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OXNARD, Calif. -- 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 Corey Dickerson Jersey . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Francisco Cervelli Jersey . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. http://www.piratesrookiestore.com/Pirates-Ivan-Nova-Kids-Jersey/ .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Chad Kuhl Jersey . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Jung-ho Kang Jersey . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington.Jason Holt has called on Rangers to maintain the standards set in their best performance of the season in the 3-0 win over Kilmarnock. The Ibrox side have been criticised following a slow start to the season and in the wake of last weeks defeat to Celtic in the Betfred Cup semi-final and the draw with St Johnstone on Wednesday.However, goals from Lee Wallace, Andy Halliday and Joe Garner secured the points on Saturday to move the Gers into second in the Premiership table and Holt says they must not slip below those performance levels when they travel to Ross County next weekend, live on Sky Sports 2 HD. Lee Wallace celebrates after opening the scoring for Rangers It was probably our best performance of the season in terms of our passing and movement. The tempo of our play was pleasing, Holt said.Midweek against St Johnstone was a big disappointment so it was important we bounced back. We always try and start on the front foot and play at a high tempo. We did that on Saturday. You could see from the start we wanted to create chances and score. That set the tone. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. We did that and its nice to be up into second. That said, we are not settling for that and we need to kick on again. From that point of view the game against Ross County next Sunday is massive for us.Weve set the standards today and we cant let that drop. Those standards are high so we need to make sure we keep to that level next week. Joe Garner rounded off the scoring for Rangers against Kilmarnock Michael OHalloran was a stand-out performer for Mark Warburtons side as his pace caused the Killie defence real problems.ddddddddddddIt was the former St Johnstone wingers second start in a row after spending much of the campaign on the bench but Holt has been impressed by his team-mates recent impact. Holt praised the performance of Michael OHalloran You have seen in the last few games the quality of the performances that Mikey has been putting in, said the ex-Hearts midfielder. He is so direct and that is so important for guys like Joe Garner who thrive on crosses into the box.He has been great since hes come back in. Were all really happy for him and we hope it continues.Kilmarnock skipper Steven Smith warned his team-mates they need to shake off their naivety if they are to avoid painful lessons on future visits to Glasgow, with this result coming a month after a 6-1 defeat at Celtic Park. Ross Co vs Rangers November 6, 2016, 11:30am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Weve got a lot of young players and if they have got any ambition or aspirations in the game then this is the kind of place they should want to be playing every week, he said. They will learn from experiences like this but they need to learn a bit quicker.Weve been beaten by six and now three without really threatening Rangers goal. We need to do better when we come to places like this. 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