Vet Greco ready for center stage
John Greco can laugh about it now, chuckle to himself about how far he has come in a year. But at this time last September, the Giants’ new starting center didn’t have much to smile about.
He was out of work, on his couch, after getting cut by, of all the teams, the Browns. Fast-forward 12 months, and the versatile 33-yearold veteran is now the guy calling the signals for Big Blue’s struggling offensive line in the wake of Jon Halapio’s season-ending injury.
“I knew I still had enough gas in the tank that I could’ve been playing and I was just happy I got the opportunity here last year and then again this offseason, and here we are,” said Greco, an 11th-year pro who played for coach Pat Shurmur with the Rams and Browns and has started 66 games in his career.
He was signed by the Saints last Oct. 4, but released a month later. The Giants, ravaged by injuries up-front, picked him up on Nov. 14. The 6-foot-5, 316pound Greco appeared in six games with the Giants, filling in at guard, and didn’t even bother testing the free-agent market because of his comfort level with Shurmur and offensive line coach Hal Hunter. He was their top backup guard this summer, before backup center Brett Jones was traded to the Vikings in late August for a seventh-round pick and Halapio suffered fractures to his lower leg and ankle Sunday night against the Cowboys. Suddenly, he’s the Giants’ starting center, for now at least
“At this point, I’m in there playing and snapping the ball, that’s all I’m focused on right now is trying to do everything I can from the center position to help us get a win,” Greco said. “If you’re kept on the roster, it’s because you can play multiple positions, and when you’re a backup, that’s what you have to be ready to do, and that’s the situation we’re in right now.”
He’s entering a tough spot, joining a group that has struggled immensely, allowing eight sacks and producing just 149 yards on 40 carries through two games. And the Giants have to deal with the Texans’ imposing front four led by J.J. Watt on Sunday in Houston.
“We know we have to play better, and that’s the focus every week,” Greco said. “When you know things aren’t going your way, you have to do everything extra, do everything in your power to be the cause of the wins, not the losses.”