Maurkice Pouncey's plan to return to the Steelers from a lower-leg injury that required surgery was on schedule. After the fibula above his left ankle was broken in the second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, this two-time All-Pro center was placed on short-term injured reserve and targeted a Nov. 29 game in Seattle _ a week after the bye _ for his comeback.
Then, to use his words, it all went black.
Sometime after the surgery, Pouncey developed a severe infection that threatened more than just his ability to return for the latter part of the 2015 season. It became a matter of possibly never playing football again.
"Everything went downhill from there," Pouncey said.
The infection resulted in four more surgeries and two months of intravenous antibiotics. Then, two more major surgeries on his ankle. Seven surgeries in all.
"He could've lost a leg," guard Ramon Foster said. "He would get done with one surgery and go right back for another. They had to put a pump in his arm to clean out his system. We were like, what the hell was going on?"
It was a difficult time for Pouncey. Having to watch his teammates have success without him was one thing; wondering when and if he could return to football was another.
To keep up his spirits and prevent this four-time Pro Bowl center from feeling left out, Foster and the other offensive linemen would go to Pouncey's house every Thursday night to eat and watch football in the season.
"He would order the food, he would pay for it," Foster said. "He wanted us there."
That's why Pouncey never returned to play football again last season. But he is back now with the Steelers _ healthy and eager to go _ and it's difficult to tell who is more excited, Pouncey or the rest of the linemen.
"I feel like me again," Pouncey said. "Trust me, I wouldn't be out there if I didn't."
Pouncey has felt so good he went against coach Mike Tomlin's suggestion to not take part in the team's organized team activities (OTAs) in the spring. And he has been taking part in nearly everything at training camp. He doesn't participate in one-on-one blocking drills, but that has nothing to do with his comeback from injury. Pouncey said he hasn't taken part in those drills in three years, presumably because the Steelers don't want the defensive lineman who has to face him to lose confidence.
"It's awesome, I smile all the time, it feels good to go out there and hit guys again," Pouncey said. "Football, I love it. This is what I do. This is always what I've done since I was 6 years old and I don't want to do anything else.
"Playing football was never a concern. The biggest concern was the infection. It's a blessing to be here. To have this opportunity to keep going is a blessing and I'm going to run with it."
Having Pouncey back will make an already good offensive line better. Cody Wallace, who started all 18 games in 2015 for Pouncey, performed better than anyone expected. He even has a little of the same feistiness that Pouncey brings to the position. But there is a reason Pouncey is the first center in NFL history to be selected to the Pro Bowl his first three seasons in the league. Or that he has been picked for the Pro Bowl every year he has been healthy.
And the Steelers are glad to see him.
"That guy's career was almost ended," Foster said. "To be back in football shape and be back on the football field, he's not going to take it for granted at all. He doesn't take it lightly, being out there."
