NFL's Top 10 Most Horrific Injuries in 2011

Injures are just a part of the game. Nowhere is it more obvious than in the National Football League, which continues to see players to suffer some of the worst injures in sports year-in and year-out.

The 2011 season, however, has had injuries as part of the major headlines. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been sidelined all season while recovering from neck surgery, and there are big questions if he will ever play again.

Not all injuries are created equally, however. Some have become exceptionally common, and some continue to come out of nowhere and make us cringe in a primal way that goes way beyond concern for our teams chances of victory.

As horrible as it is for Kansas City's Jamaal Charles and his team, an ACL tear has become almost commonplace in the NFL. But so far, 2011 has produced some very uncommon injuries.

Lets take a look at the more ugly injuries of 2011.

49ers WR Josh Morgan: Ankle

Josh Morgan was the 49ers' leading receiver but went down near the end of their blowout victory against Tampa Bay.

After catching a pass from rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Morgan was tackled from behind and his ankle was trapped under his body. It always hurts to see someone injured when they get a limb trapped under another player's body, but when it's your ankle trapped under your weight, that's something else entirely.

Morgan has had surgery on the ankle and will not return this season. It's a sad loss for both Morgan and the 49ers, as he will be a free agent next season.

Bills DB Aaron Williams: Chest

Bills rookie cornerback Aaron Williams was wheeled off the field in Week 3 after a severe chest injury that may keep him out for the entire season.

Williams was injured while trying to tackle the Patriots' Wes Welker. He landed chest down on the turf before fellow cornerback Leodis McKelvin landed on him.

Williams was unable to leave the field on his own power.

Even with all the padding in an NFL uniform, having a player land on you has to hurt, and for Williams, it sounds like it was far worse.

Browns LB Marcus Benard: Hand

Browns DE Marcus Bernard didn't injure himself playing football. He crashed his motorcycle coming home from work and was thrown 241 feet, according to the police reports.

241 feet is a little over 80 yards, to put it in football terms. And Bernard luckily only came out of it with a broken hand and some broken ribs.

To quote the report from Cleveland.com, "Because the injury was not related to football, the Browns aren't obligated to pay the full salary, according to NFL rules."

Still, they'll be paying him, and that's fortunate for Bernard. Hate to be an injured player suddenly without his team's medical insurance and pay.

Colts DT Eric Foster : Ankle

Warning: Watch the above video at your own peril. It's not easy to spot, but when you see it, you won't get it out of your head for a while.

Defensive tackle Eric Foster suffered this gruesome ankle injury in the Colts Monday night contest against Tampa Bay.

Foster was about to tackle Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman before Freeman threw a pass. Foster then fell backwards over his own teammate, but his ankle and foot were stuck and turned at a horrible angle.

Foster had surgery the following week and will miss the rest of the season.

Colts QB Peyton Manning: Neck

Certainly this means a bit more, as Peyton Manning is the four-time MVP, and without him, his team may not win a game. But you could put this neck injury on any player and it wouldn't make it any less horrific.

Manning has now had two surgeries on his neck, one in late May and one after the beginning of the season when it became clear he wasn't ready to return.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen writes, "An anterior fusion procedure usually involves making an incision in the front of the neck, removing soft disk tissue between the vertebrae and fusing the bones together with a graft. The goal is to ease pain or address a disk problem."

In the weirdest twist possible, Peyton flew overseas after his second surgery to have stem cell treatment that isn't approved in the USA, according to the LA Times.

Manning's streak of 208 consecutive games was shattered by this neck injury. If it can hold out a workhorse like Peyton, we can only imagine how bad it actually is.

Dolphins QB Chad Henne: Shoulder

The hit didn't look that bad (see above video), but Chad Henne severely separated his shoulder in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers.

A separated shoulder is bad for any player, but especially a quarterback. Henne had surgery after the loss and will be out the remainder of the season.

It was the end of a dismal year for Henne, for whom the Dolphins had high expectations coming into the season.

Packers S Nick Collins: Neck

Green Bay's Nick Collins, a Pro Bowl-caliber safety, was carried off the field in the Packers' Week 2 win against the Panthers. He suffered a frightening neck injury in the fourth quarter and spent the night in the hospital for evaluations.

Collins, who has played with the Packers for all of his seven seasons in the NFL, will not apparently know if he can resume his career for over six months.

While losing a Pro Bowl safety in the midst of your championship runs hurts, a severe neck injury where you won't even know if you can play again certainly hurts worse.

Patriots DE Mike Wright: Concussion

Concussions are certainly not uncommon, but a season/career ending one certainly is.

Patriots defensive end Mike Wright has had an extensive history with concussions, and he had possibly his final one in game one of the season.

The Patriots waited a few games until announcing on Oct. 13 that Wright would be put on injured reserved and was done for the season.

“Mike did everything he could to return and contribute to the team," head coach Bill Belichick said. "Unfortunately, we felt the best course of action was to place him on injured reserve at this time.”

Concussions are nothing to mess with, especially when you've suffered them multiple times before. ESPN writer Mike Reiss said he wouldn't be surprised if this was the end of the line for Wright.

"From the perspective of a reporter who has covered Wright since his surprise emergence as a rookie free agent in 2005, something seemed amiss with him this year," he wrote. "He wasn't himself."

Consecutive concussions changing a person's personalty? That's the very definition of a horrific injury.

Steelers LB James Harrison: Eye

Steelers linebacker James Harrison is one of the tougher defenders in the league, but toughness doesn't stop you from freak injuries.

Harrison was injured with a broken orbital bone on the right side of his face in the Steelers loss to Houston earlier this season. To quote Harrison from his Twitter feed, "I don't have a concussion, my forehead pad in my helmet came down and hit me in the eye when I made contact with the tackle."

He's expected to return sometime this season, but just imagine having the bones that surround your eye cracked. Take your time returning, big guy.

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton: Knee

Perhaps the weirdest injury of recent memory.

Sean Payton was just standing there, watching his Saints play Tampa Bay last Sunday, when tight end Jimmy Graham was pushed into his left leg. Payton crumpled but kept himself from falling completely onto Graham.

Payton then walked over to the benches and, with a fractured bone and a torn meniscus, proceeded to continue play calling the game.

Payton won't be on the sidelines for awhile following surgery this week. Doctors don't expect Payton to be able to put weight on his leg for about eight weeks. Payton has said he expects to call plays from the booth for next Sunday's contest against the Colts.