I was refered to this site recently to start a blog by one of my fellow writers on the Hutchinson Community College Collegian, and due the fact that I just started this blog it isn't the most timely news, but I cant let the NFL slide on this one.

The NFL's competition committee met recently to discuss an array of topics, but decided to crack down on touchdown celebrations.

Of all things to discuss the NFL takes on celebrating...

I can suggest a name for the new rules outlining celebrations in the end zone.

How about the Chad Johnson-T.O.-Steve Smith rule?

The committee singled out these three wide receivers and decided to take their signature celebrations away from them.

The rules dictate that spiking the ball in the end zone will be fine, and spinning it on the ground, or, dunking it over the goalpost won't be outlawed either. Dancing in the end zone is fine, too, as long as it's not prolonged or a group effort.

I guess they call it the No Fun League for a reason.

I don't understand what's wrong with these celebrations. Those guys work hard all week and when they finally accomplish what they set their goals on, the NFL wants them to just hand the ball to the ref?

Whats wrong with dancing, and celebrating? Is the NFL being run by the same people who ran off dancing in the movie Footloose?

I know that T.O. isn't a washed up actor, but the analogy still works.

My question is: why was the NFL's top priority this off-season celebrations that nearly all young fans enjoy?

Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, and Steve Smith bring awesome individuality into the game and show fans charisma and style that had never really been brought into the game before.

This is the problem with the NFL being run by old, out-of-touch men that don't relate with their fans.

They don't understand the marketing and publicity that the NFL receives from such individual statements made in the end zone.

When Chad Johnson ran out of the end-zone to propose to a Cinci cheerleader I almost wet my pants I was laughing so hard.

The NFL doesn't realize that this is the future of football, and there are plenty of other topics that they should be discussing.

I'm sure the Seattle Seahawks were thrilled with the discussion of celebrations rather than something like refereeing for instance.

After all, they didn't get jobbed by the referees on the biggest stage in sports or anything, right?

Instead of looking at important issues like the problem with refs, the NFL cracks down on something that brings an exciting, young crowd into the NFL, and brings them millions of dollars in publicity.

Brilliant.

"This is why we don't have nice things," my mother used to tell me. She would say this phrase when I had made a poor decision in the house and most likely broke something.

Kansas City Chiefs fans should be professing the same phrase in the direction of General Manager Carl Peterson. This year's off-season has been lack-luster at best, and has not addressed the holes the Chiefs have in their defense that they must fill before they can contend for a championship.

Kansas City has turned its back to its glaring need at corner back for far to long and didn't fill the gaping hole in this weekends draft either.

Yes, I like first round Defensive end Tamba Hali who had a great year at Penn State. Hali was second on the Chiefs board at defensive end, and he will make an impact in year one. Since Kansas City drafted a DE in the first, they were bound to nab up a stellar corner to start for us in round two right?

Wrong, a fifth round draft pick is all the Chiefs surrendered to the defensive back position and it makes me ill.

Don't get me wrong, I like University of Miami corner Marcus Maxey a lot, but he is raw and needs polished. He will be unable to start this year, which means the Chiefs still have a glaring hole.

Kansas City could of drafted a starting caliber corner in the second round with University of Ohio corner Ashton Youboty on the board, but decided to pass on the first round rated Youboty and pick up a safety from Prudue named Bernard Pollard.

Pollard is a great safety, but he doesn't fill the need the Chiefs have right now. Kansas City has two starting caliber safeties right now with Sammy Knight and Greg Wesley.

The Chiefs have no choice now, but to pay corner Ty Law in free agency and hope that he can make the type of impact that he did in New England.

There isn't anyone left in free agency that can come in and make an impact this year.

What saddens me is the fact that Kansas City only has a few more years of offensive dominance left in the tank, and if the defense is unable to at least become middle of the pack the Chiefs will go home with nothing but a good run in 03.

Peterson needs to be reminded that poor drafting, and not addressing the defense is why Kansas City doesnt have nice things. A Lombardi Trophy.

The Houston Texans select #1 tomorrow in the NFL Draft and most experts have them taking RB Reggie Bush from the University of Southern California or DE Mario Williams from North Carolina State.

The battle between the two players in the front offices of the Texans has been massive, but it looks that the Texans are leaning toward Bush like most figured.

I am here to tell you why the Houston Texans shouldn't take either player with the first pick in the draft. Houston should trade down to pick #4 and take Tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson from the University of Virginia.

Houston has a good running back in Dominick Davis who rushed for 976 yards and averaged 4.2 yards a carry. Davis put up almost 1,000 yards behind an offensive line that gave up over 80 sacks and had trouble run blocking.

Why would the Texans need a running back in this position. It seems that RB is one of the few places that they don't have holes.

Even if they don't feel that Davis is the answer at RB for their club, they still shouldn't go with Reggie Bush with the pick. Head Coach Gary Kubiak helped produce several 1,000 yard rushers in Denver while offensive coordinator there, and he did it with no first round draft picks at the running back position.

Drafting Bush would be a huge mistake.

Trading down and drafting an offensive lineman would show your fans that you care about winning much more then you do about selling tickets, which in result will sell tickets.

Not only will drafting an offensive lineman bring the Texans praise with their fans, it will also show David Carr that they are behind him, and plan on protecting him.

The next argument several experts will put toward my argument for Ferguson will be that no one wants to trade up for Bush at #1. That is simply untrue considering that those same experts put him as the best talent to come out of college since Barry Sanders. If he is, in fact, that talent then there should be teams lined up to draft him and would love to trade up for him.

The New York Jets at #4 should be that team, knowing that RB Curtis Martin is on the downslide they should be foaming at the mouth to trade up for Bush.

The facts prove that the Texans should shop the pick tomorrow gain more draft picks, and nab up Ferguson and show David Carr that they are investing in him.

All athletes know of the danger an injury can bring them while competing in their sports. They play regardless of the physical damage that they continue to inflict on themselves. What many athletes are now contemplating is the hazard of death caused by their respective sports.

Football players in particular are in danger more than any other sport. Especially offensive and defensive linemen that are often tipping the scales at over 300 pounds.

A recent study done by Scripps Howard News Service states that these men are among the heaviest in sports history and are 52 percent more likely to die of heart disease than the regular population.

At the beginning of the NFL season, Thomas Herrion, a 23-year-old offensive lineman, died of heart disease during the 49ers' training camp.

Herrion isn't the only death to come this year.

Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Reggie White, died at the young age of 43 from a cardiac arrhythmia compounded by breathing disorders.

White is just another example of this epidemic that is taking over the football world.

There are countless other players that have died from the same sort of things.

This brings up the question of our priorities and if they are in the right place when we ask high school and college players to bulk up to keep up with the competition.

Is it worth it?

Were the all-pro years that 27-year-old Korey Stringer, 325 pounds, spent with the Minnesota Vikings worth his life during training camp in 2001?

I think not, and I hope that teams and organizations feel the same way.

There needs to be a policy put into place by all teams - high school through pro - to regulate the size and weight of players to insure their heath.

The patterns show, and if teams will not regulate players' weight, then they need to take serious precautions to make sure that the death of these players does not continue.

Offensive and defensive linemen were never this large, and they only continue to get larger because of the growing demand by teams to get bigger.

I hope that every high school, college and pro team takes these studies seriously and creates policies to take care of their players who bring in millions a year to their establishments.