Peyton Manning and 4 NFL Players Who Have the Most to Lose in 2012

Several NFL players could hurt their careers and severely limit how much money they can earn with poor play or injuries in 2012. These are extremely high-profile NFL players who stand to lose in multiple ways, from the loss of money to the loss of a starting job. The outcome of this season is more crucial to these players than it is for the average NFL player.

Some are aging veterans with not much tread left on their tires, and this season could be the end for them as vital players for their respective teams. Others could not agree to long-term contracts with their teams and are playing under the franchise tag for the 2012 season. In some cases, teams offered these players large amounts of money, but they could not come to an agreement.

In either case, these players need to have outstanding seasons if they want to hold onto their starting jobs, or to get the big contract they were seeking in the 2012 offseason. With less-than-stellar seasons, these players stand to lose significant amounts of money and playing time. There is much at risk for these players.

Here are the players that have the most to lose in 2012.

Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning missed the entire 2011 NFL season with a neck injury, and he signed with the Denver Broncos after the Indianapolis Colts cut him in the 2012 offseason. ESPN.com reported that Manning had four surgical procedures on his neck over a less-than-two-year period, and it paints a remarkably ugly picture of what Manning will be able to handle physically in the NFL.

His arm strength is down, and the chances of another neck injury are better for Manning than they are for other NFL quarterbacks. The Broncos need to protect Manning and limit the number of times he gets hit, as there isn’t much time left for the 36-year-old. Manning has been a master of getting rid of the ball on time, effectively reducing the number of hits he takes.

Manning has had an incredible NFL career with the Colts. He has thrown for over 54,000 yards, and 399 touchdowns in his 14-year-career. He is widely considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, and almost certainly one of the most intelligent. That intelligence has led him to his illustrious career, but he is playing for a different team now, and that guarantees that there will be changes.

Julie Hayes of Yahoo! Sports reported that before training camp, Manning claimed that he was not close to being 100 percent. Manning’s issue is with the nerve that was causing weakness in the triceps of his throwing arm, and the involvement of a nerve is a potentially scary problem for Manning.

There will be times when Manning simply will not be able to make a throw, particularly into the teeth of the wind at home in Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium. Quarterbacks need to be able to spin a clean football to throw it through heavy wind, and there are questions as to whether or not Manning will be able to do this.

If Manning was to re-injure his neck, he would most likely be finished as an NFL player. If he struggles to throw the ball with the right amount of velocity in 2012, it would be a signal that he has not recovered from multiple procedures to his neck. Manning's career is in jeopardy if he has not fully recovered.

LeGarrette Blount

LeGarrette Blount is a powerful, bruising running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the primary ball-carrier for the Buccaneers in 2010 and 2011. He rushed for 1,007 yards in 2010 and 781 yards in 2011. He has scored 11 touchdowns in two seasons with the Bucs.

Blount was in a great situation, but the addition of running back Doug Martin in Round 1 of the 2012 NFL draft has pundits asking serious questions about Blount’s future. Martin is a feature back, a player who does not need to come off of the field for any reason.

Martin is the Buccaneers' future No. 1 running back, and perhaps he is the team’s No. 1 right now. Blount could get benched for a majority of the time if Martin plays well. Blount will have to be an exceptionally good teammate in this scenario, and this isn’t necessarily an area of the game where he excels.

Blount has had off-the-field issues, and he did not get drafted coming out of Oregon, even though at one point in his college career he was a highly touted NFL prospect. He was on the 2009 preseason watch list for the Walter Camp Award and the Doak Walker Award.

Blount was involved in a postgame fight after the Boise State game, and he was suspended for the entire season for his in involvement in the brawl. Blount went undrafted, and he signed with the Tennessee Titans as a priority free agent after the 2010 NFL draft.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Greg Schiano as their new head coach, and he has installed a no-nonsense approach to how they are conducting their business. Blount needs to be a loyal soldier in this scenario, as any type of outburst will not be taken well with the new regime in Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers expect a workhorse type of running back out of Martin, and if that comes to pass it will relegate Blount to backup duty. It is likely that Blount will lose his starting job early in 2012.

Michael Turner

Michael Turner has been a fixture in the Atlanta Falcons offense since coming over in free agency in 2008. Turner has carried the ball 300 or more times in three out of four seasons with the Falcons, including a 376-carry season in 2008. Turner has looked sluggish at times, and he had nine games in the 2011 season in which he finished with less than four yards per carry.

The 30-year-old has a lot of wear on his tires, and he is hitting that magic mark where running backs start to diminish. Falcons head coach Mike Smith talked to WCNN in Atlanta about the running back’s workload.

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I don’t envision that Turner will have over 300 carries this season. I think it’s too much. When you multiply that, 3 out of 4 years, we need to reduce his workload. There are different ways [to spread the ball around]. We need to distribute the touches more evenly and not have one guy have over 300 touches.

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The Falcons look to be going to a more vertical offense, and Turner doesn’t fit the scheme all that well. Turner is a power back, but the Falcons are loading up on players that can stretch the field and create yards after the catch with the ball in their hands.

The wide receiver trio of Roddy White, Julio Jones and slot man Harry Douglas is a lethal group, and the Falcons are transitioning from a run-first offense to a pass-first team. White is going to catch a lot of passes and Jones is going to post a monster touchdown total.

The Falcons also have a highly capable player in running back Jason Snelling, and a slippery back in Jacquizz Rodgers. They will have an expanded role for the Falcons offense in 2012, and Turner will have his workload diminished. This could be the year that Turner starts to struggle to be a productive running back.

Wes Welker

Wes Welker has been an absolute pass-catching monster since coming over to the New England Patriots in 2007. He has caught at least 111 passes in four out of five seasons, and he has been the primary receiver in the Patriots offense.

Welker does not score a lot of touchdowns for the amount of balls he catches. He has scored 31 touchdowns in five seasons in New England, but he has caught 554 passes over that same span. Welker is a phenomenal possession receiver playing out of the slot, but he is not a serious threat to score, in relation to the number of catches he makes.

The Patriots appear to be transitioning to a more vertical offense with the addition of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. The Patriots are going to throw the ball down the field much more in 2012, and it is going to impact Welker’s numbers.

There is only so much football to go around, and the Patriots have a plethora of receiving options, including tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Welker could find himself as the odd man out in New England as the vertical attack and personnel are changing.

The Patriots and Welker were unable to come to an agreement on a long-term contract, and Welker is playing the season under the franchise tag while making $9.5 million in 2012. Head coach Bill Belichick always does things differently, and it should come as no surprise if the Patriots were to move on from Welker in 2013.

Welker has been an extremely productive receiver for the Patriots, but they have proved that they can win in many different ways, with an ever-changing group of personnel. The fact that they refused to sign him long term and the switch to a more vertical attack spells trouble for Welker’s career with the Patriots.

The 2012 season is critical for Welker, but it remains to be seen whether the Patriots will use him abundantly, or whether they want him in 2013.

Cliff Avril

The Detroit Lions selected Cliff Avril in Round 3 of the 2008 NFL draft, and he has been an extremely productive pass-rush specialist for the defense. Avril has steadily increased his sack total throughout his four-year career with the team.

He registered five sacks as a rookie in 2008, and that total climbed to 11 in the 2011 season. Avril is terrific at getting to the quarterback, and he is a master at causing the quarterback to fumble the ball with his intense pressure.

Avril forced six fumbles in 2011, and his pressure was one of the reasons for the Lions’ success last year. He made critical plays all year, and his pressure caused opposing quarterbacks to throw the football quicker than they wanted to last year. A cornerback will have more success if he doesn’t have to cover a receiver for a long time, and Avril’s pressure helped the secondary in this area.

Even with his considerable production, there are questions about Avril. Is he a product of the Lions defensive system? Does Avril benefit from playing next to such dominant interior linemen? Can another player come in and replace his production?

The Lions placed the franchise tag on Avril, and the two sides could not reach an agreement on a long-term deal. Avril will make $10.6 million in 2012, and his 2012 level of play will determine his future with the Lions.

According to NFL.com, Avril turned down a three-year, $30 million contract with $20 million guaranteed. It is an exorbitant amount of money to leave on the table, and it will be money that Avril will not be able to get back if he plays poorly or he gets injured.

Avril has taken a significant gamble on his play in the 2012 season, and it makes him a player with a lot at risk this season.