Not only does it sound increasingly likely that center Maurkice Pouncey will miss the Super Bowl, but it sounds like defensive end Aaron Smith will be out as well.
The playoffs have come and gone and only the Super Bowl remains. Smith returned to “practice” two weeks ago but really hasn’t done much on the field, he said. Tomlin listed him again as having “limited participation” in practice Wednesday …
“It would be nice if it were under my control,” Smith said. “If you could outwork this, it would be great, I’d just outwork the problem. It’s not something you can speed up, it’s not in my hands.”
Tomlin will not put him in a game if Smith does not have enough strength in that left arm to ward off blockers, tackle ballcarriers and protect himself.
Unfortunately, this isn’t much of a surprise. Smith has been out forever, and repeated rumblings that he’d be back by now have failed to come to fruition. It was getting to the point where, even if he had been healthy enough to return, it would’ve been fair to wonder whether he would have been effective. It sounds like the Steelers will have to continue to make do without him.