Not being one to question Adam Schefter of ESPN, as his statements are as accurate as any, it's hard to pick apart his recent report that Maurkice Pouncey has been ruled out of the Superbowl.

Tomlin isn't scared to let his players know what's what.
Maybe it's the conspiracy theorist in me. Maybe it's the excitement of seeing one of my favorite rookies of all time in the Superbowl. Something inside me just can't accept this as what it initially appears.

To say that Mike Tomlin runs a tight, disciplined ship is probably an understatement. Players understand what the coach wants at all times and know that there is a commitment to excellence required. Tomlin has shown that he is not afraid to punish players for not meeting this standard.

Last season current star runningback and former first round pick Rashard Mendenhall was benched for a pivotal week 3 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mendenhall had missed assignments during the week of practice leading up to the game and played 0 snaps. This is something that happens regularly in youth football and sometimes in college football but was downright embarrassing for an NFL player of Mendenhall's ability.

The young tailback responded with a monstrous performance against San Diego the following week.

Tomlin is upfront about issues and meets them head on. Throughout the playoffs he has addressed the media honestly about the status of Aaron Smith. Smith has not appeared yet for the team and Tomlin never hesitated when asked of his status.

Chris Kemoeatu-the Joke or Jester?
That is why this past week has me somewhat puzzled.

Early this week, Chris Kemoeatu, a left guard not known for his composure on the field, was exposed in front of the microphone. Kemoeatu strongly indicated that Pouncey was not going to be able to play in the Superbowl, "He's definitely a huge loss. We all know what Maurkice brings to the table...We've just got let that be a motivation for us. Go out there and ball out."


For those of you that know Kemoeatu, you will know that he is a strong run blocker but often makes poor decisions and gives away mind boggling penalties. For those of you that don't, he is the player that twice dove into piles of players head first during the Steelers Ravens game at Heinz Field.

For all intensive purposes it makes perfect sense that Kemoeatu would be the one to let this detail slip.

So that's that? Kemoeatu is just an idiot and everything is wrapped up and as honest as it appears?

You'd all make awful detectives.

If you look back to the build up to the last game you will find a relatively unknown journalist by the name of Bob Holtzman. In the build up to the first playoff game Holtzman revealed that the Steelers had planned a trick play specifically designed for the Ravens. This was met by a livid Tomlin the following week who, albeit in a subtle way, firmly let Holtzman know his feelings.

Don't put Pouncey on the sidelines just yet.
In reality Holtzman was not at fault and Tomlin is smart enough to know that. Holtzman reported what two Steeler players had told him without any details of the play. It's fair to say that the Steelers head coach will have reminded his players the importance of their dealings with the media after that instance.

Maybe this is a wild goose chase. Maybe I am just a Pouncey-loving Conspiracy theorist who is giving the Steelers too much credit.

Or maybe I just don't see the logic in trusting the vague words of a teammate or the media's persistence with anonymous sources.

If only there were a football game on last night to quash my skeptical thoughts...The what bowl?

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