38 Gutsiest Performers in NFL History

There is no doubt that you have to have tremendous heart and guts to play in the National Football League.

The collisions are brutal, and some of the injuries are so severe that it hurts to watch them on replay. This is not a game for the faint of heart.

Every so often, though, a football player will go above and beyond the call of duty and play on despite being in tremendous pain, taking one for the team.

In this article we are going to look back through the ages to try to identify the 38 Gutsiest Performances in NFL History.

There will be some black-and-white-era photos mixed in with more modern gutsy performances, but all of them are noteworthy based on what the players accomplished and how they were able to persevere through their pain to give everything that they could give.

Being on this list is special, so we won't belittle their accomplishment by trying to rank them.

Philip Rivers

Some quarterbacks have a higher tolerance of pain than others. Case in point is Philip Rivers.

On January 20, 2008, the San Diego Chargers were facing the New England Patriots for the AFC Championship Game. The problem was that Rivers had suffered a torn ACL, so Rivers had some minor surgery done so that he could tolerate the pain for the game.

Unfortunately, the Chargers lost the game to the Patriots and Tom Brady. Rivers went on to have major surgery to repair the ACL. But for any Chargers player that ever wondered about how tough Rivers was, he won their ultimate respect that day.

When players do things like Rivers did, it is more understandable that fans have a problem when players like Jay Cutler ask to bow out.

Some people are just better equipped to handle pain than others.

Donovan McNabb

On November 17, 2002, Donovan McNabb was the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, who were playing the Arizona Cardinals. On the third play of the game, McNabb was sacked. His leg and ankle were awkwardly pinned back on the play, and McNabb actually broke his ankle on the play.

McNabb refused to have any X-ray taken and decided to play on with the pain. He wound up playing the entire game on an ankle that barely allowed him to walk. He wound up having a special day, completing 20 of 25 passes for 255 yards and four touchdown passes.

For a recount of the game, you can find that here.

For a video tribute to McNabb's performance on that day, here is a link to NFL Films with some game footage.

The Eagles beat the Cardinals 38-14, by the way.

Jack Youngblood

In the playoffs in 1979, the Los Angeles Rams were facing the Dallas Cowboys.

Defensive end Jack Youngblood was caught in a double-team block, and the result was a broken bone in his leg. Despite the broken leg, Youngblood simply asked the team doctor to tape it up and went on to complete the game.

After that, Youngblood continued to play on the broken leg in the NFC Championship Game and then in the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If that weren't enough, he established his legacy even more when he played in the Pro Bowl game, still on the broken leg.

It makes you appreciate what he did even more when you consider how many current NFL stars skip the Pro Bowl game because they might be a little banged up.

For a video recount of what Youngblood did, check out the video link from NFL Films.

Brett Favre

Everyone knows that Brett Favre was tough, but he was one of the gutsiest quarterbacks in NFL history.

From concussions to ankle spurs and separated shoulders, Favre has endured many injuries to his body, which happens when you play into your 40s.

The one game that stood out for me was the Monday Night Football game on Dec. 22, 2003, when Favre played after his father had passed away the day before. That was a magical game for Favre, who wound up passing for 399 yards and had an incredible quarterback passing rating of 154.9.

The Packers beat the Oakland Raiders 41-7.

Favre played with a heavy heart that night but knew it was what his father would have wanted him to do. Favre played in a record 297 straight games, and when you take a pounding at quarterback like he did, week in and week out, you cannot possibly question how gutsy Favre was.

Emmitt Smith

In a contest against the New York Giants on Jan. 2, 1994, Emmitt Smith suffered a separated shoulder during the second quarter of the game but played through it. 

The contest went into overtime, and Dallas prevailed with a 16-13 win. For the contest, Smith gained 229 yards overall, and he had 168 rushing yards against the No. 1 defense in the NFL.

He gained 41 yards on the winning drive in overtime to set up the field goal that clinched the Cowboys' home-field advantage and the NFC East division championship.

Smith taped a thigh pad on his shoulder to absorb the hits and try to dull the pain of the separated shoulder. Head coach Jimmy Johnson tried to send in Lincoln Coleman to take his place, but Smith told him to get out.

John Madden, who was announcing the game, said he had just witnessed the most courageous performance he had ever seen.

Kellen Winslow

The image of Kellen Winslow being carried off of the field by his teammates is one of the most famous pictures in NFL history. The game, known simply as "The Epic in Miami," was played on January 2, 1982.

The playoff game turned into an excruciatingly long overtime contest as the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins left everything on the field that day. Winslow established a playoff record with 13 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown in the game. He blocked a field goal with four seconds left in regulation that sent the game into overtime.

He did all of the above while suffering from dehydration, in addition to severe cramping. During the game, he pinched a nerve in his shoulder and needed stitches for a wound to his lip. It is indeed one of the gutsiest performances in the annals of the NFL.

Arian Foster

It is one thing to come out of nowhere to lead the NFL in rushing. It is another thing altogether to do that while hiding a serious injury for fear of losing your job.

Arian Foster wound up in 2010 having the best single season for an undrafted player in the history of the NFL with 1,616 yards rushing.

According to a story in Sporting News, Foster played the entire season with a torn meniscus in his knee. Foster was afraid that if he revealed the injury to the team, they would put him on the I.R. list, and he would lose his job. So he decided to just keep the injury a secret.

Going out there week after week, playing in pain and taking a pounding on top of it, speaks volumes as to the character of Foster. Foster also suffered some cartilage damage in the Pro Bowl game, so he went ahead and had arthroscopic surgery done in February.

From now on, Texans team doctors will be keeping an eye on Foster to see what he may be keeping from them down the road. But you have to admire his dedication, as well as his guts.

Y.A. Tittle

Battered and beaten, this photo of Y.A. Tittle, quarterback for the New York Giants, showed what it was like to play in the NFL in the 1960s.

The game in question was September 20, 1964, as the Giants were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers.

What not everyone knows is that this photo was taken on a play where Tittle had thrown an interception, and during the return, he was knocked down to the ground and left in a bloody, confused state. It turns out that Tittle suffered multiple injuries on the play, as he was hit with both a concussion and a cracked sternum on the same play.

Tittle struggled through the injuries to finish out the season and then retired from the NFL.

In his long career, which ended with an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tittle is the only quarterback enshrined that never won a single postseason game.

Dan Pastorini

Dan Pastorini, quarterback of the Houston Oilers, learned how to play with pain. Pastorini took some big hits over the years that ultimately caused him to play with broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Due to those injuries, a "flak jacket" was created to help him absorb the pounding but try to protect his ribs and lungs from further damage.

Pastorini endured the pain through his years in Houston, as he only missed five games from 1971 to 1979. It would have helped if he had more weapons.

As it was, he only got a great running back just prior to leaving the team, when Earl Campbell arrived in 1978.

Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens stays in great shape for his age, and his antics can become tiresome, but he also should be respected for his guts.

As much as he is mocked for his large ego, he deserves some respect for the performance he made in Super Bowl XXXIX.

In 2004, when Owens was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, he suffered a badly sprained ankle and fractured fibula due to a horse-collar tackle by Cowboys safety Roy Williams.

The Eagles doctors told Owens that he could not be cleared for the Super Bowl game, but Owens ignored their decision and played in the game anyway.

Despite the pain and risk of further injury, Owens was one of the few Eagles that truly showed up for the game, as he made nine catches for 122 yards in a remarkable performance against the New England Patriots.

If anyone had ever doubted how tough Owens was, or if he had guts, he answered them during this game.

Jim Otto

When you think of NFL players that have to endure countless operations to fix injuries that hampered their career, who are some of the players that spring to mind?

For me, the name that immediately sprang to mind was Jim Otto. In 15 seasons with the Oakland Raiders from 1960-1974, Jim Otto never missed one game.

He played in 308 consecutive games during his career, which also included nine knee operations.

Regardless of how much pain he was dealing with, Otto continued to give everything that he had to give out on the field. In total, Otto wound up with nearly 40 surgeries, of which 28 were knee operations. He suffered from back and neck pain and arthritis in his joints.

In 2007, Otto's right leg was amputated due to complications. This is one of the great warriors from the AFL days, and he was rewarded for his long career when he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980.

Ben Roethlisberger

In Super Bowl XL between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played the contest with two broken ribs.

Roethlisberger knew something was wrong, but it wasn't until after the game had been played that an MRI revealed that he had played with the broken ribs.

He was hobbling around in 2010 during the regular season with a badly sprained ankle but would take off downfield and scramble for key first downs to keep drives alive, even though he could barely run.

Roethlisberger has been taken off the field on a stretcher. He has suffered head concussions as well as a spinal cord concussion.

You can say what you want to about some of Roethlisberger's faults, but there is no doubt that he is a very gutsy player.

Ronnie Lott

When Ronnie Lott decided to have the tip of his finger amputated so he could continue to play, it marked new heights of what a star player was willing to sacrifice for his team and for the game of football.

The game in question was December 22, 1985 as the San Francisco 49ers played the Dallas Cowboys.

After Lott broke the finger, with the bone sticking up through his skin, he went into the locker room and had the tip of his finger cut off.

Lott then taped up the finger and his hand and proceeded to return to the game.

You can watch the whole scenario via the video link.

Ronnie Lott is one gutsy football player.

Terrell Davis

When Terrell Davis began playing in Super Bowl XXXII, little did he know he would start suffering such a debilitating migraine headache that he couldn't even see.

The migraine was so bad that Davis had to sit out the entire second quarter of the Super Bowl.

He returned in the second half. Davis and John Elway led the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory.

Davis earned the right to be known as one gutsy performer.

Gale Sayers

Gale Sayers hurt his knee in 1968. It was devastating for several reasons.

First of all, he tore three of the four ligaments in that knee. The second important factor was the time period in question. Modern sports medicine in 1968 was shockingly bad, so overcoming an injury of this severity was unheard of.

Sayers proved that he could return from the severe injury and gained over 1,200 yards rushing on the bad knee, speaking volumes about his character, toughness and guts.

Enjoy the video presentation.

Mark Herzlich

Yes, I am very well aware that Mark Herzlich is not a member of any NFL organization yet. But as soon as the labor lockout is lifted and he is signed to a contract as an undrafted rookie free agent, Herzlich will become part of NFL history, for however short or long his career turns out to be.

Herzlich is the player from Boston College that discovered he had come down with a rare disease called Ewing's sarcoma, which also has a low survival rate.

Told by doctors that he could never play again, Herzlich set out to prove to everyone that he could fight and beat the disease and continue with his plans to play in the NFL.

For an interesting look into the ordeal that set Herzlich back, here is a link to a story from Esquire.

Herzlich had a solid season in his return to Boston College in 2010 but is still not all the way back. He has a rod in his leg that he will have to play with to support his left leg. The rod was inserted into the bone of his left leg to give him greater support after surgery removed his tumor.

To think that Herzlich will be playing with that has to serve as a huge inspiration to any and all cancer victims. His gutsy performance to me is off the charts.

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers suffered his first concussion in the 2010 season against the Washington Redskins in Week 5. He then suffered a second concussion in Week 14 against the Detroit Lions.

The second concussion was sufficient to break up Rogers' consecutive game streak of starting in all 48 possible games over the past three seasons.

Despite the second concussion, Rodgers came back to lead the Packers to wins in the final two regular season games en route to winning the Super Bowl championship.

There is no doubt that Rodgers is gutsy. He was tied for being sacked the most in the NFL in 2009 with a whopping 50 sacks. That is a lot of punishment to absorb. But Rodgers has learned how to take the hits and perform at a high level.

Tom Dempsey

When you are born without a right hand and a club foot, it is hard to imagine growing up and playing in the NFL. But that is exactly what Tom Dempsey did.

He overcame the odds and despite the handicaps became the kicker for the New Orleans Saints.

Every Sunday, when he had to go out there to kick, it had to take tremendous guts. Facing a jeering crowd, and facing enemy defenses that would love nothing more than to dive in and try to block the kick, Dempsey kept his composure and did what he was hired to do.

Dempsey thanked his dad for telling him that he could do anything that he wanted to do. That helped him to get over the fears that he couldn't do the things that other kids could. The kids called him "Stumpy." Imagine that.

For more details or insight, here is a link to a story by Ross Porter, where he describes Dempsey as a "Real Sports Hero."

Steve Young

Towards the end of his career, the concussions started coming with more regularity. Steve Young suffered four concussions during the final three years of his career.

In total, Young had seven concussions during his career. To put your helmet and the jersey on and to take those huge hits from blitzing linemen and linebackers week after week, knowing that you have already had at least five concussions, took incredible courage and guts.

Young ended his career after suffering a concussion in a Monday Night Football game against Arizona. He was hit from the blind side and knocked out. Talking to the media after the game, Young said he was scared of what could happen to him based on all the concussions he kept receiving.

Here is a link to an article by T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times that goes into greater account of what Young was going through.

There is no doubt that Steve Young had the sense and wisdom of knowing when to walk away. That is not the case with every quarterback that gets his bell repeatedly rung.

Joe Namath

Is there any quarterback in NFL history that had worse knees than Joe "Willie" Namath?

Namath made outlandish guarantees, made wild commercials and lived the life of a carefree bachelor. But when it came to lining up on Sundays and trying to be mobile on his creaky old knees, Namath was a sitting duck to have his head knocked off.

For an interesting look at knee injuries and more details about Namath, here is a link to an article that provides more insight.

The injuries started in Alabama and got worse when he turned pro. His knees got so bad that they required regular draining due to all the fluid that kept building up. It was not unusual to see Namath get his knees drained during halftime just so he could still play in the second half.

It is just a shame that Namath wasn't around when knee treatments were more advanced and doctors might have been able to prolong his career.

There is no question that Namath was a gutsy performer.

Troy Aikman

Is there any quarterback in NFL history that has suffered through more concussions than Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys? As we cited with Steve Young, he knew when it was time to walk away. You have to wonder if Aikman stayed a little too long.

For those fans that are really not all that up on what concussions can do to you, this link will provide you with greater detail and insight. As far as Aikman goes, he suffered 10 concussions during his career, the last of which ended his career.

Another interesting story on Aikman and his concussions ran on Bleacher Report. You can find the link to that here. Basically, Aikman says that concussions are part of football, but it is more than just that.

From the big three Cowboys of Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith, only Smith was able to walk away on his terms. The other two had to stop playing because of injuries suffered that prematurely ended their careers.

Maurice Jones-Drew

Maurice Jones-Drew put up some amazing numbers in 2010, all the more amazing when you realize that he did it while playing on a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Is that the "in thing" now for running backs in the NFL? Tear your meniscus like Jones-Drew and Arian Foster, rush for over 1,000 yards and never mention your injury to anybody.

Going forward, part of the issue is that since Jones-Drew kept playing on it, the condition got worse, and it eventually led to where he had bone rubbing up against bone in his knee. That is never a good thing, as that can not only cut your playing career shorter but can also impact your quality of life after you retire.

We will never question Maurice Jones-Drew for his guts. Crazy, maybe, but he definitely has guts.

Andre Johnson

Andre Johnson suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 of the 2010 season. Dealing with a bad foot all season, Johnson was still able to go out and produce over 1,200 yards in receptions despite missing three games due to the severity of the ankle sprain.

Johnson continues to produce at an extremely high level. It is a shame that the injury forced his streak of two seasons with at least 1,500 yards in receptions to end.

Johnson demonstrated plenty of guts and ability to tolerate pain with his 2010 performance.

Steve McNair

Steve McNair said that he used pain to stay focused. We can conclude that Steve McNair was one very focused quarterback.

According to a story in USA Today, McNair said this about playing with pain: "It goes back to high school, when my coach told me that when you're in pain, you tend to stay more focused on what you have to do. I took that to heart, and I think that's how I play now. I can just concentrate better when I'm playing in pain."

During his NFL career, the laundry list of injuries that McNair suffered is mind-boggling:

Left shoulder, groin, back, hand, head, pectoral, ankle, sternum, calf, knee, dislocated finger, thumb, ribs, toe, ruptured disks in his back, neck, concussion, cracked bone spur, back spasms and elbow. That is just the singular list of body parts. There were many multiple entries per injury.

For every week that McNair tolerated high levels of pain, his fans should have been showering him with the highest praise. McNair was one gutsy performer.

Ahmad Bradshaw

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw is another athlete that is more than capable of playing through pain. In the 2010 season, Bradshaw had to endure an ankle injury that he suffered against the Bears. He also suffered from a wrist injury earlier in the season.

In 2009, Bradshaw again demonstrated his guts when he caught 21 passes and rushed 163 times with a broken bone in his foot.

Not only that, but Bradshaw had been running with a broken bone in the other foot as well.

Coming out of college, he had bone spurs in his right ankle.

The Giants don't just take it lightly that Bradshaw is just extremely tough and has the ability to gut it out, when other players would probably be begging out.

Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates played only 10 games in the 2010 season due to a very painful torn plantar fascia injury that he suffered. Gates attempted to play through the injury, which was not the only time he was hurt in the season, but the pain was too much, so he was placed on I.R.

Gates was off to a monster season, as he wound up with 10 touchdown receptions and averaging over 15 yards per catch on the year.

Besides the plantar fascia, Gates also suffered a bad ankle injury when he was hurt blocking, and it got worse when someone fell on his leg after a reception.

Gates continues to shine in the NFL, and though the injuries have piled up over the years, he continues to find a way to get open and produce.

Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas was a warrior at quarterback back in the day when quarterbacks were routinely having defensive linemen trying to rip their heads off at every opportunity they could take.

A player like James Harrison may not be enamored with the current NFL rules that overprotect quarterbacks, so he would have absolutely gone nuts in the days of Unitas where you could get away with murder, figuratively.

The equipment wasn't that great back then when Unitas was playing football. The referees let late hits be part of the game, but Unitas was the kind of quarterback that stood there and never wavered. Courage and guts were part of his game.

Unitas played from 1955 to 1973. He started his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one year and ended it with the San Diego Chargers for one year. But everything in between was with the Baltimore Colts.

Unitas is a very good example of the guts displayed by players in his era.

Tom Brady

When Tom Brady was injured in the season-opening game of 2008, it was the first major injury of his career—major enough that he was forced to sit out an entire season.

That is what happens when you tear your ACL and your MCL on the same play.

The double tear meant that when he stepped back onto the field to start the 2009 season, there was going to be that doubt in the back of his mind that a similar injury could come back at any time.

But like the true professional that Brady is, he kept his composure in the pocket, didn't flinch when the pressure started to get close and played like he has always done throughout his career.

He has taken more than his fair share of hits over the years, but Brady manages to pick himself up and stay after it.

Jerry Rice

Not every gutsy performer in this presentation is selected because he was able to endure a serious injury and was able to play through it and do something special. Others are included because of the style of their play.

Such is the case with two specific receivers, starting with this slide and going on to the next one. These are wide receivers that despite playing into their mid to late 30s continued to make their bread and butter by running pass routes over the middle of the field.

These patterns continually put them in danger of having a hard-hitting safety trying to separate them from the ball, from their helmet or both.

The first of the receivers that I wanted to acknowledge that excelled in that type of route-running was Jerry Rice.

He played for 20 seasons and was still running routes over the middle even though he was more than 40 years old. Rice was a player that had tremendous pride, work ethic and guts.

Andre Reed

Running those slant patterns over the middle out of the K-gun offense, waiting for Jim Kelly to deliver the pass and then getting leveled within a step or two of catching the ball.

That was life for Andre Reed for year after year when the Buffalo Bills were running their hurry-up offense.

Reed was still catching many passes over the middle into his mid 30s for the Bills. Reed excelled at picking up yards after the catch and being durable despite all the hard licks he took from linebackers and safeties alike.

At some point soon, he hopes to receive his just due and enter the Hall of Fame.

Reed was not only tough, but a gutsy performer as well.

Jim Kelly

We already highlighted one of Jerry Rice's key quarterbacks, Steve Young, who suffered from concussions. Now we move over to Andre Reed's counterpart, Jim Kelly, who had his fair share of concussions and injuries as well.

Even though he was a quarterback, Kelly played the game of football with the mentality of a linebacker. He was tough and took a pounding but found a way to keep coming back for more.

While Young was far more mobile and able to elude pass rushers with his elusiveness, that was not Kelly's strong suit. Instead, Kelly would have to take a hit more often than not, and after a while, the injuries became too much for him to keep playing.

Pulling a hamstring and taking a concussion in his final game was the signal of the end. An article by Peter King of Sports Illustrated comments on the way that Kelly left the game, as his timing was perfect.

Trent Green

We all know it takes guts to play quarterback in the NFL. That is because getting to the quarterback is the goal for every defensive player. If you can get to him and create a sack, that is great. If you can knock him out of the game, you will get kudos from your team and coach.

But sometimes, a quarterback is more than just knocked out of a game.

Such was the case in 2007 when Trent Green was the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, playing in Houston against the Texans.

During a reverse, Green attempted to throw a block. The play resulted in Green suffering a grade three concussion—the worst type of concussion that you can suffer.

Green lay on the field motionless. His head was strapped to the stretcher, and he was carted off the field. That was not the first concussion that Green ever had, but it was the last play he ever played for Miami that season.

You have to have guts to be a quarterback in the NFL.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Writing the slide about Trent Green, I was immediately reminded that this is the same style—let's call it reckless abandon—that Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick employs in his game.

Since the Bills don't appear on nationally televised games (until they start becoming a winning team again), many people have not had a chance to watch Fitzpatrick play lately.

When he determines that he is going to scramble out of the pocket, he will start to run downfield, and then he will begin to look for a defender that he can hit. He doesn't look to run out of bounds; he would prefer to challenge a defender and hit him harder than he would be hit.

The result is usually a few extra yards on the scramble and a stunned defender that wonders what hit him.

If it is a running play that winds up going to the opposite side than it was originally called for, Fitzpatrick will immediately jump up in the play and serve as a lead blocker for his running back.

The physical style that he plays with immediately won over Bills fans, and he has many loyal followers as a result. We are not sure how much longer he can continue to play this way and stay healthy, but it appears this is the style of football that he knows best.

There is no shortage of guts when it comes to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Rashard Mendenhall

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall was a rookie when he decided to challenge Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in a collision. The result was that Mendenhall suffered a broken shoulder that ended his rookie season.

To show that he learned from his mistake, Mendenhall has picked up some moves since then that allow him to spin away from would-be tacklers and take less punishment on his carries.

Some people learn from their mistakes, and some don't. Mendenhall doesn't cringe at contact, but he has learned how to absorb it and turn it into better gains.

William Gay

When you are asked to tackle Adrian Peterson in the open field, it is usually a good idea to make sure you have several teammates in the immediate area to help you slow him down. 

That was not the case when William Gay of the Pittsburgh Steelers tried his best to tackle Peterson in the open field. The end result was that Peterson ran right over him as if he wasn't there.

Peterson goes 6'1" and weighs 217 pounds. Gay is 5'10" and weighs 190 pounds. In an interview after the game, Gay told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "He can't be human. Dude's made of steel."

We can at least applaud Gay for having some guts. It takes courage to be run over by the man of steel. For a video replay, here is a link to check it out.

Jamaal Charles

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles is one of the most exciting backs right now in the NFL. Charles' game features his quickness, elusiveness and his speed. He is not necessarily thought of as a power back.

Playing in his first playoff game, Charles decided he would display his guts for the second season and challenge some Baltimore Ravens defenders early in the playoff game at Kansas City.

Charles wound up getting dinged up on the play and was basically taken out of the contest from that moment on. The Chiefs were overwhelmed by the Ravens, and Chiefs fans were left to wonder whatever happened to Charles.

It is fine to have guts in the NFL. It is better to know when to properly apply them and when not to.

Eli Manning

Eli Manning suffered a sprained shoulder against the Dallas Cowboys early in the 2007 season.

Manning was able to play through the injury for the rest of the season, leading his team to an eventual Super Bowl championship when the Giants defeated the New England Patriots 17-14.

Any time you have stretched ligaments in your shoulder and you have to throw the ball, plus take a pounding on that shoulder, you have to have some guts to survive the pain.

Luckily for Manning and the Giants, the sacrifice was well worth it when they won the ultimate prize that season.

John Elway

John Elway's storied career took many twists and turns. One of his more memorable plays was the play he made when he dove in the air, was hit and started spinning around like a helicopter blade and got a crucial first down in Super Bowl XXXII against the Packers.

Elway had his share of injuries, battling through a ruptured biceps tendon, among other things. The next year Elway was able to leave the game by winning consecutive Super Bowls and going out on top. All players dream about doing that, but very few get to actually experience it for real.

We hope you enjoyed the presentation. We included some games from yesteryear that illustrated the guts that players needed to survive in that era.

If there are players that you think we missed, feel free to include them in the comments section. We welcome your ideas and comments.