Kickers aside, living in the NFL means living dangerously. But only NFL-sanctioned dangerously.

Standing in against the blitz? You better. Going over the middle? Love the toughness. Busting wedges? Coaches smile and their chests swell.

Doing anything with a powerful motorized transportation machine that isn't a passenger car? Better read your contract.

"It's there, it's in the language," St. Louis wide receiver Torry Holt said. "I don't know if all agents go over it with their clients. If they hadn't been in the past, they will now. I think the league will make it a point to make sure they read that language to their clients."

"Now," of course, is the era following Kellen Winslow Jr. having one of the most potentially expensive nonfatal motorcycle wipeouts in NFL history. Cleveland still isn't sure the former University of Miami star tight end, their first-round pick in 2004, will be able to play this year. Though injuries are unspecified, Winslow's right knee is the questionable injury.

The Browns haven't said how much money this will cost Winslow. But, as they have declared they don't plan to release Winslow, maintaining decent employer-employee relations make it unlikely they'll go after the whole $9.4 million that they legally could.

In addition to Paragraph III of the standard NFL players contract, which prohibits "engaging in any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of injury," Winslow had another provision which specifically dealt with injuries from motorcycle riding. That portion allows the Browns to recoup $5 million of last year's signing bonus and not pay the approximately $4.4 million option bonus for the 2005 season.

These are the clauses that try agents' souls.

Agent Ralph Cindrich, a former player, wouldn't comment on the Winslow situation. But, he said teams in general are getting more aggressive about these punitive clauses for injuries resulting from acting outside the lines.

"I think when you deal with your more player-friendly clubs, you not only can appreciate, but you agree with them if the player misses on-the-field game for conduct that was prohibited in a contract, then a pro rata share of whatever signing bonus should be deducted," Cindrich said. "Where it starts getting hairy is where you start saying, 'OK, you missed two games, you have to give up a whole year' or, worse, your entire signing bonus."

Another agent said several agents have lobbied the NFL Players Association to negotiate a standardized version of these clauses into the next collective bargaining agreement. Now, he said, a money-hungry player sees the team dangling a big bonus carrot and quickly agrees to a heavy punishment stick if he goes outside increasingly restrictive bounds.Cindrich said, "What you may well see are more clubs putting more of the clauses that have specific activities in the signing bonus that are prohibited rather than just standard provisions in the NFL contract."And players better start being able to recite, word-for-word, what those clauses say.Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who rides a motorcycle and does so sans helmet despite the pleas of Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, said agent Leigh Steinberg went over exactly what his contract said he could and couldn't do."When I first came into the league," Roethlisberger said, "it should be the first thing your agent talks about."Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer isn't sure if there's anything beyond the standard clause in his contract, but "in my mind, there is."I'd love to go snow skiing in the winter," Palmer said. "Go jet-skiing, water skiing. Love to go sky diving, a lot of that stuff. It's just not worth it. The organization has invested too much in me. I owe it to them to take care of my body in the offseason and not do risky things like that ..."He paused before an addendum: "... riding motorcycles."Palmer and Roethlisberger were in Fort Lauderdale last week for EA Sports NFL Quarterback Challenge.Nobody gets hit in this quarterback-and-wide receiver competition. As San Diego wideout Keenan McCardell noted, the running and throwing involved are similar to what players do in offseason workouts.Still, when asked if he worried about injury, Detroit quarterback Joey Harrington vacillated, "Ehhh ... nooo, yeah, no." Then, he admitted, "The last thing walking out the door Detroit general manager Matt Millen said was, `Be safe.'"On ESPN's Battle of the Gridiron Stars, however, several NFL players raced on Sea-Doo machines in one event. According to The New York Daily News, the Giants didn't know quarterback Eli Manning had participated in the ESPN show, shot at Disney World.Over every one of these offseason-concocted competitions looms the ghost of Robert Edwards' career.Edwards exploded his left knee during an NFL-sponsored four-on-four flag football game at the 1999 Pro Bowl. He had just run for 1,115 yards as a New England rookie. Instead of the NFL triumphs, honors and performance bonus money Edwards could've anticipated, he had to be satisfied with just making it back to the NFL.Partially because Edwards was injured at an NFL event, the Patriots kept Edwards on the nonfootball injured reserve list in 1999 and 2000. They released him after he suffered a groin injury during the 2001 training camp. Twelve games with the Dolphins in 2002 comprised the rest of his career.When all is said and done, everybody - coaches, team management and agents - can give all the counsel they want. It still comes down to the adult whose name is on the contract."If we have knowledge of it, we'll let him know on no uncertain terms it's prohibited," Cindrich said. "We're not Mommy or Daddy, though. If a guy's going to do it, he's going to do it."Roethlisberger might go helmetless on his Harley-Davidson, but claims, "I'm not really a risk taker. I don't do the crazy things you say you can't do. I'm getting a chance to live my life, do the things I want to do. I know there'll be plenty of time to do crazy things like sky dive when I get older."