Pouncey weighs in on ‘Sleeper to Watch’
PITTSBURGH 鈥� It鈥檚 that time of the year when we reveal Maurkice Pouncey鈥檚 鈥淪leeper to Watch鈥� for 2018.
Pouncey, if you recall, nailed Mike Hilton as the top sleeper last year, and it wasn鈥檛 Pouncey鈥檚 first successful spring-time call, either. The Steelers鈥� center has an eye for talent, and as the leader of the locker room has his finger on the pulse.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my guess for Pouncey鈥檚 choice: Jake McGee. But the tight end from Pouncey鈥檚 alma mater, Florida, was lost for the season with an Achilles鈥� tendon injury. Before that injury, I assumed Pouncey might mix his appreciation for McGee鈥檚 great hands with love of school.
鈥淛ake was going to be my guy for sure, a hundred thousand percent,鈥� said Pouncey. 鈥淚 feel so bad for Jake. He works his butt off. He鈥檚 a great dude. You鈥檝e seen him out there catching all the time, even on the first-team guys. He鈥檒l come back a lot stronger. They鈥檒l definitely give him a chance to try to come back and work his way through it.鈥�
It does, though, look like the Steelers found another Gator to play inside linebacker this season.
鈥淏ostic,鈥� Pouncey said of Jon Bostic. 鈥淗e鈥檚 doing a really good job, a really good job. He鈥檚 fast. Obviously you see he鈥檚 physically gifted. I think he did a good job playing with the Colts. I thought he was a really good player then. He played well against us, him and Morris, their other Gator, number 44.鈥�
Antonio Morrison?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 him,鈥� Pouncey said.
He was in a good mood, and with only one day of practice remaining at the time of this Wednesday interview, it was a good time to ask him about the line.
I started with a nugget sent to me by Pro Football Focus, that David DeCastro finished third overall and Marcus Gilbert finished fourth at tackle in the media organization鈥檚 2017 grades.
鈥淧ro Football Focus?鈥� Pouncey asked with a sneer. 鈥淲ho are those guys?鈥�
Yeah, Ramon Foster doesn鈥檛 like them either. But, Pounce, at least they put an eye on offensive linemen every play. That鈥檚 something, isn鈥檛 it?
鈥淚 just think they have a bunch of guys that don鈥檛 really know football,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淚f they can come in here and sit down and prove to me they know something, then I鈥檒l respect them, but, c鈥檓on, let鈥檚 be serious, they don鈥檛 know football.鈥�
But they do a good job with DeCastro and Gilbert, didn鈥檛 they?
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not hard to say those two played well. 鈥楲et鈥檚 go find the Pro Bowlers and say they鈥檙e great,'鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淐鈥檓on, let鈥檚 be real. Gil should鈥檝e made the Pro Bowl the year before last. But Pro Football Focus, I think agents pay those guys to talk about their players 鈥� in my opinion.鈥�
Allowed.
Not every answer鈥檚 going to be the one you want (and I swear we鈥檙e going to get to the answer you want very soon.) But, Pounce, tell me about your expectations for your group this season.
鈥淚 just think we can get better,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen we watch film there are a lot of things we could鈥檝e corrected last year. But I do like where we鈥檙e at. We鈥檙e not going to try to overdo things, we鈥檙e just going to keep doing what we鈥檙e doing and work our butts off every day. Our O-line doesn鈥檛 get complacent. Our guys are still hungry. Everyone鈥檚 feeling great and young and they still want to compete.鈥�
And, again, the O-line came through the spring with perfect attendance. Pouncey and Foster took one day off, but they were there, on the sideline in sweats.
鈥淵eah, sometimes they give us the whole day off. That was them, the coaches,鈥� Pouncey said.
With the big money guys taking this stuff off, why can鈥檛 you?
鈥淚t鈥檚 in shorts,鈥� Pouncey said with another c鈥檓on-get-real look on his face. 鈥淚 feel the same way the other guys feel, because it is just shorts, but I like the team camaraderie. Still, at the end of the day this isn鈥檛 real football. I come because of the other O-linemen, the camaraderie with those guys, and I have so much respect for Munch. But at the end of the day 鈥� you know what I mean? We鈥檙e not tackling, we鈥檙e not hitting, you can鈥檛 run the ball, you鈥檙e throwing the ball 40 times, 50 times a practice. So it鈥檚 not real, you know? They see it now. Let鈥檚 be real. Le鈥橵eon missed the whole thing, even the preseason games, and he came out the best running back last year.
鈥淏y the way,鈥� Pouncey said in an attempt to change direction, 鈥淲hy are you asking me these wrap-up questions today instead of tomorrow? That鈥檚 the last day.鈥�
Because you veterans skip out early and the only people left in the locker room are rookies who don鈥檛 know where to go.
Pouncey laughed. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e been doing this job for a while, haven鈥檛 you?鈥� he said, and of course, the next day, Pouncey led Ben Roethlisberger out of practice early through a secret side door of which only the most tenured veterans (and sportswriters) are aware.
But, Pounce, we have a job to do here. Who鈥檚 your Sleeper to Watch for 2018? Your guy last year, Hilton, has turned into a monster. He went from quiet and diligent to brash and cocky. He鈥檚 doing a lot of trash talking out there. He鈥檚 actually become a team leader.
Pouncey laughed again. 鈥淚t鈥檚 confidence. It鈥檚 confidence,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut, honestly, this year I鈥檓 going to have to go with Chuks. He鈥檒l probably be the swing tackle and he did a lot of good things. A lot of good things.鈥�
Are you just naming Chuks Okorafor as Sleeper to Watch because he鈥檚 an offensive lineman?
鈥淣o, no, no, no,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淚鈥檓 saying that because he did a really good job. Most of the times, when a guy like Jerald (Hawkins) goes down, the team will try to go shopping for a tackle. But I think he did well enough to show them that they don鈥檛 need to do that. We鈥檒l see.鈥�
Well, Okorafor鈥檚 no sleeper. A third-round draft pick would made the team anyway, wouldn鈥檛 he?
Pouncey gave me a look that said I don鈥檛 appreciate the importance of the first tackle off the bench.
鈥淲e need a true swing tackle,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淎nd I think he鈥檒l fit that role. He uses his hands really well. He鈥檚 not a waist-bender. I think he has a really good chance.鈥�