Boardman’s Greco settles in as replacement for injured Alex Mack
By Michael Beaven
Akron Beacon Journal
BEREA
The route Boardman’s John Greco took to being a regular starter in the NFL was not what he had in mind in 2008 when the St. Louis Rams drafted him with the 65th overall selection.
Greco envisioned making an impact with the Rams, but his contributions in three seasons were minimal, with appearances in 26 games and four starts.
Then, Greco’s favorite team as a child, the Browns, came calling and traded for him on July 31, 2011. The transaction received little fanfare, but three years later Greco plays a key role.
The Browns (3-2) will take the field against the host Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6) at 1 p.m. Sunday with Greco lined up at center.
Greco, who started the Browns’ first five games at right guard, shifted one spot left after a broken left fibula sidelined Alex Mack during a 31-10 victory Sunday over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. Mack had surgery Thursday in North Carolina.
Greco, 29, said he feels bad for Mack, 28, but realizes he must move forward.
“Things like that happen in the flow of the game,” Greco said. “You don’t want to see anybody go down like that, but you can’t play hesitant. You have to play reckless and play full speed. Sometimes if you’re playing hesitant, you’re more susceptible to injuries.
“So we don’t think about it. We know it’s part of the game. It’s an unfortunate part of the game we don’t want to see happen to anyone.”
Greco saw another part of the game — the business side — when St. Louis sent him to Cleveland, where he could be back home in Ohio after playing at Boardman High School and the University of Toledo.
“I don’t think we ended on bad terms,” Greco said. “It wasn’t like, ’Hey, this guy was a freaking bust.’ Maybe I was. I don’t know. Obviously, I was or I’d still be playing there.
“But I looked at is as a new opportunity, a new beginning. I was excited to come home and play in front of my family and friends and to a new team. I worked hard. I kept my eyes forward and eyes down. That’s what I’ve always been. And I love these guys I’m around. It’s a tremendous locker room. I’m having fun here.”
Browns coach Mike Pettine said Thursday that Paul McQuistan is expected to start at right guard, where he played after Mack’s injury. He will join Greco, left guard Joe Thomas, left guard Joel Bitonio and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz on the offensive line.
“You can’t replace a Pro Bowl center who’s led that offensive line,” quarterback Brian Hoyer said. “Obviously, Joe’s been here longer than him, but when you’re the center you’re making a lot of calls, you’re setting the huddle, things like that, things that you wouldn’t think about going into a game.
“You can’t replace that, but with John it’s a familiarity where — even going back to last year — he was the backup center at the time then. We had some familiarity.”
Greco had never played center in an NFL game until Sunday against the Steelers. His experience there had been limited to preseason snaps and practice reps.
“He’s going to be prepared because he works his butt off,” Hoyer said. “We played really well after he came in, and obviously Paul filling in at the guard position.”
Hoyer and Greco crossed paths once in high school, when Greco’s Boardman team beat Hoyer’s Cleveland St. Ignatius team. Greco was a senior and Hoyer a junior.
In his fourth season with the Browns, the 6-foot-4 Greco has played in 48 games with 29 starts. He has shifted from left guard to right guard to center in the past two years, and lost 25 pounds in the off-season to weigh between 305-307 pounds.
“There’s some guys that make the most of opportunities and maybe I didn’t take advantage of my opportunity until later in my career,” Greco said. “I was drafted in St. Louis relatively high, third round, and it just didn’t pan out for whatever reason.”
Greco, 29, has been sharp this season helping a Cleveland offense that is averaging 26.8 points and 383.2 total yards per game. Hoyer’s play at quarterback has been solid, and the running game with Ben Tate, Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West has impressed.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan praised Mack for being “as good of a football player as I’ve been around,” and said losing him is “a huge blow.”
However, Shanahan and Pettine said they are confident Greco can handle the job.
“[Centers] direct everything in the run game and the protections, and they really get everybody lined up,” Shanahan said. “You don’t get many reps at that during the week. We always give John a couple, just like you give someone like Johnny [Manziel] a couple as a backup player, but you never really know until you get in the game.
“John came in there and made all the right calls, got all the linemen in the right spots. After that, he did his job blocking, too.”
Thomas acknowledged it will be tough to replace Mack, but said it is important for players to have “the next man has to step in” mentality.
“[John’s] been doing a great job for us,” Thomas said. “We’ve asked him to kind of bounce around all over the place. He played next to me a lot last year [as a left guard]. Playing right guard, he’s done a great job this year.”
Greco plans to continue to play well in Jacksonville, and said the Browns are not looking past an 0-6 Jaguars team that has a defense tied for second in the NFL with 19 sacks.
“They’re good,” Greco said. “We’ve been in situations where our record hasn’t reflected it, but yet we’ve had talent. That’s what they have up front, especially on defense.”