University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: The Center Of Attention
September 3, 2002 | Football
Sept. 3, 2002
By Adam Lucas
It took Jason Brown exactly one football game to learn the truth about life as a center: do your job well, and no one knows who you are. Struggle, and suddenly everyone knows your name, number, and how to play the position better than you.
After a game, reporters are allowed to request the specific players that they want to interview, and sports information staffers then bring the athletes into the media area. There are two kinds of requests: those from writers who want to get the first-hand scoop on a stellar performance, and those from writers who are the type to slow down and ogle a car accident on the highway.
Falling into the latter category can create some difficult scenes. But Brown, a sophomore from Henderson, handled it like a ten-year NFL veteran, which he may one day be.
Although clearly perplexed by the offense's monumental struggles, and his confusion with quarterback Darian Durant in particular, Brown made every effort to sort out what had happened for the curious. It was a mark of just how confusing the afternoon had been that the usually talkative and eloquent center seemed just as mystified as anyone about the ACC record-tying nine turnovers.
"Nine turnovers," he repeated when asked about the mark. "Is that a record?"
The questioner responded in the affirmative, and the flood of queries continued. They all were variations on the same theme -- what happened?
"I'm sorry, I'm at a loss for words right now," he said when asked yet again to explain the shotgun snap that plunked Durant in the facemask. "I thought he was ready, and he said something that I misinterpreted as something else."
As head coach John Bunting later revealed, the play was set to snap on "Quick." But when another member of the offense missed the snap count and asked Durant to confirm it at the line, Brown thought Durant was actually calling the cadence instead of simply clarifying it for a teammate.
The same details didn't apply to some of the problems in the regular center-quarterback exchange, a deficiency Bunting had noted as early as the first week of preseason training camp.
"The number one problem I have seen is the exchange," he said on August 8. "Nothing irritates me more than seeing the ball on the ground. I don't want to have that in any drill. We will never win any ballgames that way."
The remedy, unfortunately, is no more complex than repeated practice, a luxury that is in short supply now that the season is underway. Brown shifted to center from tackle upon the arrival of first-year offensive line coach Hal Hunter, who noted that Brown's athleticism, flexibility, and penchant for playing low to the ground made him a natural for the position. Some centers struggle even after years of learning the mechanics of the snap -- Brown is working with about six months worth of experience.
Running backs coach Andre' Powell used silk football at times last year with his running backs, and Bunting indicated after the loss to Miami that the training aids may make another appearance. That was no help on Saturday evening, when Brown's solemn face and disappointed stare told the story of a player learning exactly what it means to play a thankless position.
"I was hoping that you all would be talking to me about positive things, but everything is negative," Brown said. "It's hard to talk about those things, because we hope for the best, while we plan for the worst. But we never expected something like this."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
