No joke - NFL teams need to lighten up

The National Football League has a huge problem that doesn't appear to be getting any smaller. \nFor the last couple of decades, the weight of NFL linemen has been steadily increasing to a point of rampant obesity. \nOnly three teams, the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had offensive linemen who averaged under 300 pounds in 2003, according to www.nfl.com. The team with the highest average lineman weight was Oakland -- a Raiders trench player averaged 322.8 pounds. \nRecent deaths like those of the Minnesota Vikings' Korey Stringer in 2001 and, more recently, of San Francisco 49ers lineman Thomas Herrion a little over a week ago, have forced the issue of excessive weight into the spotlight. \nThe latest reports claim that Herrion, who collapsed and died following a preseason game, had a family history of heart problems, but it doesn't take a doctor to determine that a man weighing 310 pounds could have health problems. \nIn fact, an Associated Press report said Herrion would be considered "severely obese" on the body mass index scale, commonly used as a standard of fitness. That amount of weight not only puts players at greater risk for long-term health concerns like heart and organ complications, but also to problems related to heat during summer practices.\nIt's stereotypical how quickly the NFL and fans forgot about Stringer's death from heatstroke during a training camp practice in 2001 when the heat index rose to 110 degrees. Immediately after the 335-pound player died, teams were quick to praise player hydration and condemn practicing in sweltering heat, but no one took any steps to start fixing the underlying problem -- overweight players.\nGranted, not many players have died in training camp or preseason games, so obesity in the league can't be called an epidemic, but it will be within the next 10 years. \nStringer and Herrion are the only two pros in recent memory to die, but ignoring the excessive weight of some players is negligent behavior by teams. Many of the league's bigger players, mostly linemen, have problems with their backs and knees when they retire because of sudden inactivity, on top of heart and organ problems.\nEven at IU, 11 players on the Hoosier roster are listed at more than 300 pounds in the media guide. \nIU's Director of Athletic Performance, Mark Wateska, said the average weight of the Hoosiers' offensive line has increased and is now about 310 pounds. By comparison, the average starting offensive lineman of Big Ten powerhouse University of Michigan is 318 pounds, with the heaviest player on the team at 328 pounds.\nOf those 11 on the IU roster, four are listed at 315 or higher. Wateska, a former player at Penn State University, said he has seen the growing trend of heftier linemen firsthand.\n"When I played in the mid 80s, a 280-(pound) lineman was considered to be very big. Now the trend seems to be around the 300-plus mark," Wateska said.\nWateska also noted the trend will end, happily or not, because linemen can only get so heavy before athleticism goes out the door.\n"Ultimately, the human body has only a certain growth potential," Wateska said. "There is a big misconception that big is better. Weight for weights sake can be very detrimental not only to the health, safety and welfare of the athlete ... (but can also) predispose them to (other) dangers."\nWateska's perspective is a philosophy that needs to spread through football, college and pro. Right now, not only do many teams ignore the problem, but most front offices praise enormous players. Almost all NFL teams have unwritten rules not to draft any linemen who weigh under 300 pounds. From their standpoint, the teams want larger bodies blocking for quarterbacks and running backs they invested tens of millions of dollars in. But they use these guys for only as many years as they can get out of them and then toss them aside. \nThe time has come for the NFL to listen to doctors and trainers and drop some weight. Even though the number of deaths of obese players isn't outrageous yet, let's not wait for another player to fall victim to his own weight. If nothing is changed, football's premium on pounds will have negative effects for years to come.