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FOXBORO - Bill Belichick may have a lot of respect for the game he coaches, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get annoyed over some of the nitpicking that goes on over the rules every year.

Still, despite a number of changes in this year's NFL rulebook (and none of them of the earth-shaking variety), Belichick has chosen to take a laissez-faire attitude toward them.

Simply stated, using one of his favorite terms, it is what it is.

"Whatever the rule is, we try to play by it," Belichick said Tuesday at his daily Gillette Stadium press conference. "If they change it, then we have to coach differently and we coach differently. If there's replay, there's replay, and if there's not replay, there's not replay. It's not our job to make the rules, it's to understand them and to play to them."

Belichick's comments came just before a film presentation about this year's rule changes to media members by an officiating crew. Umpire Rusty Hannah introduced the film, which is also shown to players, and answered a few media questions about the changes. Among the highlights:

**The 5-yard face mask penalty is no longer in effect. A brush of the hand against a face mask is no longer seen as a violation serious enough to warrant a penalty.

** The "force-out" no longer exists. Pass receptions and interceptions don't count unless a player gets both feet down inbounds, except for the possibility in which a player is physically grasped and secured while in midair well in bounds, and carried out of bounds without his feet touching the ground.

** A legal forward handoff that is dropped is now a fumble, as is a direct snap from center that hits the ground before it is touched by the quarterback. In the past, the forward handoff would have been an incomplete pass and the botched snap would have been a false start.

** Teams can now defer their coin-toss decisions to the second half.

**Field goals are now reviewable by instant replay.

There are also several "points of emphasis" in regard to sportsmanship, including issues that address displays of a "lack of mutual respect" among players, coaches or officials. Taunting and excessive demonstrations will be discouraged even more, as well as gestures that would threaten harm to another player or someone involved in the game.

And, finally, defensive signals can be radioed to a player on the field who will be wearing a helmet with a headset incorporated into it. Belichick said earlier in the week that he would not address that during practice until his team has its normal substitution and play-calling procedures in place.

Morning walkthrough

Those who arrived at the Gillette Stadium practice fields this morning expecting to see rock-'em, sock-'em football action were sorely disappointed. Belichick had the players in shorts and T-shirts for a walkthrough that lasted only slightly more than an hour. The menu for the morning included more detailed slow-speed instruction as part of the installation of this year's playbook.

Answering Al

New addition LaMont Jordan minced no words in answering reports out of the Bay Area that said that Raiders' managing partner Al Davis was miffed at the former's decision to sign with the Patriots. Davis told reporters that he and Jordan's agent agreed that Jordan would not sign with either the Broncos or the Patriots if released.

"One thing I know about the media, a lot of times they have no idea what they're talking about." Jordan said. "I'm quite sure that if my release was contingent on that, it wouldn't have just been heard in the Bay Area. It would have been heard all over. Everybody wants to take a shot at the Patriots, so I'm quite sure the media would have taken a great opportunity.

"From my understanding, my release wasn't based on that," he said. "My release was based on the fact the Raiders no longer wanted me out there. I think that's what it comes down to."

Quick kicks

The first order of business for the Patriots at their Tuesday afternoon practice was the removal of safety Rodney Harrison from the physically-unable-to-perform list, restoring the 15th-year veteran to active duty ...

Inside Gillette Stadium, the New England Country Music Festival stage is gone, dismantled fully within a day, and workers are now busily erecting the stage for the upcoming Bruce Springsteen concert. The Revolution has a game scheduled Wednesday, but the huge stage in the South end zone may require a shortening of the field for the game against the reigning Mexican Apertura fall season champion, Atlante, in the semifinal round of SuperLiga 2008 at 8 p.m. ...

For you fans of alternate uniforms, word has it that the Patriots have scrapped their silver-colored third jersey and will not wear anything but their standard white and blue jerseys this season. However, expect a red jersey to surface for the 2009 season, which will be the Patriots' 50th season of existence. It's not clear yet if it will be a throwback uniform or a unique design ...

Former Patriots' linebacker Andre Tippett, just days short of his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, will make an appearance before the media today and will visit the team on the field during today's practice, scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.