BEREA, Ohio -- Alex Mack has played so well for so long for the Cleveland Browns he was almost taken for granted.
But that stopped when Mack stopped playing.
In the five games Mack played this season, the Browns averaged 4.4 yards per carry and ran for 724 yards.
In the one game he missed, John Greco stepped in at center and Paul McQuistan played right guard. The Browns ran for 69 yards and averaged 2.3 yards per carry.
It wasn't all Mack. The Jaguars defensive front sold out to stop the run and the Browns credited Jacksonville’s defense profusely.
But the Browns clearly struggled.
“I think when you lose somebody the caliber of Alex, I think everybody needs to step up, and that wasn’t the case,” coach Mike Pettine said. “Our guys across the board -- I don’t know what the individual grades were -- but I think it’s safe to say that none of those guys played their best game or, in a clear fashion, stepped up.”
Pettine said the coaching staff would evaluate how to best line up against Oakland on Sunday.
“We’ll put out there on Sunday the best lineup,” Pettine said. “The best five that we think gives us the opportunity to win.”
The Browns have three obvious options:
Keep Greco at center and McQuistan at guard. That setup worked against the Steelers, who struggle to stop the run, but not against the Jaguars, who evidently are adept at stopping the run.
Try Vinston Painter at right guard, if it’s determined that McQuistan was the issue. Painter has the build of a guard, with a powerful lower body and long arms. This would allow the Browns to keep Greco at center working with Brian Hoyer, and would give another guard a chance.
Move Greco back to right guard, where he started the first five games. The Browns then would have to find a center, and the candidate is Nick McDonald, who is just coming off the non-football injury list due to a wrist injury from a car accident the past summer. The Browns signed McDonald just before training camp knowing he’d be out the first six weeks on NFI. He also was in New England in 2011 and 2012, and Hoyer said he took snaps in practice from McDonald when the two were with the Patriots.
The decision may come down to practice. Pettine believes that those who practice well will play well, so he may examine all options during the week and then decide the best five after seeing them.
