Nov 24, 2015 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Steelers are still holding out hope that All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey could return this season.

With each passing week, that glimmer of hope dims just a little bit more.

Pouncey, who suffered a broken left leg Aug. 23 in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return.

He was eligible to begin practicing six weeks into the season, but has yet to do so as the Steelers (6-4) prepare to head to Seattle (5-5) Sunday in the 12th week of the NFL’s regular season.

An issue is the infection that developed following his surgery that attached a plate to his broken fibula to help with the healing process.

The Steelers would neither deny nor confirm that Pouncey had a second surgery to resolve the infection, but a female friend of his posted a photo of the center on Oct. 22 in a hospital bed saying the surgery went well.

Pouncey has not been seen around the team’s facility over the past two months, but teammate Marcus Gilbert posted a photo on social media Nov. 17 from an offensive linemen dinner in which Pouncey was pictured still wearing a walking boot on his left foot. According to a team source, he is now out of that boot, but still has a way to go before he’s ready to return to the playing field.

Head coach Mike Tomlin, who had previously refused to answer questions regarding the possible availability of his starting center, said Tuesday that the team hasn’t spent a lot of time worrying about whether Pouncey will return because it has had too many other injuries with which to be concerned.

“We’ll address it at the appropriate time,” said Tomlin. “I don’t feel the urgency at this time. I really want to focus on readying the guys who are at our disposal. I think when you’ve had some of the adversity that we’ve had, it makes you focus on what’s important, and that’s the readiness of the guys you have at your disposal.”

The loss of Pouncey has been one of several big injuries the Steelers have fought through this season, one that has seen them place 15 players on injured reserve, including Pouncey and starting left tackle Kelvin Beachum.

Cody Wallace has replaced Pouncey at center, while Alejandro Villanueva, who had never before started an NFL game, has moved into the lineup in place of Beachum at left tackle.

“We’ve had injuries but never like this to your ‘two best guys.’ the left tackle and the center,” said Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak. “They’ve meant so much to the football team, not just to the defensive line.

“It’s hard. I think this team has done a great job this year by stepping up and making plays.”

That makeshift line will be tested Sunday at Seattle, which boasts the No. 2 defense in the NFL and has 25 sacks. CenturyLink Field is one of the loudest in the NFL and the line will likely be forced to use a lot of silent counts to negate the noise.

“We respect it, but we also acknowledge, like we acknowledge anytime we are playing in a hostile venue, the quality of our play has something to do with that,” said Tomlin. “If we are playing well, if we minimize negativity, it will aid our efforts in terms of making that a variable that’s less significant than it can be.”

Having Pouncey available would make that a little easier. He typically makes the line calls and helps quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with adjustments at the line of scrimmage.

The Steelers would still welcome their star center back at some point, but having been out so long, he’s going to need to resume practicing before having a chance to play. Tomlin has a deadline in mind that Pouncey needs to meet for that to happen, but he’s not sharing it.

“There is,” Tomlin said of a deadline. “We haven’t approached the 11th hour yet. We haven’t spent a lot of time worrying about it.”

Odds and end zones

Tomlin said the only player on the active roster whose injury status is in question to play against the Seahawks is tight end Matt Spaeth, who has been dealing with a knee injury. Tomlin did, however, say Spaeth practiced Monday. … Tomlin said Jacoby Jones would continue returning punts and kickoffs against Seattle. Jones has just two yards on three punt returns and has averaged 20.8 yards per kick return since joining the Steelers three weeks ago. … Tomlin said that the health of quarterbacks Roethlisberger and backup Landry Jones is “great.” Roethlisberger has been dealing with knee and ankle injuries, while Jones suffered an ankle injury two weeks ago against Cleveland.