NFL players getting too big?

[TripleH68]

For awhile I thought the quarterbacks were getting smaller, then I read this excerpt from the Mercury News. Scary.


There was a time when 300-pounders were rarities. As recently as 1990, only 39 players on NFL rosters exceeded 300 pounds. Last year, 370 players were listed at more than 300 pounds.

This summer, NFL teams listed 552 players at 300 pounds or more on training camp rosters , with Cleveland, Green Bay and Houston having the most at 23; the Jets the fewest with nine.

The Chiefs have 18 players in camp who are at least 300 pounds, the heaviest being defensive lineman Junior Siavii at 336.

About 11 of those players should make the final roster, including offensive linemen Waters, Will Shields, Willie Roaf (both at 320), John Welbourn (310), Chris Bober (310), Kevin Sampson (312), Jordan Black (304) and Brett Williams (321), and defensive lineman Siavii, Lional Dalton (315) and Ryan Sims (315).

"Because of my height, because of the way my body is built, 310 is good for me," Waters said. "But the 330, 340 guys, I would venture to say there's not too many 350-pound guys who are stronger than me.

"That's the thing that is bothersome about it. A lot of that weight is dead weight, and it's useless. Any coach or any team that says, `We need you big and strong and bigger and bigger,' that's not being realistic. That does nothing for you."

The Chiefs don't seek players weighing in the 340s and 350s such as Arizona offensive tackle Leonard Davis (366) or Oakland defensive tackle Ted Washington (365 ) because their schemes require athleticism and agility, especially on the offensive line, where getting to the perimeter is essential.

"Willie Roaf is 320 pounds," Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson said, "but he's as light on his feet as anyone I know."

But now it's center Casey Wiegmann, at 285, who is considered a rarity. Of the 61 offensive linemen at the NFL scouting combine last February, 58 weighed at least 300 pounds; two were at 298, one at 299.