According to profootballtalk.com, Falcons guard Kyman Forney is upset about former offensive-line coach Alex Gibbs’ policies regarding his O-linemen’s bellies.
While there were other concerns voiced, Forney is most upset about Gibbs’ ideas regarding the players’ weight. He says the coach forced them to weigh-in under 300 pounds each week — somewhat light for an O-line — or face team sanctions.
“They would tell you that you have to weigh 295 so you’d be sitting up Wednesday and Thursday night starving sometimes.”
Three hundred pounds might not be an issue for you and me, but for these Goliath-like offensive linemen who are forced to block even bigger 340-pound defensemen like Green Bay Packer Gilbert Brown, this weight issue can be a struggle. Turn on the TV on any given Sunday in the fall and you’ll understand exactly what this whole thing is about. The line of scrimmage is about control. Ever played tug-of-war against a sumo wrestler? I think you get the point.
Forney says that Gibbs wanted the players light so they could better execute his zone-blocking scheme. Forney says that he and his teammates would have been better off at a more comfortable playing weight.
“You should be able to weigh what you’re comfortable playing at, as long as you can move and you’re strong. If you’re starving yourself, you’re burning up muscle and getting weak over the course of the season,” Forney said.
It’s difficult to take up argument with Gibbs, whose Falcons rush attack has led the league in yards gained for the past three years. I mean, let’s face the facts, the scale is tipped in Gibbs’ direction on that one.
But this issue is about more than yards gained and weigh-ins. For some time now, stories have been written and aired about the plight of linemen and their struggles with various diseases, such as diabetes and other ailments, all relating to their playing days at abnormally high weights. Some coaches prefer their linemen to be heavy, where extra pounds can often be the difference between an RB getting tackled at the line and breaking one for 20 yards. Coaches’ jobs depend on their ability to produce numbers, which are dependent on the players and their weights … it’s a vicious cycle.
Most linemen are upset because they have to maintain above a certain weight to play, not below. So on one hand, we have a coach demanding his players to stay light and quick against their will, and on the other is a guy saying he’d rather play at a more natural weight. Not an easy issue. I’m sure we’d all like to see these humans live long, meaningful lives after football — especially if that means losing some weight.
But Gibbs and Jim Mora Jr. are out, and Bobby Petrino and staff are in. So I guess we’ll have to wait a year to see how this plays out and how the 2007 Falcons will look in their uniforms. But as long as they lead the league in rushing, it’s all gravy.
