Macek Wants to Remain in Middle of Things a While Longer

Through the rebuilding years and through the glory years and through the down years and part way through last year, one man has been the trigger for the Charger offense.

He does one of those thankless jobs, getting noticed by officials when maybe he gets too much enemy jersey in his fist and getting noticed by fans when his snap to the quarterback goes awry.

For 13 years, Don Macek has been there in the middle. It’s not the most comfortable place to be, unless you feel comfortable in the midst of one of those Dodge City saloon brawls with tables and chairs flying. Such is life for a center in the National Football League.

Macek disappeared midway through the 1988 season, an understandable victim of the brutal life style of the not-so-rich and and not-so-famous interior lineman.

The problem was surgery on his right shoulder. He had had surgery twice on his left shoulder, and this one evened the score. Macek had come to accept these inconveniences as part of the job.

But this one was different. The wear and tear and abuse was never enough to put him on injured reserve during the regular season. He had always played with the discomfort and had gone in for oil changes in the off-season.

“I’ve always felt like I didn’t want to let anyone down,” he said. “If I was hurt and couldn’t play, I felt like I was letting down my teammates and letting down the Charger organization.”

But this pain was different. This was a specific jolt after a specific play in an Oct. 2 game against Denver. This was not the dull ache of wear and tear.

“It was determined later that I had probably fractured a bone in my shoulder,” he said. “After the surgery, the pain wasn’t better. Eight weeks went by. All of the sudden, the pain went away.”

In the meantime, the common perception hereabouts was that Don Macek also had gone away. He was (and is) 34 years old, and this was a ball club getting younger almost too fast for its own good. He would surely quietly retire, as offensive linemen always do. They don’t get press conferences, not offensive linemen.

This scenario likely was reinforced, at least in the minds of fans, when the Chargers made a ballyhooed second-round selection of Courtney Hall, a 20-year-old center from Rice, in Sunday’s draft.

It is interesting to note that it has been a long time since the Chargers spent such a pick on a center, 12 years to be exact. They drafted Macek second (as a guard) in 1976 and Bob Rush first as a center in 1977. The next centers they drafted were in 1987 and 1988, both in the 11th round.

Of course, Don Macek was the reason they could completely ignore drafting centers. When injuries inhibited Rush, Macek took hold of the position, and that has been it.

Until now.

But maybe we’re being just a bit premature.

You can burn the press releases about Macek’s retirement. He’s doing what he always does this time of year. He’s getting ready for the 1989 season. He’s quietly getting ready, which is his way.

“The biggest difference,” he said, “is that I’m coming back from missing more than half the year. Along with that, there are a lot of questions about me. I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.”

It is no surprise to him. It is also no surprise to him that the Chargers spent such a high pick on a center, not after all these years.

“I am a little surprised,” he said, “that they hadn’t done it earlier.”

This is not a reflection on the current front office, but the Chargers were somewhat remiss in drafting a “line of succession” for the great players from the Air Coryell Era. By the time rebuilding began, the lineup was filled with craters rather than holes.

Thus, the drafting of a center as heir apparent to Don Macek is timely. You draft a replacement before the king is dead.

And Macek is not dead . . . nor in a retiring frame of mind.

“Everyone’s concerned that I’ve fallen apart and don’t know what to do with myself,” he laughed. “Hey, I’m just doing what I’ve been doing for years. Getting ready.”

And there’s this new kid on the block poised to supposedly compete with him. However, being a center in the NFL is just a bit more complicated that lifting the ball into the quarterback’s hands. The nuances are many, and the specific chores, such as making blocking calls, are hardly the stuff to be entrusted to a rookie. A rookie can learn much about the position playing behind a man, such as Macek, who has played it so well for so long.

“People talk about competing for jobs,” Macek said, “but I’ve competed for years. The competition doesn’t have to be with someone else. It’s a matter of how well I play. That determines whether I play. How well Donnie Macek himself is playing.”

For 13 years, being Don Macek has been good enough. For this 14th year, and even if it is the last year, the Chargers need Don Macek . . . maybe a little more than he needs them.