JACKSONVILLE – According to media reports, Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack has agreed to sign a five-year offer sheet from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mack, 28, is a two-time Pro Bowler, and widely considered the best center still on the market. With Mack set to officially sign the Jaguars offer sheet, stating that he is “impressed” with Jacksonville, one cannot help to chuckle at the notion of “impressed” and “Jaguars” in the same sentence.
In a rare attempt to actually cut loose and unless my inner snark, this writer wonders if Mack fired his current agent and retained Entourage super agent, Ari Gold, to help seal the deal.
While the Browns are not exactly the NFL’s version of Shangri-La, Jacksonville is the proverbial backwater of the league. Whatever impressed Mack remains unknown to the public, yet perhaps it’s the prospect of finishing last in a division destined get dominated by quarterback Andrew Luck on a team that has a problem child at wide out in Justin Blackmon, allowed it’s franchise running back in Maurice Jones-Drew to bolt to the Bay Area and having Chad Henne line up behind you.
Perhaps it’s the prospect of watching some real football-since the Jaguars clearly don’t play it—when bitter SEC rivals, Florida and Georgia clash in the world’s largest cocktail party?
Thanks, but no thanks.
Again, Cleveland isn’t nothing to write home about, but since 2009, both the Browns and Jaguars have similar records, with Cleveland going 23-57 and Jacksonville going 26-54. So whatever logic or Jedi mind trick that the Jaguars employed on Mack must have worked in possibly landing the top center, thanks to winning three more games.
Three. Yes, I’ll say it again, three more wins is enough to leave one rebuilding franchise on the North Coast for another in northern Florida?
Ok. Mack, if you say so.
I wouldn’t call it Mack being impressed, the proper word I think many would say in this case is desperate, since Mack clearly overplayed his hand at the start of free agency in thinking that another team would sign him in the beginning. It’s been nearly one month and the rumored teams that were interested in AFC North rival, Baltimore and the fore-mentioned Colts went in different directions. For Mack, neither one of those clubs came a calling like he though they would and the Browns were wise—for once—in holding firm and not folding.
Don’t know, maybe it’s the warmer weather, or the prospect of being reunited with former Cal teammate Tyson Allalu, but if Mack wishes to be impressed at the notions mentioned above, perhaps he needs to raises his expectations and standards a bit more.
Robert D. Cobb Is the CEO/Founder/Senior Editor-In-Chief of the InscriberMag : Digital Magazine and a member of the PFWA(Pro Football Writers Association), please follow him on Twitter at @RC_TheInscriberMag