The big hurt

A 16-GAME SCHEDULE IS GRUELING, but so is a long stay on the IR. That's one of many things we found out when we recently gathered four guys mending from season-ending injuries: Rams third-year wideout Donnie Avery (knee), Texans rookie running back Ben Tate (ankle and fibula), longtime Eagles center Jamaal Jackson (triceps) and Patriots veteran corner Leigh Bodden (shoulder).

Meeting just a few days after second-year Broncos receiver and IR mainstay Kenny McKinley is thought to have taken his own life, our panel had heavy hearts and plenty on their minds.

For more on what it's like to live life on the NFL IR, you must be an ESPN Insider.

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