HUH? What does past centers have to do with now. He is the best center now. Injury prone?? Every injury he has had has been someone falling on his legs. Pouncey has trouble with big DT sometimes. That's it. I really don't understand how someone can be universally lauded as the best in the biz by everyone except some in his own fan base. He would start on all 32 teams but here he sucks go figure
The past centers thing was just a point I was making that he isn't going to ever been in the same breath as Webster, Dawson, or Hartings. That's it.
As for injury prone and someone else falling on his legs. Pretty common problem for the universally lauded best center who is on the bench too much because of it. I'm not saying he "sucks", what I am saying is I would rather have a consistently reliable center who protects then the best in the game who is constantly on the bench taking up valuable salary cap space. No matter the mechanism of the injury, the fact is he's missed over 18 games, plus playoff action, since his 2010 rookie year I don't see the results to argue he is the best. His loss doesn't impact the team outcome in any of the games/seasons below.
Rookie season he is on a Super Bowl losing team and should not have started with the
ankle injury that took him our of the AFC Championship game. Plus he had hurt his knee earlier in the season. We had 126 yards rushing in that SB. To MP's credit he did recover a couple of fumbles for us, but was noticeably hampered by the injury.
The next year he missed four games and the wild card round. Legursky started for the "Tebow" wild card loss, We had 150 + yards rushing..
Ankle again. Surgery in the off season.
2012 he has a consistent season. A few missed games and snaps to inury/illness, but nothing to ***** about. Probably his best season as a Steeler.
2013 lost for the season due to a really unlucky cut block by David DeCastro. ACL/MCL knee. Surgery again.
2014 is another good season. He starts in a home playoff game where Ben is sacked 5 times and we only rush for 68 yards. Granted we had zero run game with LeVeon out, but Pouncey was beaten up pretty good that game
2015 he is out...for how long?
Ankle again. At least 10 games and maybe longer. Without MP in the center spot we have rushed for almost 300 yards in three games. Ben has been sacked 5 times and we've scored 76 points in that time. Not bad with a back up center and a back up running back.
He can't, and won't, stay healthy. Ankles never get better, or stronger, and knees are career enders. Pouncey has had both with surgeries.to follow. Doesn't look good for the guy. I'm not saying sell his jersey on Ebay. I'm just saying it won't be worth what you paid for it.
Face it, the dude is injury (or maybe accident) prone and I don't think he is really all that missed by this team. Ben...maybe.