In a violent sport where orthopedic surgeons are on standby at every game, Wiegmann has been about as indestructible as flesh and bone have a right to be. At 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds, he frequently battles men who outweigh him by 50 pounds or more.

Nobody knows if he holds any kind of NFL record. The league does not track such things. So how Wiegmann stacks up against famous streaks such as Brett Favre's 297 regular-season games started at quarterback or Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,632 straight games in baseball is impossible to gauge.

"The reason they don't keep such stats is because what he's done is so far out of the realm of possibility," said Mike Vrabel, Kansas City's three-time Super Bowl-winning linebacker. "It's just too tough."

Back in 2001, an emergency appendectomy put Wiegmann out of action for the season opener. Then the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 bought him one more week to heal. He's not missed a single snap since.

"When I missed with the appendectomy, I kind of felt guilty, like I was cheating," Wiegmann said. "I kind of took that to heart."

To teammates and coaches of the AFC West champion Chiefs, he's a marvel.