about.---AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell in Minneapolis and Stephen Hawkins in Dallas contributed to this report.---Online:AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler Mark Grace Cubs Jersey . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Manny Trillo Cubs Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. https://www.cheapcubs.com/270t-kyle-hend...ersey-cubs.html .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start.Unguarded: My Autobiographyby Jonathan Trott with George Dobell (Sphere) Jonathan Trotts autobiography has been so highly praised that one can anticipate it will deservedly figure on awards shortlists in 2017. The anxiety-related illness that caused his departure from Australia is covered in full - books by Graeme Fowler and Michael Yardy trod similar ground this year - but there is so much more in this insightful and honest account that places this immensely intense sportsman into context in an England side that became No. 1 in the world before descending into rancour. An excellent ghosting job by ESPNcricinfos George Dobell.Chasing Shadows -The Life and Death of Peter Roebuckby Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge (Hardie Grant) Chasing Shadows will not entirely succeed in ending the conjecture surrounding one of crickets most private figures, but it is a well-balanced and responsible study of an ultimately tragic existence. A thorough and disturbing examination of the tensions that led to his suicide with allegations of sexual assault about to rear their head.Shortlisted for Cricket Writers Club and Cricket Society awards 2016Absolutely Foxedby Graeme Fowler with John Woodhouse (Simon & Schuster) Mental-health issues have been central to crickets conversation since Marcus Trescothicks excellent autobiography, Coming Back To Me in 2008. Graeme Fowlers autobiography, though, has many facets, concerning itself not just with a searing introductory chapter on mental illness but also offering shrewd views on coaching and on the extraordinarily amateurish approach of English cricket in the 1980s. A valuable book from a much-loved figure.Shortlisted for Cricket Writers Club award 2016Stroke of Geniusby Gideon Haigh (Simon and Schuster) Gideon Haigh is as learned as cricket writing gets and his study of Victor Trumper, one of the dominant figures of the Golden Age, is the culmination of a fascination that began in childhood. A wide-ranging, exemplary work that delves not just into Trumper but life itself, Stroke of Genius has been met with widespread admiration. If you want to double down on Australian cricket history, seriously observed, you could even add Alfred James study of Charles Bannerman - Charles Bannerman: Australias Premier Batsman - reviewed by Haigh, as it happens, here.Cricket: The Game of Lifeby Scyld Berry (Hodder) Scyld Berrys paean to the game from its early days to now is an intensely personal work from one of cricket journalisms most original thinkers, mixing serious historical research with the reveries and theories that have sustained him over a lifetime. A work of love.Winner of Cricket Writers Club award; shortlisted for Cricket Society award 2016The War of the White Rosesby Stuart Rayner (Pitch) Yorkshire were a shambles in the 1980s, more of a debating society than a cricket club, as an enraged captain of that era, David Bairstow, once observed. Stuart Rayner has produced an objective and authoritative account of the politicking in Yorkshires civil war that will serve as a reference for years to come.Shortlisted for Cricket Writers Club award 2016Fire in Babylonby Simon Lister (Yellow Press) Inspired by the film of the same name, Fire in Babylon looks at the rise of the great West Indies team, alongside the battles of post-war immigrants from the Caribbean to gain acceptance in the UK. An epic tale of empowerment, as West Indies conquered cricket, and the depressing decline that followed.Winner of Cricket Society award; shortlisted for Cricket Writers Club award 2016The Meaning of Cricketby Jon Hotten (Yellow Jersey) The Meaning of Cricket is, to some extent, a repackaginng of much of the work that has made Jon Hotten a leader among cricket bloggers, in his guise as the Old Batsman. Chicago Cubs Store. Readers will discover insight and anecdote, an eye for a description and a great affection for the game in these entertaining, if loosely connected, musings.Test Cricket: The Unauthorised Biographyby Jarrod Kimber (Hardie Grant) Readers of ESPNcricinfo will already be aware that Jarrod Kimber is one of crickets most zestful, creative and iconoclastic writers. Not only would they not expect this to be a traditional history of Test cricket, they would not want it to be. Here is a heady cocktail of anecdote and opinion, all told in Kimbers revved-up style.Chris Rogers: Bucking The Trendby Chris Rogers with Daniel Brettig (Hardie Grant Books) ESPNcricinfos Daniel Brettig is the trusted hand for Chris Rogers in telling his extraordinary story. Rogers did not become a Test regular until 36, an age when many international players have long since retired. A player out of his time, whose autobiography provides a testament to keeping the faith.A Beautiful Gameby Mark Nicholas (Allen and Unwin) Mark Nicholas has written a fascinating and engaging account of his life in cricket, firstly as a player and latterly as a commentator. This is an immensely readable but far from lightweight book, packed with anecdote, opinion and - a valuable gift - empathy. Nicholas approach does not suit the misanthropic, but he is an elegant, enthusiastic observer of the game and this book, and indeed his life in cricket, deserves plaudits.Glory Gardens Cricket Club: Return to Gloryby Bob Cattell (Charlcombe Books) Many adults will never read a word of a Glory Gardens book, but as a child my son did, and his love for the game blossomed as a result. The original Glory Gardens comprised eight volumes of heartwarming tales about the sort of junior side any youngster should want to join. Fifteen years on, a team of 13-year-olds heads to Australia to play Woolagong CC in a three-day Ashes game. My son is adamant: if you know a child aged between eight to 13 who loves cricket, add it to the stocking. Firestarter: Me, Cricket and the Heat of the Momentby Ben Stokes with Richard Gibson (Headline) Ben Stokes, like many before him, has wisely trusted Richard Gibson to ghost the first of what will no doubt be several autobiographies as his England career progresses. Gibson conveys the honest desire and competitive edge that is at the heart of Stokes game, and lovers of the genre - they do exist - will find this another appealing offering.Team Matesedited by John Barclay and Stephen Chalke (Fairfield Publishing) This is a gentle collection of essays about favourite team-mates, a reminder that the endless months spent together means that professional relationships naturally develop into lasting friendships. At its heart, this is an assertion of the value of team spirit, and it is no worse for that. All for the Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation too.All Wickets Great and Smallby John Fuller (Pitch) A host of less publicised cricket books with strong local appeal are out there if you look hard enough. All Wickets Great and Small has bags of that recognisable Yorkshire characteristic - pride. In it, John Fuller spends a summer traversing the county to watch and reflect on the game, its glorious past and its problematic future, in 23 vignettes. In more photographic vein, Sweet Shires (Silverwood Books) is another work of love, this time by another county cricket obsessive, Dave Morton. ' ' '