Pouncey All But Named the Starting Center Entering 2010

Unless something big changes, the Steelers appear more than ready to hand the starting center job to first-round pick Maurkice Pouncey, who has had a great camp and seems to be ready to take on the responsibility of being the center for a team expected to challenge for a division title.

We have talked quite a bit about the effects of having Justin Hartwig be the backup, and while Hartwig is going to have to swallow a lot of pride to see a rookie take the starting center job away from him, it’s something that appears he’ll have to live with.

The Post-Gazette had some comments from Mike Tomlin as well as Casey Hampton about the move, and how Pouncey is quickly learning the ropes at the pro level.

“Maurkice Pouncey has done a nice job with every opportunity we have given him thus far,” Tomlin said after practice. “We continue to give him more opportunities. We recognize that Jamal Williams, who plays nose guard for the Denver Broncos, is a perennial Pro Bowl-caliber player. It’s going to be an awesome opportunity to measure where he is against a guy that caliber. That’s what it’s all about more than anything else.”

Even quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, citing the benefits of playing in the preseason, mentioned “getting used to taking reps with Pouncey” among them.

Pouncey has been dominant at center, where he started the past two seasons at Florida. Several times, he has been seen handling his block at the line of scrimmage, then moving ahead to block someone else, often a linebacker.

Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton has played against many centers over the previous nine seasons and said Pouncey has a combination of attributes many centers do not possess.

“A lot of centers you play against are either quick and weak or they’re strong and not quick. He’s got both. He’s quick and he’s really strong. He recovers real well. He does a good job staying on his feet. I think he’s going to be a good player.”

Sunday night against Jamal Williams will be a great test like Tomlin said, so watch Pouncey early in the game to see if he can bring it against the Broncos. If Pouncey is indeed the starting center on opening day, it will once again be a credit to Steelers scouts who helped make the decision to pick him in round one.