The looks came, but Eddie George expected them. When you're a football player, especially a runner who takes hit after hit yet keeps getting up for more, it's understandable to see people give the same reaction when you tell them it's a toe injury that has messed up your season.

A toe? Tape the damn thing up and get out there, right? It's not a knee or an ankle or a groin.

Eddie George must prove he can still carry the load for the Titans after a painful season. (Allsport)

"Try taping your toe to the one next to it and try running," George said. "That's just a small indication of how tough it is. It's a very serious injury. The pain was excruciating. It ranks up there with a knee for a running back. You can't do things you have to do, like burst and push off for the cuts. Anyone who has knowledge of the game knows how serious a toe injury is for a back. But a small percentage of people who did not understand would wonder how a toe injury could have such an impact."

All they'd have to do is look at the numbers. The Titans were clearly a different team in 2001 without a healthy George, who had major surgery on his right big toe during the 2001 offseason.

Normally a ball-control, run-oriented offense, the Titans were left to rely mostly on the passing of Steve McNair, who did use the change to develop into a much better pocket passer.

"I always felt like I was a step behind," George said. "I was just trying to survive."

He became a target; players on opposing teams knew he was hurting, knew he wasn't the same player.

Sharks love to smell blood.

"It wasn't like it was anything dirty or cheap, but guys know when you are not 100 percent," George said. "And if you're out there, anything is fair game."

George also struggled with knee and ankle injuries, limiting his effectiveness and forcing him out of a couple of games.

George, who carried 403 times in 2000, was limited to 315 carries last season. His 3.0 per-carry average was the lowest of his career, significantly lower than the previous low of 3.7 (1998 and 2000). After joining Eric Dickerson as the only players to rush for at least 1,200 yards in their first five seasons, George gained just 939 in 2001.

Not surprisingly, the Titans finished 7-9 and out of the playoffs after going 13-3 the year before.

That's why a healthy George is so vital to the Titans returning to their 2000 form. It's also the reason why George tops our list of players who have to take major steps for their teams to have success in 2002.

For the Titans, that means Super Bowl-type success.

"There are a lot of new faces, and we've made some good acquisitions, but we have to get back to the kind of football we played two years ago," George said. "It's about working and striving for the same goal."

It's a goal made a whole lot easier to achieve because he's healthy.

For the first time in a long time, dating back to the 2000 season, George said he feels healthy when he runs. The chronic pain of the bad toe, coupled with the ankle he injured late last season, is gone. The toe is healed and the ankle was helped by cleanup surgery after the season.

"Last year at this time I was learning how to walk again," George said.

The baby steps came after undergoing surgery to fix the ligament in the big toe on his right foot. It was a procedure that limited George in terms of workouts and he was never able to show his talents the way he would have liked.

A workout fiend, George had to deal with a reduced level of conditioning. He was the same chiseled player on the outside, but inside was a different story.

How can a runner run when his foot won't let him? That can play with a back's head, and it did with George.

"I compensated a lot," George said. "I played a lot on my left side. I would look at film and see myself stumbling to make a cut. I couldn't believe it was me running."

The power to break tackles, a George staple, also wasn't there. He went down easier, his balance thrown off by playing essentially on one foot.

And just when he started to deal with the toe injury, he hurt the ankle. He had an arthroscopic procedure on the ankle in February to remove loose bodies. But there he was, back running at the Titans' minicamp.

"Rehabbing isn't the focus of my game now," George said. "I can just go out there and run again."

The Titans sure hope so.

Here are the remaining nine players that have to come up big in 2002 for their respective teams:

1. Michael Vick, QB, Atlanta Falcons -- It was only a matter of time before the Falcons were Vick's team. As a second-year player, with Chris Chandler gone to Chicago, Vick is the starter. That should help sell tickets, but will it help win games? Vick has the ability to be special, possessing a big arm and wonderful legs.

In his two starts last year, Vick displayed the tools needed to be an effective quarterback, but he has to be more patient and more consistent. His late-season showing against the Dolphins, in which he threw for 214 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 63 yards, gave the Falcons enough to believe they could play without Chandler.

Growth is the key for Vick. And how he handles the pressure of being the starter will be huge. The limelight is about to get a bunch bigger, and how Vick handles that will be vital to his improvement. It's one thing to be a backup who fans love, but it's another to be the starter that must produce.

2. Thomas Jones, RB, Arizona Cardinals -- A first-round pick in 2000, Jones has not lived up to his pre-draft billing. The major knock on Jones has been his toughness inside the tackles; he has rushed for just 753 yards in two seasons.

But with Michael Pittman now gone to Tampa Bay, Jones has to be productive. He plays behind a big and good offensive line, so there is no reason he can't put up big numbers. Jones has added 10 to 15 pounds, which should help make him more of a pounder inside.

Jones had been bothered by shortness of breath in his first two seasons. After agonizing to find a cause, it was finally figured out three ribs pressing on a nerve in his chest were causing the problems. He's breathing much better now.

Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis is a big believer in Jones. At the league meetings in March, he was quick to point out he believes Jones can be an effective runner inside the tackles.

"The ability is there," McGinnis said. "Now it's his turn and his job, so he has to show he can do it. But I believe he can."

3. Barry Gardner, MLB, Philadelphia Eagles -- Gardner is stepping into a key spot for the Eagles, taking over for the departed Jeremiah Trotter, who the Eagles players looked to as their fiery leader.

Many players were said to be angry at the way Trotter was let go by the team, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for Gardner. Some scouts around the league question whether the 6-foot, 248-pound Gardner has the strength and power to handle the run game in the middle.

Originally drafted in the second round of the 1999 draft with the idea he'd be the starter in the middle, Gardner was moved outside when it became apparent Trotter was the guy in the middle. He started 13 games in 2000, but didn't win the job in 2001.

If the Eagles are going to once again be a solid defense, Gardner has to come through both as a run stuffer and as a leader -- both of which Trotter was for this team.

4. Aaron Brooks, QB, Saints -- He burst onto the scene in 2000, a raw product with loads of tools and the ability to make plays down the field in the passing game. He was a confident kid who seemed to be on the road to greatness.

And in 2001, that road became full of potholes.

Brooks, who was clearly the starter from the opening of camp, forced balls, throwing 22 interceptions to go with his 26 touchdown passes. He completed just 55.9 percent of his passes, sending up the red flag of inaccuracy.

The Saints believe he still has the tools to be effective. But he needs to show a more take-charge approach. In the past, Brooks has almost looked carefree after making a mistake.

With new skill people around him -- including a nice crop of receivers -- the Saints will likely play more up-tempo. That should suit Brooks well, but he has to show he can show restraint and that he doesn't need to make the big play all the time.

5. Santana Moss, WR, New York Jets -- Moss was expected to provide the Jets with a deep threat in the passing game and a punt returner who could rip off the big play. But injuries limited Moss to five games and he caught just two passes.

Moss is healthy again and should help liven up an offense that seemed too predictable at times. If coordinator Paul Hackett allows this team to get the ball down the field, Moss should put up big numbers.

As a return man, he might end up being one of the best punt returners in the league. Now the key is for the Jets to actually get him involved.

6. Trent Green, QB, Kansas City Chiefs -- After spending most of the 2001 offseason recovering from knee troubles that stemmed from a 2000 tear of an ACL, Green is healthy again. He better be. The Chiefs traded away a first-round pick to get him last year, with the idea he could be to their offense what Kurt Warner is to the Rams. It wasn't meant to be. Coach Dick Vermeil, who coached both Green and Warner in St. Louis, didn't get the kind of production out of Green the team had hoped.

Vermeil didn't lose faith in his passer, but some in the organization aren't so sure. There was a push before this year's draft to try to get Oregon's Joey Harrington. That isn't too much of an endorsement for Green.

Green threw 24 interceptions last season and never looked truly comfortable. His accuracy was poor, but the thinking is the lack of repetitions because of the injuries might have contributed.

If he can stay healthy, the Chiefs feel he can put up some big numbers. Remember this is the guy who was actually the Rams starter, ahead of Warner, in 1999.

Green is entering the final year of his contract, so he had better put up decent numbers or the Chiefs will surely take a passer in the quarterback-stocked draft of 2003.

7. Peerless Price, WR, Buffalo Bills -- He has deep speed, quarterback Drew Bledsoe loves to throw the deep ball, and coordinator Kevin Gilbride is one of the few in the NFL who will challenge down the field.

Peerless Price should have the chance to break out in Buffalo. (AP)

Price has to be excited about the changes to the Bills' offense the past couple of months. Price is perfect for Gilbride's offense. He can get deep, stretching the field.

In his third season in 2001, Price had a career-high 55 catches with a 16.3 average, showing off his big-play ability. Seeing a lot of single coverage opposite Eric Moulds, Price should improve on those numbers.

With Bledsoe throwing to Price and Moulds and second-round pick Josh Reed, the Bills could once again have a passing attack to remind fans of the great offense of the Jim Kelly era.

8. Daryl Gardener, DE, Miami Dolphins -- The Dolphins saw defensive ends Kenny Mixon and Lorenzo Bromell leave via free agency to go to Minnesota. That forced the team to move Gardener outside from tackle.

Gardener has his playing weight down 10 pounds to 295, which should help his quickness. He will move inside on passing downs.

The move outside should help Gardener with his back troubles. He has had two surgeries the past two seasons to alleviate back trouble, but felt no effects of that at the team's recent minicamp.

He should be a much better anchor against the run than either Mixon or Bromell, which should help the run defense. But he has to be able to make some plays off the edge on early downs as well.

Moving Gardener outside is a risk in part because he is so good inside. But if he can make the transition a smooth one, and a young tackle such as Ernest Grant or Jermaine Haley can prove to be a solid starter, the Dolphins line will be much improved.

9. Terry Glenn, WR, Green Bay Packers -- He brings deep speed to the Packers, but there are also major off-field questions.

Nobody doubts Glenn as a player, but the troubled receiver has to stay on the field -- something he didn't do in New England. So far in Green Bay, he has been a model player, working his tail off and showing well at the team's minicamp.

Glenn has a reputation for being moody and surly, but that has not been the case in Green Bay. On the field, he has showed he can still run all the routes and get deep.

Quarterback Brett Favre recently took him out for a round of golf, a get-to-know-you type of day. Favre knows how important improved play from the receivers is to the Green Bay offense, which is why the trade to acquire Glenn might prove to be the best move this offseason.