NEW YORK -- The players union has approved a rule change on the eve of the season that will allow one designated player from each team to return from injured reserve instead of sitting out the entire year. Kaepernick Jersey . One of the biggest beneficiaries of the change announced Thursday is the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. They have three players whose status is uncertain because of injuries suffered in training camp, with the most obvious being cornerback Terrell Thomas. He aggravated his surgically repaired tight anterior cruciate ligament in late July and has yet to practice. Under the new rule, one "marquee" player" placed on injured reserve will be able to return to practice after the sixth week of the schedule and to the lineup after the eighth week. That player must be on the 53-man roster after the final preseason cut, which comes Friday. The players injury must be one that prevents him from practicing or playing football for six weeks. "I think it is a great rule in general," said Giants cornerback Michael Coe, who has moved into the starting lineup following injuries to Thomas, Prince Amukamara and Jayron Holsey. "Other sports have that, like baseball, guys go on and come off IR every day, like putting on your shoes." The NFL has never had that. If a player was hurt and was going to be sidelined a month or more at the start of the season, he usually ended up on injured reverse. "This is going to help every team which has an injury and has to do some shuffling," Coe said. "Guy wont have to miss the whole year." Besides Thomas, the Giants also have questions about two defensive tackles. Second-year pro Marvin Austin has had back issues most of camp and veteran Shaun Rogers is sidelined with a blood clot in his left leg. A doctor has told him he might be able to play later this season. Giants coach Tom Coughlin said each club will have to review its roster and chose who to designate. He refused to say who the Giants would select. "It depends on the team and the injury," he said. "Every injury that is a reasonable length of time I am sure is being considered by all the clubs." Thomas, who missed the entire 2011 season with a torn ACL, was to visit a doctor on Wednesday to determine whether when he could start running. Coughlin had no information on that visit, and he would not guess how close Thomas was to playing again. Thomas was not in the locker room Thursday and was not immediately available for comment. Rogers said it was a decision for Giants management. NFL owners approved two changes to the rules in May: the injured reserve change and moving the leagues trading deadline back two weeks to after the games in Week 8. The union announced it signed off them on Thursday, six days before the regular season kicks off with a game between the Giants and Dallas Cowboys. Moving the trade deadline to Oct. 30 this season could create more action than in the past, when teams rarely moved players at the deadline. Since the injured reserve rule was adopted after the cutdown to 75 players, the league and the union have agreed to a transition procedure that permits clubs to return to their 53-player active list one player placed on Reserve/Injured since the start of preseason training camp. This selection must be made by Friday: .Baltimore recently placed Terrell Suggs, last seasons Defensive Player of the Year, on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he must sit out at least the first six games. Suggs appeared to fall into the category of the new rule, as well. "Thats a good thing and a bad thing," Giants defensive captain Justin Tuck said. "There are a lot of teams that are going to use that to their advantage, obviously. For the people who do it the right way that can really help a guy because there are parts to the season where a guy just cant get out there and go. Again, if you get a couple of weeks off, you can go, so I see the good." Colin Kaepernick Official Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2012. And TSNs reporters and analysts who covered the events as they happened offer their personal reflections on the stories. Ronnie Lott Jersey . The Lachenaie, Que., skater fell during the preliminary round of the 1,000-metre race last Friday at a World Cup in Nagoya, Japan. There is no firm timeline in place for his return. http://www.shop49ersg... . - Free-agent pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim and the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a one-year, US$850,000 contract Wednesday. [url=http://www.shop49ersgear.us/colin-kaepernick-49ers-jersey/]Colin Kaepernick Black Jersey . -- Toronto manager John Farrell, who celebrated his 50th birthday, said luck had nothing to do with it. Joe Montana Jersey . The Toronto Blue Jays GM said he had plenty of discussions leading up to the 4 p.m. ET deadline Tuesday, but never was really close to finalizing a deal.(Sports Network) - The Green Bay Packers are in a familiar position -- atop the NFC North with just four weeks to play in the regular season. The Packers take aim at their 11th consecutive division win on Sunday Night Football when they entertain a Detroit Lions team which hasnt won in Titletown since 1991. Coverage begins on TSN with Football Night in America at 7pm et/4pm pt. Kickoff between the Lions and Packers can be seen at 8:15pm et/5:15pm pt. The Lions have lost 20 consecutive games at Lambeau Field, last winning there when Barry Sanders was lining up in the backfield for the Motor City Kitties. "It probably (means) more to people who have been here 20 years than us," Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford admitted. "We just want to go in there and put a good game together and try to come out on top." Green Bay regained the top spot in the division with a 23-14 win over Minnesota coupled with a Bears loss to Seattle in Week 13. Both the Packers and Chicago are 8-4 but Green bay currently holds the tiebreaker thanks to a Week 2 win over the Bears at Lambeau. The two teams will meet again in the Second City on Dec. 16. "We have a tough division," said Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk. "The NFC North is a fun division to be in as a linebacker. Every game is physical and I dont think there are going to be many blowouts in the NFC North." "Everythings right in front of us," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers added. "Weve got to go win our home games and get a couple wins on the road." Rodgers threw for 286 yards and a touchdown as Green Bay scored 13 unanswered points in the second half to rally for a 23-14 victory over the Vikings last week. James Starks accounted for the go-ahead score with a 22-yard run late in the third quarter and Mason Crosby kicked three field goals to help tthe Packers bounce back from a 38-10 drubbing at hands of the New York Giants. Alex Boone Jersey. Rodgers completed 27-of-35 passes with one interception for Green Bay, which have won six of seven overall. Things have gone far differently for Detroit this season, which is coming off its latest heart wrenching defeat after Andrew Luck found Donnie Avery for a 14-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game as the Indianapolis Colts shocked the Lions, 35-33, at Ford Field. The Colts were down by 12 points late in the game, but went on two straight scoring drives that Luck capped with touchdown passes. Detroits Calvin Johnson continued his fantastic run in the loss with 13 catches for 171 yards and a touchdown. The NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November, Johnson had a career-high for catches in the game and tied an NFL record with his fifth straight game of at least 125 receiving yards. On the season, Johnson has an NFL-leading 1,428 receiving yards and is 420 away from the league record set by Jerry Rice in 1995. Stafford passed for 313 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 27-of-46 attempts, while Brandon Pettigrew also caught a touchdown pass for the Lions, who have dropped their past four games eliminating any hope of a second consecutive playoff appearances. "We did a poor job protecting the end zone and we did a worse job defending the quarterback," said Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz. "But that wasnt the only thing the lost the game for us, we had other chances to stop them and we just didnt get anything done. We were up two scores, this is inexcusable." The Packers lead the all-time series 92-65-7 and have won 21 of their past 24 against the Lions, including the last meeting on Nov. 18 when Rodgers threw a 22-yard TD pass to Randall Cobb with 1:55 left in a 24-20 win at Detroit. ' ' '