Look out for the bit players

They’re often overshadowed, never overlooked. Theirs aren’t household names, yet they command instant respect in locker rooms all over the NFL. They might not be headed to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl, but they just might wind up in Miami for the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook is one of them. So are Will Smith of New Orleans, Tarik Glenn of Indianapolis, D.J. Hackett of Seattle, Shaun Phillips of San Diego and Jerricho Cotchery of the New York Jets -- all vital but largely unheralded members of playoff teams.

They certainly aren’t anonymous, especially among devout fans of their teams, but, when compared with superstar teammates, they are the league’s forgotten foot soldiers. Ones who could help tip the scales in the postseason.

Some of the players you might not know, yet could hear about in the coming weeks:

* Westbrook. He’s far from a no-name player, but the Eagles running back is among the most underappreciated players in the league. His team values him, of course, but Westbrook doesn’t get the type of nationwide attention he deserves.

He has been to the Pro Bowl once, as an alternate in 2004, but was snubbed this season even though his workload is heavier than ever. As the first Eagles player to gain 1,000 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving, he is an essential cog in an offense that made a frictionless quarterback transition from Donovan McNabb to Jeff Garcia.

Said New Orleans defensive tackle Hollis Thomas, one of Westbrook’s former Philadelphia teammates: “If you’re game-planning the Eagles and don’t account for him, you’re in trouble.”

* Glenn. This left tackle’s directive is simple: Stand guard over football’s version of Ft. Knox. He’s assigned to protect the blind side of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, and Glenn does a very good job of it, as he has since Manning arrived in 1998.

Glenn, the team’s first-round pick in 1997, was told last season that he had made his first Pro Bowl as one of three AFC tackles. Several hours later, however, a league representative called back and said there had been a tabulating error and that Glenn, in fact, had not made it. The Colts were enraged.

Playing left tackle for any team is a difficult task. But doing it for the Colts is especially difficult because of Manning’s penchant for changing plays at the line of scrimmage. The linemen have to stay in their stances longer than most. Teammates have nicknamed Glenn “Socrates” because he has a bit of an intellectual bent. But, considering how his job requires him to stay statue-still for long periods, “The Thinker” might be more fitting.

* Smith. He might share the name of one of Hollywood’s leading men, but this Will Smith is little more than a character actor to Saints matinee idols Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. Cue up the game tape, though, and Smith has true star power. The third-year defensive end from Ohio State had 10 1/2 sacks this season and made his first Pro Bowl. He’s a pivotal player in a New Orleans defense that, for the most part, has done a respectable job this season.

Smith seemed like a superfluous pick when the Saints selected him in the first round, seeing as they already had good defensive ends in Charles Grant and Darren Howard, to whom they gave franchise-player designation. By the end of last season, however, Howard was on the bench -- he would eventually wind up in Philadelphia -- and Smith had moved into a starting spot. Now, he’s the best player on the Saints’ defense.

* Hackett. The Seahawks have better-known receivers in Darrell Jackson, Deion Branch and tight end Jerramy Stevens, but Hackett is Mr. Reliable on third down and has caught nine passes for 20 yards or more this season. The thing that Hackett has that the other Seattle wide receivers don’t is a big body. He’s 6 feet 2, 199 pounds, and began his college career at Cal State Northridge before the program was disbanded in 2001. Then, he transferred to Colorado.

Had they not halted their late-season losing streak, the Seahawks themselves might have considered disbanding. Instead, they ended their three-game slide with a victory in the finale at Tampa Bay, and Hackett was presented with a game ball for his efforts.

* Cotchery. In his college days at North Carolina State, Cotchery was a favorite target of Philip Rivers, now quarterback of the Chargers. But that didn’t earn the receiver instant credibility with the New York Jets. He was on the bench for his first two seasons, backing up Justin McCareins.

When Eric Mangini took over as coach, he threw open the competition for that spot, and Cotchery, just as he does with jump-ball throws, leaped up and snatched the opportunity. He now starts ahead of McCareins, even though he makes about one-sixth the salary, at $400,000 per season. He should see a lot of passes come his way in the wild-card game at New England, because teammate Laveranues Coles tends to draw a lot of double coverage.

* Phillips. Billed as a pass-rush specialist, he wasn’t even supposed to start for the Chargers this season but stepped in after Steve Foley suffered season-ending injuries after being shot by an off-duty policeman. Not only has Phillips proved he can get to the quarterback -- he has 11 1/2 sacks -- he has emerged as a solid run-stopper for a defense ranked seventh in that department.

Phillips also has an unusual way of celebrating big plays. Because his grandmother was a professional bowler, he whoops it up by rolling an imaginary bowling ball toward invisible pins.

Considering his base salary is $425,000, Phillips is a steal for the Chargers. If he keeps this up, he’ll soon leap from the who’s-he to the who’s-who list. And he’ll add a zero to his paycheck.

Now that’s really bowling for dollars.

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