Even in the old wedding reception favorite, a song that prompts doddering grandmothers and precocious toddlers to leap to the dance floor, but a ditty that should never be used as a cheat sheet in Anatomy 101 class, the hip bone isn't connected to the knee bone.

Don't try convincing Green Bay officials, though, of that physiological disconnect.

The ability of the Packers to rebound from a first-ever playoff loss at legendary Lambeau Field, and to contend again for a division title and the possibility of venturing deep into postseason play, could very well depend on the hip and knee "bones" of offensive tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, respectively.

	Tackle trauma
	There were 14 starting offensive tackles who each missed four games or more in 2002 because of injuries. A roll call of the wounded tackles and the games they missed:
	Player	Team	Missed
	Tony Boselli	Texans	16
	Chris McIntosh	Seahawks	16
	Anthony Clement	Cardinals	15
	Mark Tauscher	Packers	14
	Richmond Webb	Bengals	12
	Maurice Williams	Jaguars	11
	Ryan Young	Texans	7
	Chad Clifton	Packers	6
	Marc Colombo	Bears	6
	Damion McIntosh	Chargers	6
	Orlando Pace	Rams	6
	Mark Dixon	Dolphins	4
	Stockar McDougle	Lions	4
	Vaughn Parker	Chargers	4

The tandem of three-year veterans, both selected in the 2000 draft and both starters since their shared rookie campaigns, were on the field together for fewer than six quarters last season. Tauscher tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee in the second outing of the season and missed 14 starts. Clifton, the left tackle, was sideline for the final six games after the horrific pelvic injury that ensued when Tampa Bay Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp blindsided him while blocking on an interception return.

Despite optimistic rhetoric, neither tackle has yet been cleared for full-scale practices in training camp, and both worked only lightly in minicamps. Standout offensive line coach Larry Beightol has suggested that, even with just one week of preseason preparation, the pair could be in the starting lineup on opening day. But even that projection might well be looking too far down the road at this juncture of the players' recoveries.

In the most recent organized practices, Jerry Wisne lined up at left tackle and Kevin Barry worked at right tackle with the first unit. Although he has been in the league since 1999, Wisne has appeared in only nine games, and started but one. Signed as an undrafted free agent last spring, Barry played in 14 games as a rookie, starting three of them.

While he would never verbalize any concerns, even if he had any, Brett Favre certainly can't be counted on for many miracles if he is forced to perform behind a line featuring two such unproven tackles. "Let's be honest," said one veteran Packers offensive player. "Those (tackle) spots are huge (concerns) until proven otherwise."

Although it is scant consolation to the Packers, several teams face similar concerns, with an unusually high number of offensive tackles returning from injury-ravaged seasons. In fact, in a 2002 campaign marked by significant injuries to high-profile performers, there are few positions that experienced the kind of attrition visited upon offensive tackles.

Expected to provide an offensive foundation for the Houston Texans, the tandem of Tony Boselli and Ryan Young never played a snap together and never will. Boselli missed the entire campaign and now, over the last two seasons, has rung up more shoulder surgeries (four) than starts (three). Young sat out seven games, was a disappointed in those that he played, and defected to Dallas two months ago as an unrestricted free agent.

The body count was disastrous elsewhere, too, as tackles struggled around the league to remain ambulatory.

Anthony Clement of Arizona missed all but one game with a triceps injury. Cincinnati's Richmond Webb suffered a severe pectoral injury that sidelined him 12 games. Orlando Pace sat out six contests, as did Chicago first-round pick Marc Colombo, and the usually reliable Adam Meadows of Indianapolis was out for two games.

Seattle right tackle Chris McIntosh, the Seahawks' first-round choice in 2000, missed the whole season with a neck/back ailment that still threatens his career. The team had to add two tackles, first Jerry Wunsch and later Chris Terry, to replace him.

Of the 64 tackles who were either projected as starters, or who opened the 2002 campaign as starters, only 30 of them started all 16 contests. Just five teams had the same tackle duo start every game.

"You don't think it makes a difference having the same (tackles) out there every game?" said New York Giants line coach Jim McNally, who had left tackle Luke Petitgout and right tackle Mike Rosenthal for every contest last year. "Or, on the flip side, not having them for every game?"

It certainly made a difference in '02, a year when too many teams were forced by injuries to jerry-rig at the tackle position, sometimes with disastrous results. Little wonder that, in Green Bay these days, so much attention is being paid to a hip bone and a knee bone.

And to the connections they potentially have to the Packers' success, or perhaps lack of success, for the 2003 season.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.