In six seasons, journeyman offensive tackle Jimmy Herndon of the Houston Texans has started only four games, all of those in one season. Bernard Robertson of the Chicago Bears didn't play a single snap in his 2001 rookie campaign. New York Giants offensive tackle Chris Bober has appeared in 16 contests in two seasons, none in a starting role.

So what, beyond an obvious dearth of starting experience, does this trio have in common?

All of them are among a group of new blindside pass blockers for 2002, an assemblage that will draw lots of scrutiny when training camps open in two weeks, particularly from the quarterbacks they are expected to protect. Some members of the contingent are simply experienced pass blockers playing in new locales in '02 but others, like Robertson, will be thrown immediately into the fire for some white-hot on the job training.

A late-round pick from Tulane last year, Robertson is projected as the Bears' new starting left tackle, replacing oft-injured Blake Brockermeyer, who was released in part for salary cap considerations, and subsequently signed with Denver. Ironically, Brockermeyer now is part of the fraternity of new blindside blockers as well, although he will have to beat out fellow free-agent acquisition Ephraim Salaam for the starting job.

	“	This is a tremendous opportunity, but I'm not taking anything for granted, and I'm approaching this as the biggest challenge I've had in football. I've got to be the security blanket for (starting quarterback) Jim Miller, and I take that pretty seriously. If I screw up, everyone is going to know it, so the heat is on, man. ”
		— Bernard Robertson, Bears left tackle

There are many high profile subplots that will play out in training camps around the NFL this summer. The fact there are so many new principle pass protectors hasn't received any attention yet. But let one of the tackles miss a block that results in a quarterback injury and the newcomers will quickly go under the microscope.

In fact, some already have begun to feel the pressure, they have acknowledged.

"Last year, when I didn't even get onto the field, I studied the game as hard as I could," said Robertson, who is ahead of 2002 first-round choice Marc Colombo on the Bears' depth chart. "I think I watched every move that (Brockermeyer) made because tackle was a new position for me and I needed to soak up everything I could.

"This is a tremendous opportunity, but I'm not taking anything for granted, and I'm approaching this as the biggest challenge I've had in football. I've got to be the security blanket for (starting quarterback) Jim Miller, and I take that pretty seriously. If I screw up, everyone is going to know it, so the heat is on, man."

Robertson isn't the only left tackle, though, for whom camp will be both a crucible and a proving ground. Herndon, who figures to start in Houston until Tony Boselli is recovered from offseason shoulder surgeries, is the unproven bodyguard for high-price David Carr. Bober will have to demonstrate that he can step in for the departed Lomas Brown, cut by the Giants this spring. If he can't handle the assignment, New York probably will have to move Luke Petitgout over from his strongside spot.

But not all the players in the group are youngsters.

After stellar seasons on the right side, Kyle Turley of New Orleans moves to the left side. The man he will replace, Willie Roaf, will be the new starter in Kansas City, provided he is recovered from knee surgery that truncated his 2001 season. Zack Wiegert is expected to move from guard to left tackle in Jacksonville, assuming he reports to camp amid some contract issues.

Buffalo will choose from three young candidates -- second-year veterans Jonas Jennings and Marques Sullivan and former Denver starter Trey Teague -- for the right to protect Drew Bledsoe. In Miami, Brent Smith will try to reclaim the starting job that was supposed to be his until he blew out his knee in the first full-contact day of camp in 2001.

"It's a job you want because, the way the game is played now, (the blindside) tackle has almost been raised to skill-position status," said Teague, who started all 16 games for the Broncos last year. "You're on the spot every pass play, and there is a lot of pressure that comes with the responsibility, but I think most guys like to prove to themselves and to everyone else that they are up to the task."

Around the league