Staying with the general theme of the Steelers' offseason workouts, Maurkice Pouncey wants the conversation to stay forward.
And why wouldn't he? After all, the last few years have been full of tumultuous, drama filled shenenigans that have — even if no one will own up to it — had an impact on the overall success of the Steelers.
Those issues spilled into this offseason, in which the team sent packing its two biggest skill position players on the offensive side of the ball in Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.
But Pouncey's motivation for 2019 has little to do with the offseason drama that caused the Steelers to be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
"It's not because of the offseason, it's because we didn't make the playoffs," he said Wednesday. "This team is usually in the playoffs, competing for championships.
"We're all really motivated and positive about what's going on right now."
Despite the veteran presence in Pittsburgh's offensive line, led me the likes of Pouncey and guards David DeCastro and Ramon Foster, the group has gone through some changes since the 2018 season ended.
Gone is offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who took the same job with the Broncos in order to be closer to family.
"We're missing the jokes and things like that, the things that he brings every day, but we're happy for him," Pouncey said. "(New offensive line coach) Shaun Sarrett is doing a hell of a job right now and we're running behind him."
Sarrett, affectionally called 'Sweet Feet' by his players, has the experience and respect of the offensive line room. His promotion from assistant offensive line coach to the main job was announced almost immediately after Muncak split.
"He was here for five years under (Munchak), so he learned a lot of different things from him, seen a lot of different things from him. 'Sweet feet' wasn't just here printing out papers, he was coaching, too."
The changes also hit on the field. Veteran left tackle Marcus Gilbert was dealt Arizona for a sixth-round pick, ending an up-and-down eight years in Pittsburgh in which Gilbert struggled with injuries and was suspended in 2017 for violating the NFL's PED policy.
"For me, it sucked because I've played with Marcus ever since college," said Pouncey, who played with Gilbert at Florida. "I even played him in high school. He's still a great friend and I'm happy for him, whatever happens to him."
Pouncey is confident that the team will find suitable replacements on the line. It will start with Matt Feiler at right tackle, who performed admirably, despite being an undrafted free agent, when Gilbert missed time last year.
"They bring in the right type of guys, guys that like to go to work and work on their craft," Pouncey said. "Obviously they've been great in college, but it's time to prove it here. I think we've got the right guys to help them out and the right coaches."
One of the key re-signings in the offseason was that of the man to Pouncey's left on the line in Foster. A year ago, Foster was quoted as saying "they are going to have to pay the (expletive) out of me."
Foster signed a two-year deal this offseason worth a total of $8.25 million.
"I knew Ramon was coming back," Pouncey said. "That was simple, that was an easy one. He's a great player, he's played here a long time, has always done his job the right way. People love and respect him. He's a leader and it's hard to get rid of those type of guys."
The offseason has been full of questions regarding the leadership abilities of a man Pouncey has continually defended and developed a seemingly strong bond with, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Pouncey was outspoken in the offseason on his support of Roethlisberger.
"I said what I said," he added. "Everybody knows I support him. There's no point in talking about that anymore."
And that's Pouncey's mindset. He is finished discussing past annoyances or distractions. It is something that has seemingly bolstered the cohesion among the team.
"We always had chemistry, it's just that the bonds are a little bit stronger now," he said. "Guys really know that family wins football games.You've got to stick together. You can't just go out there with just one player and do it. Everyone has to do their part."
If more controversy arises which, if recent history has shown, could be a very real possibility, Pouncey believes this team, seemingly more than ever, is equipped to handle it.
"Every year there's something different, it's just how you take it, how you move forward," he said. "This team's doing a positive job with it, going out here and putting the past behind us."
"We're looking for the next day and trying to get better every day. There's no point in talking about old stuff. It brings up too many bad memories and nothing ever comes good from it."
Hear all of what Maurkice Pouncey had to say below.
