Broken bones, torn ligaments and other season-ending injuries serve as weekly reminders of just how painful the NFL is for its participants. But what about the so-called "healthy" players who make it to Monday morning without an injury?
"They say you're healthy," said Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, "but it feels like you just got into a high-speed car accident."
Mondays are a key day in jump-starting a recovery process that can take anywhere from two to four days before a player feels normal again. Some players wake up and run. Some wake up and attack their most strenuous weightlifting day of the week. Some sit in hot tubs or cold tubs. Some sit in hot and cold tubs.
Anything to flush out the muscles and the bruises. Lots and lots of bruises.
"Every Monday, I wake up and I got bruises all over me," defensive end Brian Robison said. "My wife is like, 'What happened?' and I'm like, 'I don't know.' "
Robison, 28, equates it to feeling like "my dad feels, and my dad is 50." Cornerback Antoine Winfield said he doesn't even want to think about how he'll feel when he's 50.
"Not with my style of play," Winfield said. "I love to get into the action. Love to hit. So I know it won't be pretty."
Winfield said that Monday, probably figuring a stiff neck would loosen up by Wednesday. But sometimes, especially at age 34, that doesn't happen in time for the next game. So Winfield might have to miss Sunday's game against the Cardinals at Mall of America Field.
Players say they feel worse on Tuesdays than Mondays.
"Tuesdays," said Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams, "are really bad."
"And, Wednesdays" ... stink, too, Allen added. "And Thursday is the one day we put the pads on in practice, so your aches and pains come back a little."
Typically, featured running backs feel the most pain on a Monday morning. Then there's Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who, of course, is anything but typical.
After 24 touches in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, Peterson said: "I've had worse days, so it's not too bad for me. I like to deliver blows and not take many shots so the guys on the other end are waking up feeling worse than me."
Vikings outside linebacker Erin Henderson said the physical nature of the NFL is why "so many people revere us."
"You got a lot of mean people out on that field trying to do a lot of mean things to you," Henderson said. "You got to meet force with force. It's not for everybody. Most people understand that."
And the ones who don't?
"Maybe one day we can do something to show them what Monday morning feels like," Henderson said. "Maybe do a little NFL Experience thing here at Winter Park. Have them come in and see what it's like to take on a lead blocker."
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