It should come as no surprise to Steelers full-back Ben Roethlisberger that his longtime center Maurkice Pouncey wants to retire. Based on the conversation they shared after the embarrassment of the Cleveland Browns, Pouncey’s mind was already made up.
Shortly after the game, there were reports that Pouncey was indeed planning to retire. Only Big Ben does not want him to hang it yet, and the center has not yet made an announcement about it. What seems to be holding it back is Roethlisberger. Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it’s important to Ben that Maurkice is a Steeler in 2021.
Roethlisberger is not wrong because he wants Pouncey to have his back – ahem, his front. The quarterback-center relationship inside and outside the field is critical to the success of the offense, and Ben has known and trusted Pouncey for more than a decade.
But Pittsburgh need the absolute best players they can play next season, if they expect to have another shot, while Roethlisberger is still at the helm. Pouncey’s last two seasons have not screamed ‘absolutely best’. He was one of the best centers in the league in his best time, but his production declined significantly between before 2019 and subsequent years. The NFL has been about what-you-have-done-for-me lately, and with Maurkice, that’s not enough. Should Pouncey return to the Steelers because of Big Ben and not for himself, it could be a disaster.
Set up a solid rookie center in the first round, as the Steelers did with Pouncey in 2010, and continue the youth movement along the line that began with guard Kevin Dotson. The restructuring of the O-line will be at least a two-part process – it might as well start now.
And one can say, once the ‘r-word’ is spoken, it is difficult not to check spiritually. Pouncey has been checking out for a while now. If his heart is not what his production has shown, it’s best for the Steelers that he mention it. Roethlisberger will just have to deal with it – which may not be very nice.