Super Bowl 51: Falcons center Alex Mack to play with broken fibula
By Ross O'Keefe
Atlanta Falcons Center Alex Mack is going to play in Super Bowl 51 with a fractured fibula he suffered in the NFC Championship Game.
Pro Bowl center Alex Mack is going to play in Super Bowl 51 for the Atlanta Falcons despite having a fractured fibula, above the plate he had inserted after fracturing his fibula in 2014. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This is a definite testament to how far NFL players will go to get to play in the biggest game of the year, and it is no surprise. Thomas Davis played in Super Bowl 50 last year only two weeks off surgery to repair a broken arm. Mack joins Jack Youngblood, Terrel Owens and Charles Woodson to play Super Bowls with a fracture in their leg.
Pro Bowl C Alex Mack will play Super Bowl LI with fracture in left leg, sources tell ESPN. Falcons uncertain how well, or long, he'll play.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 5, 2017
The toughness displayed by NFL players with injuries like this that would, in the regular season put them out multiple weeks, is unbelievable. While it is hard to imagine, it’s not surprising given that only so many NFL players will get the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl.
An injury to a center is not too different from an injury to a QB, both are extremely important and need to play well. As we saw in Super Bowl 48, with the snap sailing high over Peyton Manning’s head which turned the momentum from the first snap, having a reliable center to QB exchange is vital.
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Thankfully, the Falcons shouldn’t have to worry about that happening, since Mack is one of the best centers in the league. But the Falcons will be able to rely on a staple of their offensive line on Sunday in Alex Mack, who has been a big reason for the Falcons offensive success.