The Incredible Bulk

[China]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=knight-theincrediblebulk&prov=knight&type=lgns

The Incredible Bulk

By ADAM TEICHER, The Kansas City Star

In his red No. 94 practice jersey and his baggy black workout shorts, Junior Siavii arrived for Chiefs rookie camp tipping the scales at a hefty 351 pounds.

When Siavii, a second-round draft pick, gets on the field in the season opener Sept. 12 in Denver, he will quickly take his rightful place near the top of the list of the all-time biggest Chiefs.

But at camp two weeks ago, nobody saw it as odd that a man of such size would join the Chiefs. The strange thing was, here came the 351-pound defensive tackle, and no one even batted an eye.

Siavii is a large man, yes. In the world of pro football, he's not out of place anymore.

"We've seen guys that big before," said former Chiefs offensive lineman Irv Eatman.

They're seeing them in increasing numbers. The Chiefs had no player listed at 300 pounds as recently as 1989. This year they have 20, including 14 of their 16 offensive linemen and, get this, a fullback (Joe Hall).

All Siavii is doing is advancing that upward spiral of bigger and bigger football players.

Today, nobody blinks twice at the sight of a 350-pounder like Siavii. Tomorrow, will we be saying the same thing about a 400-pound football player?

Probably.

"Right now, it's nothing for a guy to be 315 or 320 pounds," said Eatman, one of the Chiefs' offensive-line coaches. "Pretty soon, it's going to be that way for guys 350 or 360 pounds. That's just where it's going. In theory, there has to be some kind of cutoff point. In reality, maybe there's not. Who's to say we can't have a 400-pound guy who's a great athlete? If you go back to the '50s and '60s, talking about a 300-pound guy was like talking about a 400-pound guy now.

"If you've got a guy who's 400 pounds and only 80 pounds of that is fat, that's not a fat man. That's a building, but that's not a fat man. That's why I say it's not out of the realm of possibility that in the near future a guy can be 400 pounds and be in good condition and not be flabby and out of shape. Nutrition is getting better. Weight training is getting better."

Eatman played 14 seasons in the NFL and USFL and coached several more. It's natural for him to believe the upward spiral will continue because he's had an up-front seat for the parade.

Even outside the culture of pro football, there is agreement.

"There's absolutely no reason why a 400-pound guy is not in the future," said Andrew Feldman, the head of the sports medicine department at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York and the team physician for the New York Rangers.

"Athletes are eating better and training better. There's no end in sight to this."

***

It's not unusual for a rookie lineman to arrive at Chiefs camp fat and out of shape. Ryan Sims looked as if he'd swallowed a bowling ball when he joined the Chiefs two years ago, prompting a tirade from Dick Vermeil against Sims' agent.

Siavii last week didn't show up sloppy. He measured 20 percent body fat. The Chiefs want that down to 18 percent. The Chiefs would also like him to play at about 335 pounds this season, so he needs to lose some weight.

But he played at 344 last season at Oregon and carried the weight well.

"I'm still working on it, seeing where I'm comfortable," he said. "It wasn't a problem for me in college. But it's a whole new ballgame now."

If Siavii did play at 351 pounds next season, he would become the third-largest Chief to play in a regular-season game. Those ahead of him, Jeff Blackshear and Willie Jones, are since-departed offensive linemen who played in recent years.

The 371-pound Blackshear and the 358-pound Jones each had generous rolls hanging over their belt lines. The thing to know about Siavii is that if he lost 50 pounds, he'd be little more than a pile of flesh and bone.

He's just a naturally big man.

"American Samoans are genetically big-boned," said Lynn Stiles, the Chiefs' director of player personnel.

"Their frames can withstand that weight. In Junior's case, it's not going to be a problem for him to play at 335 pounds. That's where we want him. He's got about 15 pounds to lose. It's not that we're afraid he can't carry that extra weight. He can carry it. It's not that we think the extra weight is going to reduce his quickness. It's an endurance thing."

Stiles, a veteran NFL scout who worked for several teams, compared Siavii's movement skills and athletic ability to those of the average 250-pound defensive lineman 25 years ago.

"What people don't understand is that these big guys we're seeing today aren't fat, sloppy guys," Eatman said. "They're big and strong and athletic. They aren't TV repairmen who sit around and eat too many Ding Dongs."

***

Eatman was considered a giant when he played offensive tackle for the Chiefs and four other NFL teams before finishing his career in 1996. He's 6 feet 8 and started his pro career in 1983 at about 275 pounds. He finished slightly above 300 pounds.

He got a hearty chuckle over the irony of that.

"Compared to what you see nowadays, it would be questionable whether I'm big enough," he said. "A few years ago, a 300-pound guy on a regular basis in the NFL was an aberration. Now, everybody's got seven, eight, nine of those guys — on both sides of the ball."

Indeed, 300 pounds is now the normal starting point for NFL offensive linemen. It's becoming that way for interior defensive linemen. Four of the Chiefs' six defensive tackles are well above 300 pounds, and those who aren't, John Browning and Montique Sharpe, are in the upper 290s.

The Chiefs and all NFL teams research dozens of offensive-line candidates available in the draft each season. Those who aren't well above 300 pounds get a strong note of caution in their files.

"We'll see a guy who's maybe 298 pounds and we'll say, ‘Hmm, he's smallish,' " Eatman said.

He shook his head in wonder.

"How crazy is that?" he said.

"If you're a sub-300-pound lineman in the NFL these days, you'd better have incredible strength and quickness and power. You won't be able to compete unless you're superior in some other areas."

The Chiefs have one of the NFL's smallest starting offensive linemen in center Casey Wiegmann. Generously listed by the Chiefs at 285 pounds, Wiegmann is a marvel to watch against bigger, stronger opponents.

A superb athlete for a lineman, Wiegmann is quicker and faster than most of his opponents and often puts these qualities to good use by using textbook techniques.

Yet the Chiefs are usually apprehensive when Wiegmann is matched against one of the game's giants like 365-pound defensive tackle Ted Washington, who recently signed with the Raiders. They often resort to providing Wiegmann with some help to combat his relative lack of bulk.

"I'm sure there are times," Stiles said, "when one of those big, old defensive linemen has a power rush on and hits Casey underneath the chin strap that he'd like to have an extra 25 pounds."

The pressure to add that weight can be fierce. Vonnie Holliday was considered one of the draft's prized prospects in 1998 when he came out of North Carolina as a 290-pound defensive end. He was drafted that year by Green Bay and joined the Chiefs last season as a free agent.

"When I first came into the league, everybody told me I had to be 300 pounds," said Holliday, who played at about 280 pounds last season. "I've found you don't have to be 300 pounds. It's not necessary because it's all about technique. Low man wins. It's still the most important thing in football.

"But when I came into the league, I didn't know that. I thought I had to be 300 pounds because that's what everyone was telling me. I ate and I took creatine for two months and I got up to 307. I felt like a blob. So I took the weight off and felt better right away. It was a lot easier on my knees."

***

There are risks to having a football field crowded with 300-pound-plus players.

"When a kid is over 300 pounds and is running around 5-flat (for the 40-yard dash) like Junior does," Stiles said, "can you imagine the impact that person would have on contact if he's running full speed?"

Brian Waters can. It's the job of Waters, a starting guard for the Chiefs, to throw his body in front of such missiles. And he's not a player who, unlike many of them, is naturally big.

Waters went to college in the '90s as a 215-pound fullback and tight end. Even when he left, he was only about 250 pounds.

He had to work tirelessly in the weight room to get to where he is now, about 310 pounds.

"It's not just a body change," Waters said. "It's a lifestyle change. Things you never had a problem with before, you do have problems with now. Back then, I didn't get as tired as easy as I do now. I've had some sleeping issues since my weight gain. My sleep patterns aren't good. I've had some apnea. There's a direct relation to the added weight. I've checked into that."

Waters isn't alone. Many larger football players have sleeping problems. Feldman, the sports physician, said larger people tend to experience apnea because the air passages are more likely to become temporarily obstructed during sleep.

"There haven't been any studies to show there's an increased risk at playing at that size," Feldman said. "That's not to say there aren't inherent risks even if the player in question is a physical specimen who happens to be big. He may be 350 pounds, but his knee joint isn't necessarily different than that of a 150-pound person. The stresses of weight and torque on ligaments and joints are worse with more force.

"It's also very difficult for someone bigger to stay hydrated because they need more fluids. People who have extra weight have increased risk of other health issues. The heart needs to pump blood to a bigger muscle mass. The heart may or may not be big enough to accomplish that."

Dehydration was a factor in the death of Minnesota offensive lineman Korey Stringer two years ago. It's no coincidence Stringer was 335 pounds or that bigger linemen are the first to experience problems when teams practice in the extreme heat.

Despite the risks, Waters is occasionally tempted to keep climbing to, say, 330 pounds because there are times he feels he needs to.

"I don't do that because of the stamina part," Waters said. "That 20 pounds really isn't necessary. I guess it's a matter of what that 20 extra pounds is really looking like. If it's 20 pounds of muscle, yeah, you could take advantage of that as long as you don't lose your quickness or become stiff.

"There's a difference between good weight and bad weight. If you're at 340 pounds and you've got 30 or 40 extra pounds that you really have no use for, that does nothing for you. It does nothing for your body or your quickness or your stamina. All that's going to do is wear on your joints."

Consideration for his life after football is one reason Waters won't add the extra weight. Even now, during the off-season when he has ample time for rest, Waters struggles to carry his weight. He shuffles at times rather than walks.

"I was a small guy all my life," he said. "Some of these guys have been big guys all their lives. It's natural for them to carry that much weight. Junior's been a big guy his whole life. It's no problem for him to carry that.

"I guess I'm lucky because when football is over, I'm the kind of guy that extra weight won't stay on me. It's not natural. Some of these other guys are going to have to fight their butts off to keep their extra weight off."

And more and more of them will have to do just that. From the looks of things, 25 years from now when the Chiefs are staring at another season opener in Denver, their 400-pound prize rookie defensive tackle will be preparing for his matchup against his 400-pound Broncos opponent.

"That's where we're headed," Stiles said. "Each generation will pass along those genes and that makeup and there you are."

[Leonard Washington]

i noticed noticed a long time ago that offensive lineman are pretty lean guys. however it seems that DT are usually sloppier than the average lineman. its hard to imagine that there could be 400lb guys in the future. 300lb of mass plus 500lb of bench press plus 600lb of squat equals alot of force.

[SKINtil8tin]

Originally posted by Leonard Washington

i noticed noticed a long time ago that offensive lineman are pretty lean guys. however it seems that DT are usually sloppier than the average lineman. its hard to imagine that there could be 400lb guys in the future. 300lb of mass plus 500lb of bench press plus 600lb of squat equals alot of force.

Yeah, it's pretty scary the size of these guys. Anyone see that "Real Sports" with Bryant Gumbel about heavy linemen and the dangers of their weight after they finish playing. I think lots of players would play in the NFL even if they knew some of the means to get them there, would take years off their lives. The same goes for lots of other sports as well.

[Leonard Washington]

i doubt the dangers of life after the nfl would detract many from joining the nfl. i also so that real sports segment. it was pretty scary. alot of the lineman either easily lose weight b/c alot of their size is muscle, while others become huge b/c they are used to eating alot.

[JoeSkins]

It's good to know that Adam Teicher watches Kevin Smith movies...and rips them off. Reference the comic-book spoof of himself as Silent Bob in the opening credits of Mallrats.

[China]

BTW, I was just browsing on ESPNs football site and there is a picture for their ESPN in Motion Inside Raiders Minicamp that has Warren Sapp standing next to some guy (I believe it is Terdell Sands, 6'7" 340lbs) who makes Sapp look tiny. :yikes: I can't imagine trying to push him around.

http://football.espn.go.com/nfl/index

[sonsofwashington]

80/400 = 1/5 = 20% body fat. That's not a fat man? 20% BODY FAT! I dissagree. That is a fat man, however that does not make him less of an athlete.

[sonsofwashington]

Also, in the 50's and 60's did they really lift weights the way they do now? Did the have their "Flintstones" back then? The times were different. I don't think you will see too many 400 lbs men, but then again I'll hold all bets.

[PCS]

Gads. SUV's with legs.