FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- For the 30 days that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady served an NFL suspension, here are 30 notable things that unfolded with the team while he was away:

1. Brady banner is installed at Gillette Stadium. On Sunday, Sept. 3, the first full day of the suspension, a large banner of Brady was unveiled on the lighthouse. It remained in place for a week, coming down during the team's season opener at Arizona. "From the end of the preseason to today, we wanted to symbolize the fact he is on everybody's mind, and we love him," Patriots president Jonathan Kraft explained.

2. Belichick's reaction to the banner. Head coach Bill Belichick had an unforgettable response when asked about the Brady banner during his Sept. 6 news conference: "All the other decorative and marketing things are not part of the team's preparation."

3. Payton's support from New Orleans. Saints head coach Sean Payton appreciated the banner, noting it on his Twitter account. "There aren't a lot of people that can understand what Tom's going through. I'm one of them," he explained, referencing his 2012 Bountygate suspension.

4. Palmer's soundbite draws headlines. While Payton showed empathy for Brady, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer did not. "I go back and you follow what the rule book says, and you go about your business and you work, and if they tell you not to do it, and then you get busted, and what happens happens, then you suffer the consequences," he said leading into the Sept. 11 season opener.

5. Edelman compares absence to jail time. Some of Brady's closest teammates took his suspension hard, with receiver Julian Edelman saying on Sept. 4 that "it's like one of your buddies going to jail."

6. Garoppolo and smelling salts. With eyes locked on backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's every move, his sniffing of smelling salts before the season opener drew attention. This was like a déjà vu with Brady himself.

7. Patriots win season opener. After the team's 23-21 win at Arizona on Sept. 11, Edelman spoke directly to Brady during an interview on NBC: "Love you, buddy. Gonna get a few more for you. A few more."

8. Garoppolo gets game ball. In a moment that one teammate described as "sheer joy," Garoppolo is awarded the game ball in the locker room after the season-opening win.

9. Garoppolo injures right shoulder. After getting off to a sizzling start, Garoppolo sprains the AC joint in his throwing shoulder with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter of the 31-24 win over the Dolphins on Sept. 18 when linebacker Kiko Alonso drives him into the turf.

10. Checking out free-agent quarterbacks. Down to just one healthy quarterback, and with uncertainty that Garoppolo will be available on a quick turnaround for the next game on Sept. 22, the Patriots bring free-agent quarterbacks T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree to town for a closer look. Neither is signed.

11. Belichick isn't a doctor. Annoyed by persistent questions from reporters about the team's plans at quarterback with the injuries, Belichick delivers a witty soundbite by saying, "I'm a football coach; I'm not a doctor. The medical staff is the medical staff. I coach the team. The medical people handle the injuries. They don't call plays. I don't do surgeries. We have a great deal there."

12. Brissett’s 27-yard touchdown run a rarity. In a play that wouldn’t be called if Brady is under center, Jacoby Brissett runs a keeper 27 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter of the 27-0 win over the Texans. It is the longest scoring run by a Patriots quarterback since Steve Grogan in 1976. Brissett brought the ball to the sideline after the score and handed it to Belichick.

13. "Roger! Roger! Roger!" chant erupts at Gillette. In the third quarter of the team's win over the Texans on Sept. 22, with the Patriots rolling, the crowd began chanting “Roger! Roger! Roger!” as they called for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. This was a reminder of how the Brady suspension lingered for fans even in moments of celebration.

14. Brissett leads Patriots to 3-0. After Brissett steps in for an injured Garoppolo on Sept. 22 against Houston and leads the Patriots to a 27-0 victory, Belichick says, "We got another one!" It's a reference to a second New England quarterback getting his first career NFL win. Brissett is presented a game ball in the locker room.

15. Belichick ties Lambeau on wins list. Belichick pulls into a fourth-place tie with Curly Lambeau on the NFL all-time wins list (226) with the victory over the Texans.

16. Fast starts key opening stretch. The Patriots outscored opponents 34-0 in the first quarters of their first three games. They trailed in those games for a total of only 6 minutes, 2 seconds.

17. Introducing color rush uniforms. Unveiling their "color rush" uniform for a Thursday night game -- a blue-pant, blue-jersey look -- the Patriots rolled over the Texans, and later Belichick said with sarcasm, "I can't even tell you how excited I was about the uniforms."

18. Edelman pranked by Ryan. With the possibility that the Patriots would need him to take quarterback snaps in an emergency, Edelman's emergency role becomes a hot topic to the point that Bills coach Rex Ryan pretended he was a reporter ("Walt Patulski of the Buffalo News") on the weekly conference call and asked Edelman if he was playing the position leading into the teams' Oct. 2 game.

19. Ryan happy not to see Brady. Ryan showed no empathy for Brady serving a suspension. "The one thing I know for sure, Tom Brady is not going to be the quarterback, and I feel good about that," he said on the game-week conference call with Patriots reporters.

20. Backups fill in on radio, too. Garoppolo filled in for Brady for the first two weeks of his weekly Monday interview on sports radio WEEI, before offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took over the next two weeks following Garoppolo's injury. Following standard protocol with rookies under Belichick, Brissett wasn't made available for the radio interviews or at the news conference podium.

21. Gronkowski's injury lingers. One of Brady's go-to targets, tight end Rob Gronkowski, missed the first two games with a hamstring injury initially sustained Aug. 15. He returned Sept. 22 but was limited (14 snaps) before saying, "I can't wait until I'm out there going crazy again." While his workload increased in Week 4, he wasn't a big factor in the passing game, making only one catch.

22. Patriots lose to the Bills. In a sloppy performance that was the opposite of what they did against Houston the week before, the Patriots were shut out by the Bills, 16-0, on Oct. 2. It marked the first time the Patriots were shut out at home since Nov. 28, 1993 as the offensive attack was limited with Brissett once again getting the start.

23. Pregame scuffle in Bills game. Safety Robert Blanton shoved Brissett as Brissett did the traditional jog from one end zone to the other, which started a scrum that had Blanton and rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell shoving each other and knocking helmets. Blanton said after the game that it was a sign of disrespect, while Mitchell said he did what he thought was the right thing.

24. Bennett makes an early mark. With Gronkowski on the sideline, tight end Martellus Bennett played the majority of snaps and said, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time in the NFL." Bennett had created waves in Chicago with quarterback Jay Cutler, and how he would fit in with the Patriots was a big question, but he's been arguably the most consistent player on offense through four games. He has two of his four career 100-yard games this year with the Patriots.

25. Tributes for close pals Faulk and Wilfork. At halftime of the Sept. 18 home opener, the club honored 2016 Patriots Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Faulk, one of Brady’s close friends. Faulk had showed support for Brady by wearing his jersey at the NFL draft while announcing the team's third-round pick. Five days after the Faulk ceremony, the Patriots honored Vince Wilfork, their former defensive tackle, while he was at Gillette Stadium with the Texans for the first time as a visitor. Teammates for 11 seasons, Brady and Wilfork are close.

26. Marking anniversaries of significant moments. Sept. 23 was the 15th anniversary of the Mo Lewis hit that knocked Drew Bledsoe out of the game and inserted Brady into his first NFL regular-season action. Sept. 30 marked the 15th anniversary of Brady's first NFL start. The days didn't pass without mention of those anniversaries.

27. Blount is offensive player of the month. LeGarrette Blount, who led the NFL in September with 285 rushing yards, becomes the first Patriots running back to win the AFC Offensive Player of the Month award since Corey Dillon in 2004. As Rex Ryan noted, it "seems like they're committed to running the ball more than they have in the past."

28. Special efforts by third phase of the game. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after the Sept. 11 season-opening win at Arizona, while punter Ryan Allen earned the honor for the Sept. 22 win over Houston.

29. Long delves into Kaepernick protest. Veteran defensive end Chris Long, whose voice is becoming more prominent in the locker room, shared his thoughts on Colin Kaepernick's protest during the national anthem in remarks that seemed to be well-received by many. Kaepernick said he appreciated Long's willingness to share his perspective.

30. Ninkovich signs one-year extension. Veteran defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who ranks third behind Brady (2000) and Gostkowski (2006) in years with the team, signed a one-year extension through the 2017 season. Like Brady, Ninkovich opened the season serving a four-game suspension. Ninkovich's suspension was a result of a positive test for a banned substance.