T-Bob Hebert doesn’t speak with the unmistakable Cajun accent of his father, former New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Bobby Hebert.The 6-foot-3, 285-pound LSU sophomore also does not play quarterback. Instead, he’s made himself a force along the offensive line, a position he has played since he was 9 years old.”I remember the night before my first practice, I had dreams of throwing touchdowns and running for touchdowns, and I end up on the offensive line,” Hebert said. “In my younger days, I had some dreams of playing tight end even though I still played center back then. But now there’s nothing more fun than being in the trenches, getting down and dirty and just hitting people.”Since T-Bob Hebert suffered a season-ending knee injury in LSU’s game against South Carolina in 2008, the sophomore center has rebounded by participating in all the Tigers’ spring practices and taking many snaps with the first-team offense.Bobby Hebert said his main advice for his son has been to take the recovery process seriously.”I’ve had three arthroscopic knee surgeries,” Bobby Hebert said. “It’s not so much about the injury as it is about the rehab. It almost has to become a way of life when you do it day in and day out. You have to be disciplined enough to get it done on your own, and you can’t cheat yourself.”T-Bob Hebert has been locked in a battle at center with redshirt freshman P.J. Lonergan throughout fall camp, and LSU coach Les Miles said it is likely  Hebert will emerge in the starting role though both will see playing time.”I think T-Bob Hebert — he and P.J. Lonergan — will both play. I think T-Bob will start,” Miles said. “They both fit in real well, and they’re guys who are very serious about their trade. They’re going to get it right, and they’re making all the right calls. We’ve not really missed a beat there.”Lonergan said the prospect of he and T-Bob Hebert rotating at center is nothing new for the offensive line and shouldn’t affect the chemistry with quarterbacks.”T-Bob will probably be starting the first game … We should be rotating in and out,” Lonergan said. It won’t be as big a deal as people think. Since the spring, we take snaps with different quarterbacks every day. No matter who starts, we should both be getting snaps.”T-Bob Hebert said he and his fellow competitor have a fun relationship away from football.”P.J. and I are cool,” he said. “If you’ve been on campus this summer, you could have seen us double-riding on my little scooter with him grabbing my waist from behind, which is probably a sight to see.”Bobby Hebert said he stressed to his son the importance of never settling for one good day or one good practice.”Every day is truly a different day,” Bobby Hebert said. “You can’t afford to just sit back because there’s a lot of competition out there. Take the approach of going out every day like it could be your last day playing football.”T-Bob Hebert grew up and attended Greater Christian High School in Atlanta, where he said he was more of a Falcons fan, that is, until he moved to Louisiana.”I am a Saints fan,” he said. “Maybe when I was younger, I was a Falcons fan because I went to some of their games and knew some of their players. Once I moved back here and I came here for college, I hopped back onto the Saints bandwagon.”Though football has been a part of T-Bob Hebert’s life since he was a child, Bobby Hebert said he never forced his son to be a part of the sport he played professionally for 14 seasons (1983-96) in the United States Football League and NFL.”I knew he was going to be big, so I told him to play center where he could touch the ball for every snap, and he’s been a center forever,” Bobby Hebert said. “I never really pushed him. You can’t make anybody play football. They have to want to do it, and he’s always wanted to do it.”————Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]