Pouncey weighs in on ‘Sleeper to Watch’
PITTSBURGH â Itâs that time of the year when we reveal Maurkice Pounceyâs âSleeper to Watchâ for 2018.
Pouncey, if you recall, nailed Mike Hilton as the top sleeper last year, and it wasnât Pounceyâs first successful spring-time call, either. The Steelersâ 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 Pounceyâs choice: Jake McGee. But the tight end from Pounceyâs alma mater, Florida, was lost for the season with an Achillesâ tendon injury. Before that injury, I assumed Pouncey might mix his appreciation for McGeeâs great hands with love of school.
âJake was going to be my guy for sure, a hundred thousand percent,â said Pouncey. âI feel so bad for Jake. He works his butt off. Heâs a great dude. Youâve seen him out there catching all the time, even on the first-team guys. Heâll come back a lot stronger. Theyâll definitely give him a chance to try to come back and work his way through it.â
It does, though, look like the Steelers found another Gator to play inside linebacker this season.
âBostic,â Pouncey said of Jon Bostic. âHeâs doing a really good job, a really good job. Heâs fast. Obviously you see heâs 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.â
Antonio Morrison?
âThatâs him,â 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 organizationâs 2017 grades.
âPro Football Focus?â Pouncey asked with a sneer. âWho are those guys?â
Yeah, Ramon Foster doesnât like them either. But, Pounce, at least they put an eye on offensive linemen every play. Thatâs something, isnât it?
âI just think they have a bunch of guys that donât really know football,â Pouncey said. âIf they can come in here and sit down and prove to me they know something, then Iâll respect them, but, câmon, letâs be serious, they donât know football.â
But they do a good job with DeCastro and Gilbert, didnât they?
âThatâs not hard to say those two played well. âLetâs go find the Pro Bowlers and say theyâre great,'â Pouncey said. âCâmon, letâs be real. Gil shouldâve made the Pro Bowl the year before last. But Pro Football Focus, I think agents pay those guys to talk about their players â in my opinion.â
Allowed.
Not every answerâs going to be the one you want (and I swear weâre going to get to the answer you want very soon.) But, Pounce, tell me about your expectations for your group this season.
âI just think we can get better,â he said. âWhen we watch film there are a lot of things we couldâve corrected last year. But I do like where weâre at. Weâre not going to try to overdo things, weâre just going to keep doing what weâre doing and work our butts off every day. Our O-line doesnât get complacent. Our guys are still hungry. Everyoneâs feeling great and young and they still want to compete.â
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.
âYeah, sometimes they give us the whole day off. That was them, the coaches,â Pouncey said.
With the big money guys taking this stuff off, why canât you?
âItâs in shorts,â Pouncey said with another câmon-get-real look on his face. âI 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 isnât 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 â you know what I mean? Weâre not tackling, weâre not hitting, you canât run the ball, youâre throwing the ball 40 times, 50 times a practice. So itâs not real, you know? They see it now. Letâs be real. LeâVeon missed the whole thing, even the preseason games, and he came out the best running back last year.
âBy the way,â Pouncey said in an attempt to change direction, âWhy are you asking me these wrap-up questions today instead of tomorrow? Thatâs the last day.â
Because you veterans skip out early and the only people left in the locker room are rookies who donât know where to go.
Pouncey laughed. âYouâve been doing this job for a while, havenât you?â 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. Whoâs 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. Heâs doing a lot of trash talking out there. Heâs actually become a team leader.
Pouncey laughed again. âItâs confidence. Itâs confidence,â he said. âBut, honestly, this year Iâm going to have to go with Chuks. Heâll probably be the swing tackle and he did a lot of good things. A lot of good things.â
Are you just naming Chuks Okorafor as Sleeper to Watch because heâs an offensive lineman?
âNo, no, no, no,â Pouncey said. âIâm 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 donât need to do that. Weâll see.â
Well, Okoraforâs no sleeper. A third-round draft pick would made the team anyway, wouldnât he?
Pouncey gave me a look that said I donât appreciate the importance of the first tackle off the bench.
âWe need a true swing tackle,â Pouncey said. âAnd I think heâll fit that role. He uses his hands really well. Heâs not a waist-bender. I think he has a really good chance.â