On the Steelers: Pouncey's future is at center, but is it now or later?
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Maurkice Pouncey stands on the sideline during a workout at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
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The Steelers selected Maurkice Pouncey in the first round of the draft earlier this year and took little time to announce him as their center of the future. The question after two days of training camp has become: Is the future now?
While Pouncey has the coaching staff's official stamp as competitor to start at right guard, it became quickly evident that he was the most talented center in camp after his first two practices Saturday, which went well.
But he must overcome a hamstring injury that occurred in a most unusual way Sunday morning. Pouncey arrived Friday night on a flight from Florida, leaving after his agent came to terms on a five-year contract with the Steelers earlier that day. He reported about 45 minutes after midnight and missed the run conditioning test and his first meetings because of it.
So, coach Mike Tomlin had him go through the run tests Saturday morning and he reportedly passed. But for some reason, he had to endure more conditioning tests Sunday morning and that's when he injured his hamstring.
He's only supposed to miss a few days, but it's an injury that probably did not need to happen. Before it did, people in the organization were talking about how they had not seen this kind of play by a center against nose tackles since Dermontti Dawson retired a decade ago. Pouncey, who lined up at center and right guard in the two Saturday practices at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, moves nose tackles back. He gets low, gets leverage and away they go as if on roller skates. His feet move like no center since Dawson.
Of course, it's early and he has not had a chance to go against perhaps the premier nose tackle in the league yet because Casey Hampton spent his second consecutive day of camp tending to his own hamstring injury. But when they both heal, that day will come.
"We'll see; he's a real good player, real big," said Pouncey, who is listed at 6 feet 4, 304 pounds.
The goal against Hampton, who is conservatively listed at 325, is the same as the others for Pouncey, to move him out.
"I hope so, that's the plan. We're definitely going to go at it, heck yeah, and my plan is not go get pushed back."
The Steelers could also find themselves ripping up their own plan for Pouncey, or at least adjusting it. He has not played guard since his freshman season at Florida and is more suited to center. At guard, he has to reach to get to the defensive tackles. At center, he usually has a man right over him -- especially in the 3-4 defenses -- and that is where he excels.
First Published August 2, 2010 12:00 am
