The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Working hard is Mack’s answer
Veteran center trying to help Falcons emerge from six-game funk.
FLOWERY BRANCH — Alex Mack has played in more NFL games than every Falcon other than Matt Ryan and lived more losses than most could stomach, but even with all that, the center hasn’t enough knowledge to offer post-graduate level advice for teammates carrying a six-game losing streak to New Orleans.
That’s because when you’re on a 1-7 team that kicked off with high expectations, all the losing is so confusing.
The Saints (7-1) will greet a team dropping from a cloud of questions.
You might think a season like this feels longer because of the way it’s going. Mack only sort of agrees.
“I would say it’s definitely harder,” he said. “I don’t know about longer or shorter. I know it’s more difficult because if you’re winning, what you’re doing is
right, and you’re being rewarded for your actions with that good, winning feeling. You’re like, ‘I did this last week, I’ll do it again.’ When you’re losing, it’s tough because maybe you are doing the right thing and you should keep doing it, but maybe you need to change something, so you don’t really know.”
Mack is a smart guy. He won scores of academic awards on the way to graduating from Cal with a 3.61 GPA in legal studies. Then, the Browns drafted him No. 21 overall in 2009. And in seven years in Cleveland, his teams lost double-digit games five times. The Browns were 33-68 in his time.
He went through five coaches and six offensive coordinators, so Mack knows churn.
After spending some time in his native California during last week’s bye, the fourthyear Falcon is back to work and trying to figure out what’s what. That’s not easy.
“I can see guys that enjoy the time to sit and watch a game or do something like that. I like to get away, refresh the mind,” Mack said. “I like how it breaks up the monotony; each week’s the same. Middle of the year is a really good time, kind of freshen up, catch up on sleep, because it’s hard.
“The season’s long. It’s tough. It’s long hours. You’re up early, you’re staying up late, you’re playing games. So, just to have a chance for your body to recover is a big deal.”
The NFL season is not year-round, although players spend 11 months or so either in the game or preparing physically for it. And when the season hits, the work becomes repetitive. Teams prepare for different opponents each week, sure, but the weekly routine is, other than game-planning, the same every time. Most weekdays start around 7 a.m. with meetings and more meetings and end around 5 or 6 after practice and then more meetings.
If you want to make a difference as a Falcon, you probably need to put in more time than that.
And that is the undergraduate-level advice Mack is offering teammates, particularly younger lads like rookie right tackle Kaleb McGary and rookie right guard Chris Lindstrom, who might return from a foot injury soon.
Always, there are questions.
“The other thing that’s tough is when you’re winning and you’re staying after and watching film (you think), ‘Oh, it’s totally worth it because it will let me win again,’” Mack said. “When you’re losing, it’s time to stay after and watch film, and it’s like, ‘Oh, God, it’s really tough. Maybe I should just go home and get some sleep.’
“You’re not ever certain of what you need to do, or what your path is, so you second-guess there. You’re not getting the payout of your work.”
Mack has played 157 NFL games, starting every one. Other than 11 games missed with the Browns in 2014 when he broke a fibula, he’s always started. He played every snap for Cleveland in five seasons before that. With one more season under his NFL belt, Ryan has played in 181.
Mack wishes he knew more about why what’s happening to the Falcons is happening. All he really knows, deep down, is, “It’s really hard to win games in the NFL, and you need to be working really hard every day or your opponent is going to be working harder. You need to be working hard. You can take it as you need to be working harder for the team’s sake, or for your own sake.
“But the better you play, the better the team plays. That’s all the team wants from you. That’s all anybody, any fan, any coach, owner wants is for you to play the best you can. That’s your job and should be your goal.”