You will have to excuse Mike Pouncey if he’s feeling a little lonely this spring and next fall. For the first time since he has been playing football, the Florida offensive center does not have twin brother Maurkice next to him. Maurkice, Florida’s center the last two seasons, left Florida with a year of eligibility remaining and is expected to be a first-round or high second-round choice in next month’s NFL Draft. Mike, however, decided to get is Florida degree and returned to inherit his brother’s spot on the line. Gator Country.com had a chance to get up with Mike Pouncey following Friday’s practice for a Q&A session:
Gator Country: Spring football without your brother. How’s it going?
Mike Pouncey: Oh, it’s going alright. We’re progressing, getting better up front. We’re working harder and harder to get better every day.
GC: How often do you talk to him?
MP: Well, he’s still here, so we’re talking every day. He’s flying out Monday to go to New England. We’ll be on the phone when he’s out there.
GC: Does he critique you?
MP: Well, he knows I’m a good player. He’s just tells me to keep working harder and get better and better each day.
GC: Is he ragging on you because you’re still in school and he’s getting ready for the draft?
MP: You know he is, you know he is. He can’t wait ‘til draft day.
GC: I bet you can’t either. You gonna say, “Where’s mine?”
MP: (Laughs) I might ask him for a little bit.
GC: Chas Henry throws a pretty ball, but is it kind of scary that he’s the No. 2 quarterback?
MP: Chas is a great player. He punts the ball for us well. He has to learn, it’s new to him playing quarterback since high school. As long as he knows the plays, he’ll help this team out.
GC: How important does it become protecting John Brantley then?
MP: We need Brantley this year. And we’ve got Trey Burton, who’s been coming along real well as a freshman. He’s getting better and better. We’re starting to get a lot of trust in Trey.
GC: You’ve got five guys on this line who have started, but really only three have been consistent starters. How is it breaking in new guys and getting used to new guys in different spots?
MP: We’re just getting ready to play. They’re trying to get better, and we’re trying to get them ready to play. All of ‘em have played in big-time games. They know how it is to be out there on Saturday.
GC: And how about the adjustment to center for you, has it been natural?
MP: Yeah, it’s been natural. It’s been a fluid transition for me this spring.
GC: And you already knew all the line calls before this season, didn’t you?
MP: Oh yeah, that’s pretty much easy for me.
GC: Did you guys like the way that coach Urban Meyer defended Deonte Thompson yesterday?
MP: Of course. He’s got our back, and we’ve got his back.
GC: It seems like there’s been some struggle in the center-quarterback exchange in the shotgun this spring. What’s been going on there?
MP: Well, we moved (Nick) Alajajian to center. He’s been a tackle since he’s been here. He’s got a lot of work to go on this spring, because I won’t be taking many reps, so he’s just getting better and better.
GC: What are doing to help coach him?
MP: I’ve been practicing with him, just snapping the ball, locking his wrists. That’s the main problem. He ain’t locking his wrist to throw it back there.