The subject is fat guys in the NFL, particularly fat defensive linemen. Let me start with a story I may have alluded to before, but I think is apropos.

I'm in Honolulu with my son, Mike. We're watching a Japanese TV station, which is presenting a Sumo tournament. We're watching match after match, and if you're into betting, as we are, this is a fine thing, because we're wagering on every bout -- he picks first, then next bout I do, and so on.

Toward the end of the evening, Konishiki, the 560-pound champion shows up. He gets down in a four-point defensive lineman's stance, rises up and hits his opponent with a perfect two-hand, straight-arm shiver and knocks him out of the ring. A pure football technique.

"Holy hell," I'm thinking. "Put a guy like this on the nose, or maybe two of them at the DTs, and who's going to run on you?"

The idea of it haunted me, and when we got back to the mainland I called Al Davis about it. I mean who else but the Raiders would go for something like this?