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All Guts, Little Glory In Trenches

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By ADAM ADKINS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 19, 2008

Eddie Rosenbaum once shared the dream of every youth football player to line up at quarterback and be the one to lead his team to victory.

However, with every inch Rosenbaum grew taller, he also seemed to expand outward. The Plant City senior began to realize his chances of lining up under center were far less than his chances of lining up as the center.

"As you grow up and you start to develop a little thing called a gut," a grinning Rosenbaum said, smacking his midsection, "you start to realize you're going to be an offensive lineman."

It's a transition that becomes a reality for many high school football players, who move into a position far less glorified than one they'd imagined for themselves growing up.

"It's dirty, sweaty and nasty," Armwood senior tackle Justin Cabbagestalk said, "but somebody's got to do it."

Such is the life of an offensive lineman. They're often the biggest players on the football field, yet they seem to operate with a ghost's stealth-like ability, except on the occasions that little yellow flag sits near their feet.

"We do get noticed when we do bad," Brandon senior center Ben Harrison said with a laugh.

They endure the most punishment, yet, outside of their own locker rooms, the credit seems almost non-existent.

"They're the unsung heroes," Riverview coach Bruce Gifford said.

Added Plant City coach Jason Strunk: "It's a thankless job. There's no glory in the grunt work."

However, that doesn't mean there isn't satisfaction.

Most offensive linemen take pride in their contributions. They consider their position the toughest job on the football field, one that takes both physical and metal toughness in order to execute.

"It takes a special person, I think, to line up and know that nobody is going to talk about you, yet you get you're head pounded every play," said Rosenbaum, the Raiders' center. "It's pretty amazing what some offensive lineman can do nowadays. We hit somebody every play, and the people we're hitting are 280, 300 pounds and 6-foot-4, stuff like that. We endure a lot of punishment."

"It takes guts, and lots of toughness," Riverview senior tackle Ryan Gascon said. "Offensive linemen, we get lots of bumps and bruises, cuts, dings, broken bones, every day. It's really tough. You have to be really smart, too. There's a lot of different plays, a lot of different angles, a lot of different steps to learn and remember."

Once linemen get a feel for the position, it seems to grow on them.

"It's not something that you think you would love," Gascon said, "but once you start playing it and once you start getting a chance to annihilate people, it's pretty fun."

Besides, that hope for glory still exists.

While no offensive lineman wants to see his team's playmakers put the ball on the ground, the thought of scooping up a loose ball and falling across the goal line remains in the back of their head.

It's that lone chance to make the box score, and to gain some of the glory.

"It's every fat man's dream," Cabbagestalk said.

A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE TRENCHES

Here's a closer look at some of the offensive linemen in Hillsborough County:

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 657-4533 or aadkins@tampatrib.com.

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