Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey missed the Super Bowl when he was a rookie in 2010 because of an ankle injury he suffered in the AFC championship game. He missed the 2013 season with a knee injury after he was injured in the season opener, and he missed the entire season last year when he sustained a leg injury during the preseason.
He's missed more games than he cares to remember, which is why a dislocated thumb isn't going to prevent him from playing against the Cowboys.
"People are making it a bigger deal than it is," Pouncey said Thursday. "Let's just go play, man. We've got a football game. I sat on the couch too long not to be ready to play in any football game."
Pouncey suffered the dislocation on the second snap of the game in the 21-14 loss in Baltimore. He saw a hand specialist Monday and had surgery to set the thumb back into place. He plans to practice Friday for the first time this week and suit up Sunday.
"I'm playing. One-hundred percent," Pouncey said.
The dislocated thumb is on his right (snapping) hand, but Pouncey said there won't be any issues when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is under center or in the shotgun. He noted how he went back into the game for a spell in Baltimore after his thumb was dislocated. When he couldn't continue, reserve B.J. Finney came in and finished the game.
"I can squeeze it now," Pouncey said. "They're just protecting the stitches honestly. I went in the game and snapped just like this. You guys don't remember that?"
Friday is one of the lighter practice sessions of the week, but Pouncey must demonstrate to the coaches that there won't be any issues in the game.
"We all know Pounce," offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. "He's saying he wants to play, but he has to come out here and be able to execute all the things in his playbook and then it will come down to coach (Mike Tomlin)."
