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Although Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles kept him from adding to his fistful of Super Bowl rings last winter Clay Matthews Jersey , Tom Brady remains the best quarterback in the NFL, even at age 41.

In the first of the weekly Associated Press position rankings for this season, Brady edged out Aaron Rodgers in voting by 10 AP football writers.

The New England Patriots star received six of the first-place votes in balloting completed before Thursday night's opener between the Eagles and Falcons in a 10-points-to-one point system. Brady placed second with the other four voters, all of whom had Brady a notch below Green Bay's star quarterback, for 96 points.

"The Michael Jordan/Wayne Gretzky of pro football, Brady makes everyone around him better," said AP's Barry Wilner, based in New York, who had Brady No. 1. "That includes receivers, runners, blockers, defenders and special teams. Oh yeah, and coaches. At 41, he's still the guy."

Rodgers, who is coming off a shoulder injury that spoiled both his and the Packers' 2017 season, received 93 points as he finished second on all other ballots except one, in which he placed third behind Drew Brees of the Saints.

EDITOR'S NOTE 鈥?The Associated Press is ranking the top 10 players at a different position every week of the NFL season Youth Avonte Maddox Jersey , based on the votes and insights of AP football writers Simmi Buttar, Dave Campbell, Schuyler Dixon, Josh Dubow, Howard Fendrich, Rob Maaddi, Arnie Stapleton, Teresa M. Walker, Dennis Waszak Jr., and Barry Wilner. This feature will move on Fridays.

"When Rodgers is healthy there's no one more talented in the game," said AP's Josh Dubow, based in the Bay Area. "But he's missed nearly half the season with injuries twice in the past five years."

Still, Dubow ranked Rodgers, who just signed a four-year, $138 million extension , ahead of Brady, whom he said "is showing no signs of slowing down at age 41 after throwing for 505 yards in last season's Super Bowl. If he thrives with this depleted group of receivers that will be another notch on his quest to be the best QB ever."

Brees was a distant third Youth Le'Veon Bell Jersey , followed by Seattle's Russell Wilson and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger rounding out the top five.

They were followed by Atlanta's Matt Ryan, injured Eagles starter Carson Wentz, who is still recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him in the Super Bowl, the Chargers' Philip Rivers, Carolina's Cam Newton and Detroit's Matthew Stafford.

Wentz and Rivers were the only quarterbacks to crack the top 10 this season, supplanting the Colts' Andrew Luck and the Raiders' Derek Carr, who were seventh and eighth, respectively, a year ago.

Others receiving votes were the Texans' DeShaun Watson, the Rams' Jared Goff, Luck, the Giants' Eli Manning, Carr, the 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo and Vikings new QB Kirk Cousins, the gem of this year's free agency class .

Receiving a single vote were Washington's new quarterback, veteran Alex Smith, the Buccaneers' Jameis Winston and Colin Kaepernick http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kolton-miller-jersey , the former 49ers QB who hasn't played since 2016 after he sparked the sport's player protests of social injustices by kneeling for the national anthem.

Just like last year, Brady and Rodgers easily outdistanced the competition.

Only, this time, Rodgers closed the gap with Brady, who won his third NFL MVP award last season and made it to his record eighth Super Bowl.

The Packers' season fell apart after Rodgers sustained a broken collarbone in Week 6 when he was slammed to the ground by Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr.

Rodgers "proved his greatness by his absence to injury last year rather than by his presence," suggested AP's Dave Campbell (based in Minneapolis). Brady, Campbell said, is "still going strong at age 41, though Father Time will eventually beat Father Tom."

AP's Schuyler Dixon (based in Dallas) also put Rodgers over Brady, calling it "a nod to the not-so-distant future at the position, assuming Brady doesn't play until he's 60."

Age was irrelevant to AP's Dennis Waszak Jr., based in New York.

"So what that he's 41?" Waszak asked. "The guy still performs like a youngster and remains the QB you want under center with a game on the line. The cast might change around Brady, but he still delivers."

New York-based Simmi Buttar said Brady's "the G.O.A.T." 鈥?greatest of all time. As for Rodgers, Buttar said he "has only one title, but that has more to do with the lack of help around him. Though he needs a second Super Bowl for his legacy."

AP's Rob Maaddi, based in Philadelphia, gave Kaepernick the final vote in his top 10.

Kaepernick Youth Jessie Bates III Jersey , he said, "has that talent to be a dynamic top-tier QB if a team gives him the opportunity he deserves."

The former 49ers quarterback is locked in a grievance with the league that accuses owners of colluding to keep him off any roster and is the subject of Nike's new ad campaign on the 30th anniversary of the iconic "Just Do It" venture.

The highly anticipated spot made its debut during the Eagles' 18-12 season-opening win over Atlanta Thursday night.

The Latest on Super Bowl activities on Wednesday including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual Super Bowl week news conference. (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

Commissioner Roger Goodell says he was aware of the announcement of the return of the rival XFL, but hadn’t had time to think much about what it means for the NFL.

Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday said league officials ”want to make sure our game stays strong for the long term.” He said he would ”have to see” if the NFL is asked to be involved, saying he didn’t know ”enough specifics of that proposal.”

WWE boss Vince McMahon last week announced the return of the XFL in 2020, during the NFL’s offseason. The gimmicky original version lasted just the 2001 season.

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2:10 p.m.

Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL wants to build on its relationship with Mexico City after the league announced that Kansas City and the Los Angeles Rams will play there in 2018. The Rams will be the host team.

Goodell was asked during his annual Super Bowl news conference Wednesday if other sites in Mexico, including Monterrey and Guadalajara, would be considered. He said it was something the league ”may consider in the future” but for now was enjoying ”such a good situation in Mexico City.”

The Raiders are set to play in London for their fourth international game in five years as they finish their stay in Oakland before the move to Las Vegas in 2020.

While Goodell acknowledged that the NFL has teams ”in transition from temporary stadiums to long-term facilities,” he said the Raiders are ”an attractive team globally.”

The Rams and Chargers have temporary homes in Los Angeles while a stadium that will house both is being built.

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1:50 p.m.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has reiterated his stance that it’s not the NFL’s place to get involved in whether Colin Kaepernick gets a chance with another team.

Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday that teams ”have to make their own decisions as far as who’s on their roster.”

Kaepernick, who sparked the protests involving the national anthem early in the 2016 season, wasn’t signed this past season following his release in San Francisco.

The comments from Goodell came a day after Philadelphia Eagles receiver Torrey Smith said Kaepernick not getting a chance with another team ”kind of falls in the category of an injustice in itself.”

As it relates to roster decisions, Goodell said the NFL won’t ”get involved in that in any way.”

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1:30 p.m.

The NFL has hired an independent investigator to look into claims of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace against Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address Wednesday that former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White will lead the investigation. White has led similar investigations in other fields, including a recent one at the University of Rochester.

Richardson stepped away from day-to-day operations after allegations surfaced and is seeking to sell the team. The NFL has said it didn’t pressure Richardson to sell based on the allegations.

Goodell said he wants the team to remain in Carolina.

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1:20 p.m.

Commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL will emphasize ways to cut down on longer replay reviews while focusing on the rule book as a way to improve officiating.

Goodell said Wednesday in his annual Super Bowl address that the focus on rules will include ways to refine the catch rule, which has been widely criticized.

The commissioner said the focus for reviews will be on ”making sure it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the game.”

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1 p.m.

Commissioner Roger Goodell is holding his annual Super Bowl week address the same day as the NFL’s announcement of a new Thursday night TV deal with Fox.

There are other issues as backdrops for Goodell’s news conference Wednesday near the site of Sunday’s meeting between New England and Philadelphia.

The league recently announced a player-owner committee to address causes of social justice in the wake of player protests involving the national anthem. The nickname issue involving the Washington Redskins is likely to come up again after baseball’s Cleveland Indians decided this week to remove the Chief Wahoo logo in 2019.

Goodell signed a contract extension in December that runs into 2024. The deal was a source of conflict between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the six owners on the committee in charge of negotiating the extension.

Jones threatened to scuttle the contract, but denied his opposition to the deal was related to Goodell’s decision to suspend star Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games.

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