Maurkice Pouncey is going to the Pro Bowl

I don't mention pro Gators stuff unless it is a big deal. Well, this is a big deal; Maurkice Pouncey is going to the Pro Bowl.

Pouncey was voted to the first of what could be many Pro Bowls for the 6-foot-4, 304-pounder, the league announced Tuesday. He is the Steelers' first rookie offensive lineman to earn the honor in more than 50 years...His selection was another leap in what has been a rapid ascent since the Steelers took Pouncey with the 18th pick of April's draft. The Steelers initially planned to play Pouncey at guard, but he performed so well at center during training camp that they released incumbent Justin Hartwig.

Unfortunately for Pouncey, he plays in the same conference as the Jets' Nick Mangold, who was All-Pro last year and will probably be All-Pro again. But it is a tremendous measure of Pouncey's ability to be named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie center. Offensive linemen have never gotten credit for being as intelligent as they are, but as football evolves and defenses change, the center is becoming as important as the blind side tackle. For Pouncey to be able to be successful in his first season by knocking out a veteran and making his own name in the league is truly extraordinary. Pouncey won't win Rookie of The Year like Percy Harvin in 2009, but you can make the case that his rookie season was just as successful as Harvin's.

The Pro Bowl is the week before the Super Bowl again this year. So it is possible for Pouncey to miss the Pro Bowl if the Steelers go to the Super Bowl.