According to most reports, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey won’t play in Super Bowl XLV due to an ankle injury suffered in the AFC title game against the Jets.
Pouncey has yet to see those reports.
He told Deion Sanders of NFL Network during Tuesday’s Media Day that the rookie standout has a 75-percent chance of playing in the game.
Coach Mike Tomlin was less optimistic, but not quite pessimistic.
“I’m definitely not going to count that young man out,” Tomlin said, per Jason La Canfora of NFL Network. “I don’t think anything he’s done this year would lead you to believe that he’s incapable of showing up. So we’re going to give him every opportunity to do so.”
Whether Pouncey can play and whether he’ll be effective are two different things. Either way, the Steelers need to have someone at center who’ll be able to handle Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji.