Baltimore’s Big Hurt

The NFL Draft is held every year in New York City. It is a highly anticipated day for fans of all 32 teams. It is a thrilling day for the hundreds of college football players selected. And it is an extremely stressful day for every one of their mothers! Just ask Deborah Grubbs, the proud mama of the first pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2007, Ben Grubbs.

“It was exciting, but also so nerve wracking,” said Deborah. “We were all together on the day of the draft, but I couldn’t watch. Then the phone rang and Ben jumped up and he saw ‘Baltimore Ravens’ on the caller ID. Then my blood pressure went down.”

The moment was a big one for big Ben as well. “It was one of the best times of my life,” Grubbs said the day after the draft. “It was a long road here.” The road began 844 miles from Baltimore in tiny Eclectic, Alabama. The population of Eclectic is just over 1000, which means you could fit every man, woman and child from the little town with the big name inside M&T Bank Stadium – 70 times!

Ben always seemed destined to leave Eclectic and become a star on the field, but not the football field, not right away at least, that’s because Grubbs’ first love was baseball. “I was a baseball player growing up,” said Grubbs. “I thought that would be my sport. My mom helped me put a lot of time in to that [baseball], she thought it was an opportunity for me.” Mrs. Grubbs had good reason to support her son’s sweet swing. “He was always the fourth batter,” she said. “He always hit home runs.”

In 9th grade, however, Ben followed his older brother’s lead on to the gridiron and played both offense and defense for Elmore County High School. As a senior, Grubbs caught seven passes, rushed for 138 yards and scored two touchdowns as a fullback. Ben made an even bigger impact on the defensive side of the ball by registering 150 tackles, six sacks, and an interception his senior year as he did his best to imitate his favorite player and future teammate. “I was a linebacker in high school and I watched Ray,” said Grubbs when asked not only which teammate he was excited to play with, but which NFL player he was looking forward to sharing the field with the most. “He’s right here,” responded Grubbs, “Ray Lewis.”

Grubbs’ performance earned him recognition as one of the top 10 players in the state and a scholarship to play for nearby Auburn University. While in college Ben always believed he would play in the NFL one day, but he didn’t always know which position he would play. He started out as a defensive end, but as he continued to grow, he was moved to tight end before landing on the offensive line.

Being an offensive lineman might not sound like the most glamorous position in football since touchdowns are few and far between (Jonathan Ogden, one of the best lineman ever, has caught a grand total of two touchdowns in his 12-year NFL career). Their statistics, however, are actually much cooler. Just listen to these numbers posted by Grubbs during a game against Mississippi State: “Three cockroach blocks, one rodeo block and one pancake against the Bulldogs.” That’s right. Three cockroaches, one rodeo and a pancake! Maybe fantasy football leagues should consider drafting lineman. And so you can impress your friends, here are a few notes from Ben to teach you the difference between each type of block:

“A cockroach block is where we just simply cut the defender’s legs out from under him. A pancake block is when you just put the guy on his back. A rodeo is about pass protection – if I block the guy the whole time the quarterback has the ball and don’t give up any pressure, that’s a rodeo. It’s like me staying on the bull the whole time.”

While attending Auburn University, Ben Grubbs’ big build and broad smile led to comparisons with another former Auburn heavyweight who was also a two-sport star, Frank Thomas. “The Big Hurt” played both football and baseball as a Tiger, but correctly chose America’s Pastime as a career and has since hit more than 500 home runs in the Major Leagues.

Although Ben never shared more than a nickname with big Frank, he did share the field with a number of future NFL players including: Jason Campbell, quarterback for the Washington Redskins; Marcus McNeil, left tackle for the San Diego Chargers; Cadillac Williams, running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; and Ronnie Brown, running back for the Miami Dolphins, who Ben will see play later this year when the Ravens travel to South Florida. The former teammates still keep in touch and the lessons learned by the players that entered the league before him seem to have rubbed off on Grubbs. For example, when Ben was asked what he took away from the mandatory NFL/NFLPA Rookie Symposium – a four-day conference that helps rookies make the transition to becoming not just a football player, but a man who plays football – he responded, “Just to be a professional. The game is bigger than you are and it will be here long after I’m done playing.”

While he is here, Ben will look to solidify a spot on the right side of the Ravens offensive line for years to come. First off, though, he does get to spend a little bit of the money he has worked so hard to earn. What is he going to buy? “I made sure to take care of me,” said Grubbs. “I bought a new truck for myself, but I’ll definitely buy something for my Mom too. Anything she wants. I’ll take care of her.”

And what does Mrs. Grubbs want? Well, as she told Ben when he first put on the pads in 9th grade, and again when he left home for training camp, “Don’t get hurt.” Fortunately for Deborah, and for all Ravens fans, #66 looks like he’ll be the one delivering punishment to oncoming defenders, cooking up pancakes, catching cockroaches and riding in the rodeo. Make sure to catch him this season. He’s Ben Grubbs – Baltimore’s Big Hurt.

This article originally appeared in the Ravens Rookies newsletters for their kids club