The relationship between two former greats, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and center Maurkice Pouncey, has been well documented. No fan will ever forget the photo of the two of them sitting side by side at their last home game together. Pouncey spoke out recently about how the relationship with Roethlisberger started and how it evolved, despite the many differences between the two men.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and center Maurkice Pouncey have an emotional moment together on the bench as they play their last game together.
Pouncey chatted with another former teammate, offensive guard Ramon Foster, who hosts a podcast called The Ramon Foster Show. Foster couldn't resist having the chance to hear the story from Pouncey himself.
How Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger And Maurkice Pouncey Defied The Odds To Become Best Friends
"Yours and Ben's relationship, what was that like from your words? How did y'all kind of blossom that relationship, because it was dope," asked Foster. "He had that with all of us, but you and his was very particular in a good way."
Pouncey agreed with Foster that the relationship was really special.
"I always tell people, it's the weirdest thing ever because we grew up totally different, two different walks of life. Even now, we hang out and in our off-of-football-life, whenever we hang out together, it's just how genuine and unique it is. It was crazy how we could just hang out all night long."
"You know Ben is a big country boy, kept to himself a lot. Besides when I got there, he was older as well, he'd been through some of the stuff he went through. So for him to take me in, and as wild as I was and kind of like teach me the ropes, I think maybe because he had hiccups on the way and he probably seen that in me as well. Like let me help guide this guy in a way that I wasn't guided."
Pouncey said that Roethlisberger helped him learn the ropes of the Steelers, but also how to deal with being an NFL player. He took the negative parts of the beginning of his career and turned them into positives for helping the younger players.
"I'm assuming because that's kind of how it felt like to me. I mean he was always there when I needed him. He always told me the things that I needed to hear. As much as I didn't want to hear, sometimes it's better for a guy like him to tell it to you. I always thank Big Ben for that. I always tell people we grew in that fashion. I think maybe him going through what he went through, he kind of helped me out because I think he probably seen how quick it could happen for me as well."
Pouncey then shares how uniquely special it was working with someone like Roethlisberger at the helm.
"People underappreciated the things that he did before every single snap. He had to tell every single receiver what route to run or to leave a little space, all the craziest stuff he used to say, 'The hots on this' or 'Be alert to this,' 'Make sure you look if he does this...' Remember how he used to draw on his hand, 'Hey Le'Veon [Bell], if he goes this way, you go that way.' It would be like what the hell, how can he be thinking like this right now."
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Pittsburgh Steelers dynamic duo - Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey.
Foster agrees, saying that people liked to complain, but they took for granted having a future Hall of Famer as their quarterback.
"I ain't gonna say we didn't get comfortable at all, but it was the understanding of where we were as a team when we had seven and when we had you and seven. I'll give you that, one moment of him drawing something up on the fly. We were in Seattle, I think you were injured and Cody Wallace was in. DeAngelo was there, DeAngleo Williams and he's telling D-Will, 'Hey D-Will, in here.' He's telling the defense what the route was, but Ben was such a screw-you type of quarterback because he knew he was that good. Telling the guys, 'Hey do this, you do this, hey o-line, empty protection,' and that would just be it."
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams arrives for an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Oct. 1, 2015, in Pittsburgh.
This gets Pouncey laughing. He said that Roethlisberger would just be basically drawing up the plays in the dirt for the defense and didn't care that they saw because they couldn't stop him.
"He was so good, he just didn't give a damn. He didn't care, that's how good he was. I can't say enough about Big Ben, we got very, very lucky and blessed to play with a player like that. He just had that it factor."
What do you think about Foster and Pouncey's Roethlisberger stories? Does it surprise you that he became such a positive role model or mentor for young players? Click to comment below.
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