FOXBORO — For an offensive lineman, job requirement number one is being super-sized. These days, the men in the trenches routinely top 300 pounds.

So when, before his second NFL season in 2003, Kendall Simmons rapidly dropped from his playing weight of 315 pounds to about 270, it was a concern. Add to that blurry vision, weakness and constant thirst, and a doctor gave Simmons shocking news: he had type I diabetes.

The Mississippi native, who shares the same hometown (Ridley) as author John Grisham, played every game that season, even as he struggled with the realities of having diabetes and learning the best way to manage it. Now, the 30-year-old knows how best to deal with his condition and has flourished in the NFL, and had started every game he had played in before this season.

A former first-round pick of the Steelers, who spent the first seven years of his career in Pittsburgh, Simmons is now with New England, fully rehabbed from the ruptured Achilles that ended his 2008 season, providing experienced depth to the offensive line.

Married with three young daughters — Kensley, 5, Laila, 2, and Olivia, 1 — Simmons is this week’s Up Close.

Favorite TV show: Law & Order SVU.

Favorite food: That’s a good question; I’d say food in general (laughs) … cereal. Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Honey Comb are favorites.

My hero: I’ve got a list — I would say three people: my little brother Thomas, my wife (Celesta) and my buddy Greg Smith, for helping me find the Lord and sticking with me.

Last concert I went to: Hoo … wow. I would say Snoop Dogg and Destiny’s Child. That was like 10 years ago. I don’t like crowds.

My first job: My first official job was working at a grocery store, bagging and stocking shelves at 15. The store was called E.W. James.

My pre-game ritual: I would say more or less I try to find somewhere else happy, read the Bible, and don’t think about the game until right before it starts.

Favorite athlete in another sport: Tiger (Woods) and Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal).

Place I’d like to visit but haven’t yet: I’ll say Tahiti and Augusta National. I golf as much as I can … five years ago, before my first daughter was born, I was pretty good. I was probably a seven or eight (handicap); I would shoot in the 70s a few times a year. Now I’m about a 20 because of work and the kids.

My prized possession: My family. That’s about it.

If they made a movie about my life: That’s a good question. Ving Rhames or Michael Clarke Duncan (would play him). My wife? Someone feisty would play her. I would say Taraji (Henson); I think of her as feisty. I think it would be a comedy and a lesson, teaching a lesson on making the right decisions and seeing the work of God, giving you an open door to get out of a situation.

smanza@projo.com