Tough Guys

Every team wants them, and every coach cherishes the ones he's got. They deliver hits that change a game's momentum and withstand blows that keep drives alive. In the following pages, behold the NFL's toughest.

COLLARED

You think preseason games don't mean anything? Try telling that to ferocious Bears linebacker Joe Odom, who separated Rams wideout Dane Looker from the ball during a friendly August get-together in St. Louis.

DETERMINED

You want durable? Look no further than the Packers' Brett Favre, who has made 189 consecutive regular-season starts, an NFL record for a QB. In '03 Favre led the league in touchdown throws while playing 12 games with a broken bone in his passing thumb.

SQUEEZED

Deuce McCallister, the Saints' Pro Bowl back, is among the most punishing runners in the league, but yards are hard to come by against a suffocating Jaguars defense that ranked second in the league against the rush in '03.

B/W PHOTO

Inset photo by Joey Terrill

COLOR PHOTO

Photograph by David E. Klutho

COLOR PHOTO

Photograph by Simon Bruty

COLOR PHOTO

Photograph by John Biever