GREEN BAY, Wis. – In the boys-will-be-boys world of the NFL, a hurt feeling or two is best left covered up for fear of being ridiculed.
Seattle Seahawks center Robbie Tobeck could attest to that fact recently, as his good-natured locker room grumbling about never being mentioned as a possible Pro Bowl selection led to a sign above the area where he dresses.
“Pro Bowl Lounge,” the sign reads, placed there by some of his cleverly sarcastic teammates.
On Sunday afternoon, with two probable Pro Bowl players lined up alongside him for the most important play of the season, Tobeck’s worth finally was recognized in full view.
The Seahawks were staring at a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line with less than a minute remaining, and instead of running behind tackle Walter Jones or Steve Hutchinson on the left side, they opted to let Tobeck pave the way.
The 297-pound Tobeck cleared out 350-pound, run-stuffing defensive tackle Grady Jackson to allow Shaun Alexander to score the game-tying touchdown with 55 seconds left in regulation.
“Grady’s a great player, and we exchanged some punches today,” Tobeck said, speaking metaphorically rather than literally. “He’d get one, I’d get one. And on that goal line, I knew I had him by myself, and I knew I had to get a good block because they were coming right behind me. So I anchored down, was able to get down under him.”
While Tobeck jokes about being an annual Pro Bowl snub, there is a hint of pain in his laughter. Just two weeks ago, when the teams were announced, he dressed quietly in his locker while reporters shuffled to the players housed on either side of him.
Jones had been named to his fourth Pro Bowl while Hutchinson is a first alternate who is expected to go because New Orleans Saints guard LaCharles Bentley is sidelined by knee surgery.
“It’s hard for Robbie to ever get any attention,” said Alexander, who scored three touchdowns Sunday. “You get Walt on the left, (tackle) Chris Terry on the right, then Hutch who comes in and is unbelievable. You have three guys who are Pro Bowl caliber. And then you have Robbie, who is calling all the plays, and it’s hard for him. But he still goes out every weekend and is the captain of the line.”
Tobeck has had a strong season that may have been overlooked by some Pro Bowl voters, but his worth was apparent Sunday. While no one would compare it with Jerry Kramer’s block in the 1967 Ice Bowl, Tobeck’s clear-out of Jackson might have been the most important block of the Seahawks’ season.
“I’ve been playing 10 years, so I take a lot of solace in the fact that I know when I’ve done my job, and I know when I haven’t,” Tobeck said. “And no one’s going to be a harder critic on me than I am.
“I don’t know if it was a conscious effort to go behind me. But I have a lot of faith in our offensive line, and I don’t care who we run behind. We obviously have two Pro Bowl-caliber guys, but I believe a lot in the other guys too.”
Just one of the so-called “other guys,” Tobeck pushed his way to the forefront Sunday.
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