Pouncey weighs in on ‘Sleeper to Watch’
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� It无毛视频檚 that time of the year when we reveal Maurkice Pouncey无毛视频檚 无毛视频淪leeper to Watch无毛视频� for 2018.
Pouncey, if you recall, nailed Mike Hilton as the top sleeper last year, and it wasn无毛视频檛 Pouncey无毛视频檚 first successful spring-time call, either. The Steelers无毛视频� 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无毛视频檚 choice: Jake McGee. But the tight end from Pouncey无毛视频檚 alma mater, Florida, was lost for the season with an Achilles无毛视频� tendon injury. Before that injury, I assumed Pouncey might mix his appreciation for McGee无毛视频檚 great hands with love of school.
无毛视频淛ake was going to be my guy for sure, a hundred thousand percent,无毛视频� said Pouncey. 无毛视频淚 feel so bad for Jake. He works his butt off. He无毛视频檚 a great dude. You无毛视频檝e seen him out there catching all the time, even on the first-team guys. He无毛视频檒l come back a lot stronger. They无毛视频檒l definitely give him a chance to try to come back and work his way through it.无毛视频�
It does, though, look like the Steelers found another Gator to play inside linebacker this season.
无毛视频淏ostic,无毛视频� Pouncey said of Jon Bostic. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 doing a really good job, a really good job. He无毛视频檚 fast. Obviously you see he无毛视频檚 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.无毛视频�
Antonio Morrison?
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 him,无毛视频� 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无毛视频檚 2017 grades.
无毛视频淧ro Football Focus?无毛视频� Pouncey asked with a sneer. 无毛视频淲ho are those guys?无毛视频�
Yeah, Ramon Foster doesn无毛视频檛 like them either. But, Pounce, at least they put an eye on offensive linemen every play. That无毛视频檚 something, isn无毛视频檛 it?
无毛视频淚 just think they have a bunch of guys that don无毛视频檛 really know football,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淚f they can come in here and sit down and prove to me they know something, then I无毛视频檒l respect them, but, c无毛视频檓on, let无毛视频檚 be serious, they don无毛视频檛 know football.无毛视频�
But they do a good job with DeCastro and Gilbert, didn无毛视频檛 they?
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 not hard to say those two played well. 无毛视频楲et无毛视频檚 go find the Pro Bowlers and say they无毛视频檙e great,'无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淐无毛视频檓on, let无毛视频檚 be real. Gil should无毛视频檝e made the Pro Bowl the year before last. But Pro Football Focus, I think agents pay those guys to talk about their players 无毛视频� in my opinion.无毛视频�
Allowed.
Not every answer无毛视频檚 going to be the one you want (and I swear we无毛视频檙e going to get to the answer you want very soon.) But, Pounce, tell me about your expectations for your group this season.
无毛视频淚 just think we can get better,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淲hen we watch film there are a lot of things we could无毛视频檝e corrected last year. But I do like where we无毛视频檙e at. We无毛视频檙e not going to try to overdo things, we无毛视频檙e just going to keep doing what we无毛视频檙e doing and work our butts off every day. Our O-line doesn无毛视频檛 get complacent. Our guys are still hungry. Everyone无毛视频檚 feeling great and young and they still want to compete.无毛视频�
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.
无毛视频淵eah, sometimes they give us the whole day off. That was them, the coaches,无毛视频� Pouncey said.
With the big money guys taking this stuff off, why can无毛视频檛 you?
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 in shorts,无毛视频� Pouncey said with another c无毛视频檓on-get-real look on his face. 无毛视频淚 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无毛视频檛 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 无毛视频� you know what I mean? We无毛视频檙e not tackling, we无毛视频檙e not hitting, you can无毛视频檛 run the ball, you无毛视频檙e throwing the ball 40 times, 50 times a practice. So it无毛视频檚 not real, you know? They see it now. Let无毛视频檚 be real. Le无毛视频橵eon missed the whole thing, even the preseason games, and he came out the best running back last year.
无毛视频淏y the way,无毛视频� Pouncey said in an attempt to change direction, 无毛视频淲hy are you asking me these wrap-up questions today instead of tomorrow? That无毛视频檚 the last day.无毛视频�
Because you veterans skip out early and the only people left in the locker room are rookies who don无毛视频檛 know where to go.
Pouncey laughed. 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檝e been doing this job for a while, haven无毛视频檛 you?无毛视频� 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无毛视频檚 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无毛视频檚 doing a lot of trash talking out there. He无毛视频檚 actually become a team leader.
Pouncey laughed again. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 confidence. It无毛视频檚 confidence,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淏ut, honestly, this year I无毛视频檓 going to have to go with Chuks. He无毛视频檒l probably be the swing tackle and he did a lot of good things. A lot of good things.无毛视频�
Are you just naming Chuks Okorafor as Sleeper to Watch because he无毛视频檚 an offensive lineman?
无毛视频淣o, no, no, no,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 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无毛视频檛 need to do that. We无毛视频檒l see.无毛视频�
Well, Okorafor无毛视频檚 no sleeper. A third-round draft pick would made the team anyway, wouldn无毛视频檛 he?
Pouncey gave me a look that said I don无毛视频檛 appreciate the importance of the first tackle off the bench.
无毛视频淲e need a true swing tackle,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淎nd I think he无毛视频檒l fit that role. He uses his hands really well. He无毛视频檚 not a waist-bender. I think he has a really good chance.无毛视频�