"In Sunday's NFL action, Michael Vick threw two touchdowns for the Philadelphia Eagles, Frank Gore ran for 134 yards for the San Francisco 49ers, and Steve Smith totaled 100 receiving yards and a touchdown for the Carolina Panthers.

Vick spent three years away from football because of legal trouble. Gore's knee has been reconstructed twice. Smith is 32 and coming off two bad seasons.

It's possible to overcome time away from the game, knee problems and ineffective play and still be a productive professional athlete.

In the case of the Orlando Magic's Gilbert Arenas… well, he's battling it all. He missed most of 2009 because of a suspension, he's underwent three surgeries on his left knee and he wasn't effective — to put it kindly — last year for the Magic. "