TWO BITS: Pouncey, Cunningham rookie starters?

1 » Though Maurkice Pouncey earned major recognition as a center with the Florida Gators, his short-term future looks to be as a starting right guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that drafted him No. 18 overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. If you talk to Steelers’ starting left tackle Max Starks (also a Florida alum), Pouncey is already turning some heads. “Being that I’m such an established alum from the University of Florida, I’m going to be biased. So I’ll say he’s going to be great,” Starks told the Beaver County Times. “Seriously, Maurkice is a guy who’s come in with the right attitude. He’s a good kid. He’s picking up things and learning the system, although I’m sure his head is still spinning because he’s a rookie. But the most important thing is that he’s here getting a foundation. You can only imagine that once we get into camp and he puts the pads on and he’s had more time in this system, how well he’ll do.” Pittsburgh wants him to be the starting center – eventually – but would like him to get on the field as quickly as possible; right guard is where they need immediate help.

2 » Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com recently posted a New England Patriots mailbag covering a number of topics concerning the team including the future of former Gators linebackers Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes. Reiss projects that Cunningham will ultimately start at outside linebacker in 2010 opposite Tully Banta-Cain but thinks Spikes will have a rough go of it (at least in the beginning) beating out the two guys ahead of him for the opportunity to start alongside Jerod Mayo.

Photo Credit: David Silverman/New England Patriots