ILLINOIS center in college football action (Shutterstock).

There are some pro football players who complete nearly 100 percent of their passes but hardly get any recognition. They are more likely to get banged-up than quarterbacks and hardly anyone knows their names.

Like Coleman Shelton. Or Jade Slaughter.

Those are the starting centers for the Rams and the Chargers. And nothing can happen without them.

As you probably know by now, the center is the offensive lineman who passes or hands the football to the quarterback to begin play. Sometimes it’s just a “snap” into the QB’s hands. When it’s a shotgun formation, it’s a longer snap, from five to seven yards.

But that’s not the end of the what he does, or even the beginning. The center is like the quarterback of the offensive line. He scans the defensive line and calls out the blocking assignments.

After the snap, he rises up to block the nose guard – or other rushers. From there he may hit him and then shift to take on a linebacker. On passing plays, the center sets the pocket for defending the middle of the field and hold his blocks until the quarterback throws the ball, hands it off to a running back or otherwise the whistle gets sounded.

The center snap has to be done between his legs and looking backwards. The ball may be wet, the playing surface may be muddy and the wind may be howling, but … hey, that’s the job.

And it’s not an easy one. So the next time you’re watching a football game, give a little attention to the fellow who starts it all on every play.