NFL-National Football League roundup

Aug 9 (The Sports Xchange) - NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent accepted responsibility for the poor field conditions that led to the cancellation of Sunday's Hall of Fame Game, according to ESPN. The game between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts was cancelled after team and league officials decided the playing surface at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio, was unplayable. Vincent accepted the blame in a memo to all 32 teams, according to ESPN. -- New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman left Tuesday morning's practice with an apparent injury to his lower left leg. Edelman, who suffered a broken left foot and underwent surgery last November before returning for the playoffs, threw his helmet to the ground while a team trainer examined his leg, multiple media outlets in Boston reported. CSNNE.com and NFL.com, each citing a source, reported that the injury is not believed to be serious. Edelman, 30, underwent a second surgical procedure on his foot in May that caused him to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. He racked up 61 receptions and a career-high seven touchdown catches in nine games last season before sustaining the broken foot against the New York Giants on Nov. 15. He returned to the lineup to make 17 catches in a pair of postseason games. -- Mark Sanchez will start the Denver Broncos' preseason opener at Chicago on Thursday night after being listed as the co-starting quarterback on the team's depth chart released Monday. The plan is for Sanchez to play the first quarter, Trevor Siemian the second and rookie first-round pick Paxton Lynch the entire second half. With the retirement of Peyton Manning and the free-agent defection of Brock Osweiler to the Houston Texans, the defending Super Bowl champions are committed to finding a starter out of the group of Sanchez (10 starts in the past three seasons), Siemian (took a knee in one game in 2015) and Lynch (26th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft). -- Former NFL offensive lineman and assistant coach George Yarno died after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. He was 58. Yarno died Monday in Spokane, Wash. His death was announced by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the last team he worked for before the three-year fight began. Yarno played college football at Washington State and went unselected in the 1979 NFL draft. He cracked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster as a free agent and spent eight seasons with the team. He also played one season each with the Atlanta Falcons (1988) and Houston Oilers (1989). Yarno played in 136 NFL games (73 starts) during 10 seasons. -- The Cleveland secondary received a huge talent boost when veteran cornerback Joe Haden practiced for the first time since undergoing surgery on his left ankle in March. He is not expected to play in Friday's preseason game at Green Bay but hopes to be ready for the season opener. Haden did not practice Tuesday because the Browns are easing him back. He can participate only in individual drills for now, but his return makes him confident he will be ready for the season opener on Sept. 11 in Philadelphia. (Editing by Larry Fine) ))