They sat in a lecture room listening to University of Richmond offensive line coach Bill Polin explain different terminology.

They watched him draw diagrams on the chalkboard, which reinforced concepts ranging from a three-point stance, how to move from block to block and how to force an opponent off the football. And the 10 UR offensive linemen copied those ideas down in their spiral notebook to study afterward.

These teaching scenarios are common in high school, college and pro football. Yet the idea of offensive linemen toting pencils and notebooks doesn't exactly fit the stereotype.

"People have thought offensive linemen are the dumbest guys on the field," said Randy West, the offensive line coach at Meadowbrook High School.

"People think we're hungry all the time," said Tim Silver, UR's senior left tackle.

"The guys who are famous are scoring touchdowns," Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels said. "No one wants to put your jerseys in the store."

The UR players aren't worried about those perceptions when they attend Polin's "Chalk Talk" sessions, though. Instead, they worry about Polin asking them to stand up in front of the class and explain what they just learned.

"I treat football meetings like a class," Polin said. "When you go to class, you listen to the professor and take notes. We're a football classroom."

And offensive linemen from all levels are about to teach you how their perception is wrong.

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West, who played center at UR from 2000-02, has found that the perception of offensive linemen lacking intelligence can affect the mindset of incoming freshmen.

"You have to make these kids realize they have to be smart to play the offensive line," West said. "They have to be able to think on their feet."

He can point to the Wonderlic test, which NFL teams administer to prospects.

In his book "The New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football," Paul Zimmerman reported that offensive tackles (26) and centers (25) scored the highest in a five-year period. Offensive guards (23) finished fourth behind quarterbacks (24). Prospects have 12 minutes to answer 50 questions that showcase problem-solving abilities.

"Our first step has to be on point," said Morgan Moses, Meadowbrook's senior left tackle, who said repetitions and dissecting game footage are the only tools to perfect that skill. "We have to see what our guy looks like in front of us. We know that in every game, the same person won't be in front of us."

Problem-solving abilities are crucial for offensive linemen. They have to become familiar with their linemates' assignments and their own and adjust to audibles on the fly. Curt Newsome, Virginia Tech's offensive line coach, thinks "in a perfect world, an offensive lineman doesn't play until they're a redshirt sophomore" for that reason.

"The offensive line is a unit and communication is needed all the time," said Virginia senior left tackle Eugene Monroe, who is working with an inexperienced unit this year. "A guy who has less experience might not see something as fast as a guy who has seen it in the game before."

That's why Hokies right tackle Blake DeChristopher (Clover Hill) feels the pressure to learn the offense quickly. The redshirt freshman joins a line that lost only one starter -- left tackle Duane Brown (Hermitage). The Hokies moved junior Ed Wang to Brown's spot, leaving DeChristopher at right tackle. He took an unconventional approach when he redshirted last year to speed the learning process.

"I wasn't getting the plays, so I wrote them down on flashcards and tried to get a head start," DeChristopher said. "Within a day or two, I was learning them a lot faster."

That discipline can carry over into other areas, as long as it's done with the same effort.

"I wish it would," Samuels said, laughing. "I got to be honest. My girlfriend tells me all the time, 'You take your job more serious than everything.' I guess I need to tighten up in other areas. If I converted those qualities over, I would be a [heck] of a well-rounded guy."

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Well-rounded often has seemed to be the perfect adjective to describe offensive linemen, especially when you hear about Silver's "Fat Fest." During this year's Daytona 500, he treated his friends to an unlimited supply of hotdogs, burgers, bratwurst, chips and salsa. Silver said he hosts the event at his apartment every five months outside of football season.

"It's every once in a while," Silver said, laughing. "It's not every day, though."

That's why it's inaccurate to portray offensive linemen as ravenous athletes less interested in making a pancake on the field than eating one off it.

The Hokies' offensive linemen spent their summer in Blacksburg losing weight. They made that effort in hope of rectifying last year's performances when Virginia Tech allowed 54 sacks -- a total that eclipsed all but two of the nation's 119 Division I-A teams and the program's worst showing since 1972.

The Hokies' offensive linemen walked the Lane Stadium bleachers Mondays through Thursdays at 6:30 a.m. all summer. They said they were more cognizant of their diet, resulting in three of their starters shedding a combined 70 pounds.

"You have to prepare for it," said Sergio Render, Virginia Tech's junior right guard, who lost 15 pounds, going from 320 to 305. "You can't just stay home the whole summer and come back and expect to be better than you were the year before."

Constant weight fluctuations -- which often increase or decrease significantly in the offseason -- highlight the ongoing approach in finding the perfect balance between quickness and power. Those lacking the latter have found ways to compensate.

West points to the 5-7, 160-pound frame of Francis Barbaran, who helped the Monarchs win a 2004 Group AAA Division 5 Central Region championship, as one who breaks the stereotype. Virginia coach Al Groh cites former U.Va. left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who the New York Jets selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft, as another example.

"He quickly tuned into thinking, 'My game is going to be about technique; it's not going to be about power,'" Groh said of Ferguson, who entered his freshman year at Virginia at 260 pounds. "His game was about athletic ability and technique rather than power."

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Silver still remembers the message he heard when he became an offensive lineman at George Marshall High School in McLean. If they want the limelight, the coaching staff warned, become a skill position player. Monroe shared the same sentiment.

"The offensive line is overlooked because you have the flashy skill positions -- the running backs and receivers," Monroe said. "They are deserving in getting attention, but the offensive line may be overlooked just a little bit."

It isn't when there is a holding penalty, or an offensive lineman moves too soon. Just ask Render about the Hokies' 54 sacks last year.

"When we give up a sack, we get blamed for it a lot," Render said.

The tone at Virginia Tech's media day reflected that sentiment. Reporters asked Newsome about last year's sack problems and where the breakdown happened. Though reporters may have wanted more understanding and insight, it's still telling they asked the offensive line coach and not the quarterbacks or running backs coaches.

"I watched the sack tape many times," Newsome said. "We're not a finger-pointing outfit around here. We were all in that together. From an outside perspective looking in, the line is going to get credit for them."

He later said, "One of the reasons for the sacks is because we couldn't run the ball effectively."

West said Meadowbrook's tailbacks often thank Moses, who weighs 340 pounds, for making their running game effective by hiding behind his wide frame. Even if some see that role as a thankless job, the hard work eventually becomes noticed. Moses said he has received 30 scholarship offers so far, including ones from U.Va. and Virginia Tech.

Considered the nation's top lineman four years ago, Monroe is ranked in the top 10 in several NFL mock drafts and likely will join several former Cavaliers, including Branden Albert and Ferguson, in the pro ranks.

Michael Lewis' book "The Blind Side" describes in detail the increasing monetary value in left tackle -- a trend Samuels said should make young players reconsider playing the skill positions.

"They're paying us a lot of money," said Samuels, a five-time Pro Bowler whom the Redskins signed to a reported seven-year contract worth $47 million and a $16 million signing bonus in 2005. "You got to protect your quarterback. If you have this expensive quarterback sitting there, you better put somebody in front of him who knows what they're doing."

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Generally, football fans understand the nuances of an offensive lineman's job. Most linemen, however, acknowledge a stigma still exists within their trade.

Players and coaches suggest negative perceptions may never go away, no matter how much insight the common fan may gain in how an offensive lineman studies, trains and performs. Then again, that's part of the job description.

"If you're an offensive lineman long enough, you learn to deal with it," Samuels said.