It should come as no surprise to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that his longtime center Maurkice Pouncey wants to retire. Based on the conversation they shared after the embarrassing loss of the Cleveland Browns, Pouncey’s mind had already been decided.
Shortly after the match, reports surfaced that Pouncey was, in fact, planning to retire. Only Big Ben doesn’t want to hang it yet and the center hasn’t made any announcements. What seems to hold up is Roethlisberger. Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it is important for Ben that Maurkice be Steeler in 2021.
Roethlisberger is not mistaken in wanting Pouncey to have his back: um, his front. The quarterback-center relationship, both on and off the field, is critical to the success of the offense, and Ben has known and trusted Pouncey for more than a decade.
But Pittsburgh needs the absolute best players on the field next season if they hope to have another shot in the ring while Roethlisberger is still in the lead. Pouncey’s last two seasons don’t call for “absolutely better.” It was one of the best centers in the league in its early days, but its production dropped significantly between the years before 2019 and the following years. The NFL has to do with what you’ve done for me lately and with Maurkice it’s not enough. If Pouncey returned to the Steelers because of Big Ben and not for himself, it could be a disaster.
He draws a solid rookie center in the first round, as the Steelers did with Pouncey in 2010, and continues the youth movement following the line that began with guard Kevin Dotson. The restructuring of the O line will be at least a two-draft process; it could also start now.
And you could say that once you talk about the “word r,” it’s hard not to be mentally reviewed. Pouncey has been checked for some time. If his heart isn’t, which his production has proven, he’s better for the Steelers than he says. Roethlisberger will just have to deal with it, which might not be very pretty.