Jon Linder of WQAM in Miami, Florida, told me tonight via Twitter that he talked to Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey today and asked him about the injury status of his twin bother, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, and Mike told him, “I think my brother\’s gonna have to sit out this week.”
Maurkice injured his left ankle in the first half of the Thursday night game against the Cleveland Browns. At first Maurkice did not want to come out of the game, but eventually did. He did not return for the second half and Doug Legursky was forced to move over from left guard to center the rest of the game. Chris Kemoeatu took over for Legursky at left guard and had a disastrous showing.
The left ankle that Maurkice suffered in the game has been diagnosed as a grade 1 high ankle sprain, but it is the same ankle that forced him to sit out the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers back in February. Pouncey has told the media that he will play Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers this Monday night, but he also thought he would play in the Super Bowl as well.
Pouncey has already shed the walking boot according to media reports, unlike quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was spotted wearing his on Wednesday. Should the report end up being true, Legursky would once again start at center and Mike Bires reported today via Twitter that Trai Essex told him that he would start at left guard instead of Kemoeatu should Pouncey sit.
This could be some sort of smoke screen by twin brother Mike, but Linder told me the comment was made just in conversation and not while a recorder was running. we shall see Monday night if twin brother Mike was right.