(Photo by: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Making it into the NFL is hard.
Becoming a full-time starter in the league is even harder.
Of all of the players who have been fortunate enough to fulfill their dreams and make it to the big stage, 1,167 have only appeared in one game.
Most of those players appear on special teams, filling in for an injury. Others were thrown into the offensive and defensive lineups.
Here is a look at 10 offensive players who made the best, or worst, of their one shot at glory.
The Best
5. WR Martin Nance, Minnesota Vikings: Dec. 21, 2006
Four REC, 33 YDS, one TD
A two-time 1,000-plus yard receiver at Miami University, Ohio, Nance was an undrafted free agent, signed by the Buffalo Bills after the 2006 NFL Draft. After being waived on Aug. 28, 2006, right before the season was about to kick off, Nance signed with Minnesota.
Nance didn't get to see the field until the final game of his rookie season against the St. Louis Rams, but he made the best of it in a 41-21 loss.
Nance hauled in four catches, the most by any one-game career player, and his touchdown makes him one of just three of such players to do so.
He was released after the 2008 preseason but was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10, 2008. He won a Super Bowl ring on the Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII practice squad and was re-signed following the game.
4. WR Randy Burks, Chicago Bears: Dec. 5, 1976
One REC, 55 YDS, one TD
Drafted in the eighth round out of Oklahoma State by the St. Louis Cardinals, Burks quickly changed teams to the mediocre Chicago Bears.
Teetering around .500, the Bears were given a gift walking into the home of the 2-10 Seattle Seahawks, and they did as expected by blowing the home team out of the water.
With the score already 27-7, Chicago put in a slew of backups, including QB Virgil Carter and our man Burks. The two didn't waste much time getting to know one another, and Carter hit Burks for a 55-yard touchdown pass, sealing the victory at 34-7.
The 5'11" Burks never saw the field again after his big play, and he faded into NFL obscurity following the '76 season.
In one swoop, however, Burks is the current leader in receiving yards for players with one career game on their record.
3. QB Tony Robinson, Washington Redskins: Oct. 19, 1987
11-18, 152 YDS, two INT
Robinson is your average, everyday, prison to professional sports to prison story.
After the players went on strike before the 1987 season, the Redskins needed a quarterback. After seeing their fair share of pedestrian talent, Washington negotiated with a Tennessee jail to release former Volunteer quarterback Robinson until the strike ended.
As if playing in your first (and only) NFL game after being incarcerated wasn't enough pressure for a quarterback, Robinson made his debut on Monday night against the rival, 3-1 Dallas Cowboys.
Robinson was thrust into the game when Washington's starting quarterback, Ed Rubbert, was injured after just two passes.
For a jailbird, Robinson managed the game well, completing 61 percent of his passes and converting 19 first downs en route to a 13-7 victory over Dallas. He was passed over by the previous year's starting QB, Jay Schroeder, the following week against the New York Jets.
After the players union crossed the picket line, Robinson was shipped back to prison in Tennessee and never played on an NFL gridiron again.
2. RB Vincent Alexander, New Orleans Saints: Oct. 4, 1987
21 CAR, 71 YDS, one TD
In another case of a man taking advantage of the players strike, Alexander, a former fullback at Southern Mississippi, joined the '87 New Orleans Saints. This team was coached by the one man who doesn't want to talk about playoffs, Jim Mora.
After New Orleans gained a measly 23 total yards rushing in Week Two, the Saints gave the bulk of the carries in Week Three to Alexander.
He took full advantage of his opportunity, carrying the ball a category-high 21 times and scoring the category's only rushing touchdown. He also grabbed two receptions for 15 yards in his team's rout of the Los Angeles Rams, 37-10.
The Saints would go on to a 12-3 record, but despite his solid game in Week Three, Alexander would not see the field again.
1. RB Lance Ball, Indianapolis Colts: Dec. 28, 2008
13 CAR, 83 YDS, 6.3 YPC
In a game that meant very little for his team's or his opponent's (the Tennessee Titans) playoff hopes, Ball put up the best results out of anyone with a one-game career in NFL history.
After starting running back Joseph Addai hauled in a 55-yard TD pass and rushed once for four yards, the Colts decided to not take a risk with their injury-prone running back right before the playoffs.
Enter Ball.
He had been a part of the practice squad for the St. Louis Rams and the Colts for two seasons, but he was called up for Week 17 on Dec. 28.
That just so happened to be the same date he was expected to play.
The Colts gave it to the former University of Maryland star halfback a team-leading 13 times, and thanks in large part to a 23-yard burst, Ball racked up a category-leading 83 rushing yards.
Despite fumbling the ball once, Ball's ground control paved the way to a dominating 23-0 victory over the Titans—a game in which the Ball-led Colts won the first down battle 21-8.
Ball has re-signed with the Colts for the 2009 season, and perhaps his performance at the end of 2008 will be reason enough to give him another shot.
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