Tucker is center of attention

Cleveland's problems at the center position might not be as damaging to the offense as most think, writes KC Joyner.

Updated: May 24, 2007, 11:22 AM ET
By KC Joyner | ESPN Insider
The big story coming out of Cleveland's training camp has been all the problems surrounding the center position. The season-ending injury to LeCharles Bentley was compounded by the retirement of Bob Hallen and suspension of Alonzo Ephraim. The Browns are now starting Ross Tucker, a player who has been with the team for less than two weeks.

Playing a fourth-string center would figure to severely hamper the Browns' running game, but a closer look shows the situation might not be quite as bad as initially feared.

First of all, the rest of Cleveland's run-blockers are quite good. All but one of the other starting linemen had a run-blocking success percentage of less than 80 (80 percent being the benchmark of a good blocker). Kevin Shaffer was the only lineman not to top the mark, and he missed it by only 0.5 percent.


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KC Joyner

NFL Insider
  • NFL and CFB analyst for ESPN Insider
  • Known as "The Football Scientist"
  • Uses proprietary metrics from game tape study

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