Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and his twin bother Mike Pouncey of the Miami Dolphins were both guest Thursday on SiriusXM Radio and during the interview, co-host Tim Ryan asked Maurkice if he agreed with him that he is a player that needs to step up for the Steelers in 2013 as a team leader.
“Yeah, I truly agree, said Maurkice. “Coach Tomlin and me had a long talk this offseason and I think I have to be more of vocal leader in the offensive meeting rooms this year speaking up the guys. Maybe a guy shows up late to a walk-thru, I\’ve got to jump him and kind of get guys going.
“I think Ben (Roethlisberger) does an excellent job of keeping all of us in tune with the offense and everything that he brings, but I think it\’s kind of my turn to step in and let guys really know what the Steeler organization is about. its about winning and coming in each and every game prepared.”
With guard Willie Colon now gone for good, and with it looking more and more likely that veteran tackle Max Starks won\’t be back in 2013 either, it is indeed time for Maurkice to become a team leader and it\’s good to hear that head coach Mike Tomlin has had a talk with him about that very thing this offseason.
As far as the possibility of Starks not returning in 2013, Maurkice had nothing but praise for him and wishes him nothing but the best.
“He\’s a natural left tackle, a big guy that\’s great in pass protection,” said Maurkice. “You barely ever see him get beat. He has great footwork, but the thing about Max, he has keep his weight down, he\’s a real active player.
“I think Max, he taught me a lot being here, by leadership role, by really showing me how to be an NFL player and I appreciate that guy so much, and I hope the best for him, and I really hope he gets picked up by a team very fast.”
According to reports, Starks visited with the San Diego Chargers recently, but at the time of this post, he has yet to reach an agreement with them.
