A fragile lifestyle.(susceptibility of wide receivers to injury and effect on team performance)

Because of physiology and the way they play, wide receivers are more susceptible to serious injuries than other players. How some prominent wideouts recover from last season's injuries will have a major impact on the upcoming season.

As he was sent in motion by the subtle lift of Trent Dilfer's foot, Ravens wide receiver Travis Taylor never imagined the end of his rookie season was only seconds away. On his quarterback's cadence, Taylor reversed back toward the right sideline and released off the line of scrimmage as the ball was snapped.

It was the fourth quarter of an October 29 game against the AFC Central rival Steelers as Taylor pushed into his route. The first-down play was designed for him to run a simple 5-yard out pattern. Dilfer's pass was thrown slightly behind him. As Taylor reached over his right shoulder to try to make the catch, cornerback Chad Scott converged. Scott planted his 205-pound frame squarely on top of Taylor, driving the receiver's left shoulder into the unforgiving sod.

When Taylor reached the sideline, doctors knew from simply reaching under his shoulder pads that Taylor's season was over. Broken collarbone.

Welcome to the fragile life of an NFL wide receiver.

Football is a collision sport; even kickers assume their share of risk. But no position had more impact players go down last season than wide receiver. The explanations are mostly physiological.

Unlike running backs, who generally have lower centers of gravity, receivers are leaner athletes who lack the muscle mass around the knees to withstand the proportionately high number of cuts the position requires. While running backs are, for the most part, squared up to their opponents before contact, most pass routes require receivers to turn their backs to defenders, which leaves them especially susceptible to leg tackles. Also, defensive backs are much bigger than in the past. Scott is a perfect example of the league's shift toward bigger cover men. Nowadays, if a cornerback is under 6-0 and weighs less than 190 pounds, scouts automatically brand him "small."