The Boardman product has proven a versatile and valuable contributor since joining the Browns in 2011.
BEREA, Ohio – John Greco crawled across broken glass to earn money before reaching the NFL.
The Browns' veteran also loves to cook, counting baked lemon chicken and homemade ravioli among his most sumptuous dishes.
Such trivial matters might have stayed buried at the bottom of Greco's media guide bio had All-Pro Alex Mack not broken his leg in the 31-10 win over the Steelers.
A football everyman -- even by offensive line standards – Greco suddenly finds himself in the spotlight as he slides from right guard to replace a center who had taken every snap since the beginning of his 2009 rookie season.
The Boardman product lacks the Pro Bowl pedigree of Mack and Joe Thomas, the national recognition of rookie Joel Bitonio and the cool nickname of Mitchell Schwartz. Greco was quietly enjoying a solid season for an offense averaging 26.8 points.
His profile, however, rose dramatically in the second quarter of the Steelers' game as he took over at center and played well in relief. The attention continued Wednesday, a day on which he says he typically does one interview for a local rock station asking him random questions.
Reporters formed a semi-circle around the bearded blocker quizzing him about the position switch, his readiness for his first NFL start at center in Jacksonville and his loss of anonymity.
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Browns guards Joel Bitonio and John Greco rank among the league's top-rated guards according to ProFootballFocus.com.ProFootballFocus.com graphics "Obviously, if I'm screwing up, then they're going to notice," Greco said. "If we're in games, winning games, we're competitive and I'm doing my job, I don't care. Nobody has to say anything, I'm fine with that. That's how I'd rather have it."
The Browns' 3-2 start is earning them some national celebrity. They have a chance to hit midseason on a five-game winning streak with upcoming contests against the Jaguars, Raiders and Buccaneers, who own a combined 1-16 record.
But the loss of Mack, who offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan called "as good of a football player as I've been around," is immense. His absence forces a pair of position changes along the line. Greco will, at least temporarily, play center and inherit the responsibilities of making the line calls. Either Paul McQuistan or Vinston Painter will occupy right guard against a Jaguars' defense that ranks tied for second in 19 sacks.
Greco won't play to the level of the cerebral and athletic Mack-- few natural centers can -- but he's been a valuable and versatile contributor since arriving from the Rams in 2011 for a conditional seventh-round pick. He's started at both guard spots and played tackle and center in preseason games.
"I've got a lot of confidence in John," Shanahan said. "To step in like that, just from a mental standpoint, the center position probably has the most on him next to the quarterback. They direct everything in the run game and the protections, and they really get everybody lined up . . . John came in there and made all the right calls, got all the linemen in the right spots. After that, he did his job blocking, too."
Greco and Brian Hoyer, who once opposed each other in prep football, now offer the Browns an all-Northeast Ohio center-quarterback exchange. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder embodies the kind of perseverance that's appreciated in Rust Belt communities.
Four years ago, his career appeared headed down journeyman's boulevard. But he's never been afraid to work for what he wants -- even when flat on his back surrounded by shards of glass.
'It was awful'
Most prep football players savor lazy Sundays spent in front of their televisions or in the company of friends. Not the only child of John and Melanie Greco.
Once a week for two years, he drove from Boardman to Ravenna to clean broken glass bulbs from a plant floor at GE Lighting. Greco squeezed into an ill-fitting Hazmat suit and puncture-proof gloves, crawling under machinery to clear debris while a buddy followed behind him to sweep it up.
Two-a-day practices were snap compared to his four-hour shifts in the cavernous plant. He got paid good money. The minor cuts to his hands were an unwelcomed fringe benefit.
"It was awful," Greco said laughing at the memory. "I'd have to lay on the ground in shattered glass under like these (coal baskets) in a fireplace and rake it all out."
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Browns guard John Greco (77) has played regular-season games at right guard, left guard and center.Thomas Ondrey, Plain Dealer The experience almost was as rewarding as the paycheck.
"It made me work that much harder in football," said Greco, who earned a scholarship to the University of Toledo.
At college, he overcame the death of his mother to pancreatic cancer and met his future wife, Jodi. Four years later, the Rams selected him in the third round of the 2008 draft.
Greco never became a regular in St Louis, however. He appeared in just 26 games, starting three, while contributing mostly on special teams when he wasn't a healthy scratch. Some players would make excuses. That's not in Greco's DNA.
"It didn't pan out for whatever reason," he said. "I didn't look at it as I got ran out of town although I did get traded. I don't think we ended on bad terms. It's not, like 'this guy was a freakin bust.'
"Maybe I was, I don't know. Obviously, I was or I'd still be playing there."
Former Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur thought enough of Greco to deal for him after being named Browns coach in 2011. Because he didn't start a game in his first season here the Browns never had to part with the conditional pick.
Greco has made 29 starts in the past two-plus seasons.
"There are some guys that make the most of their opportunities and maybe I didn't take advantage of (mine) until later in my career," he said.
Early in the 2012 season, guard Jason Pinkston was sidelined with blood clots in his lungs. Greco hated that his chance came at the expense of his good friend and teammate, but he's never relinquished his starter's roles except due to injury.
The game mentally slowed down for him. Working between Thomas and Mack didn't hurt, either. He finished the 2012 and 2013 seasons rated among the league's top-30 guards by ProFootballFocus.com.
But as the Browns changed coaching staffs and blocking schemes to start the 2014 season the veteran knew he'd have to adapt or risk losing his job.
Shaping up
The Michael Symon of the gridiron took one look at what was required in the wide-zone blocking scheme and altered his menus.
He increased the cardio and cut back on the carbs to improve his quickness and agility. So much for the big-boy portions of ravioli. His wife helped Greco eat better.
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Browns offensive lineman John Greco is considerably leaner than he was in this 2011 picture. He lost 25 pounds this offseason to prepare for the Browns' new blocking scheme that emphasizes running and agility. Associated Press "I know there's other ways to cook healthy and make it taste flavorful," he said. "But the stuff that tastes the best is the worst for you."
The veteran shed 25 pounds and made the move from left to right guard to accommodate Bitonio. Greco demonstrated his mobility in the pre-season opener, de-cleating the Lions' linebacker Darryl Trapp who was chasing Hoyer.
The line has allowed just six sacks and led the way for a rushing attack averaging 146.4 yards. Bitonio and Greco are the league's third- and seventh-highest rated guards according to ProFootballFocus.
"It's a credit to him and his work ethic," Browns coach Mike Pettine said of Greco. "Just knowing his background, I think when he reads the stuff that's out there and guys are sensitive to that. In the offseason when it's, 'Hey, you're potentially the weak link or we're looking to replace so-and-so,' guys take that to heart. He's obviously used it, and you can tell. He's prepared and played like he's got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder."
Schwartz, a Cal grad nicknamed The Oracle for his brain power, said people sometimes focus too much on Greco's versatility without acknowledging he plays well regardless of the position.
He also can deliver a good quote when reporters do drop by his locker for the occasional chat.
On Schwartz's nickname (via the Associated Press): "He sees all and he knows all. He's never wrong and even when he is, he'll convince you he's right."
On the famous video of Thomas dancing with Hoyer and Jim Leonhard in the locker room after the Titans' game: "Typical white guy dancing at a wedding."
If the Browns want to keep the post-game celebrations rolling they will need a good effort Sunday from Greco. He's confident in his ability to play center even if it's only for a few games until Nick McDonald, fresh from the non-football injury list, gets up to speed.
"Our mindset is to achieve something you've never had, you must do something you've never done," Greco said.
In his case it's making his first NFL start at a new position. It's a better way to spend a Sunday than crawling through broken glass.
