Alex Mack Not Claiming Center Position Would Be Major Disappointment

If there was one starting position in the Browns' lineup that seemed almost written in stone coming into training camp, it would be at center.

I was reading Tony Grossi’s training camp log yesterday and it appears four-fifths of the Browns starting offensive line is taking shape. With Rex Hadnot going down with a torn MCL and Ryan Tucker not practicing since Monday, the right side of the line could belong to Floyd Womack and John St. Clair.

Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach will most likely anchor the left side of the line.

Then there is the center position, a spot many thought Alex Mack would have nailed down by now. However, that has not been the case, and incumbent Hank Fraley is not ready to concede his starting position.

There is a chance the loser of this battle could slide over to a guard position. However, it would be a monumental disappointment if the guy the Browns traded down three times does not earn the most important position along the offensive line.

Coming out of the University of California, Mack was considered the top center in the 2009 draft. He was an Academic All-Pac-10 first-team selection in 2008 and was the type of intelligent player head coach Eric Mangini and general manager George Kokinis coveted.

If Mangini did not believe the center position was a problematic area for the Browns last season, he would not have spent a first-round pick on a center.

Considering rookie wide receiver Brian Robiskie has gotten off to a slow start, it makes it even more imperative Mack beats out Fraley for the center spot.

Mack has reportedly been having trouble going up against Shaun Rogers in practice. Learning to help contain arguably the best nose tackle in the NFL will help prepare Mack to go up against the likes of Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata and Casey Hampton four times this season.

With three more exhibition games to go until the start of the regular season, Mack will undoubtedly be the “center of attention.”