Pouncey calls out Lions D-line for rushing Steelers on kneel-down play
Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey wasn't too pleased with the way Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions ended.
Pouncey called out the Lions defensive line for rushing off the ball when the Steelers were kneeling late in the game.
"You have to show sportsmanship," Pouncey told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "You just lost the game. We're taking a knee. What are you trying to prove right now? If anybody's playing [dirty], that's dirty s--- right there. They literally tried to attack me, come off 100 miles per hour. I ain't going for that ... Do it during the game. You want to do it while we're taking a knee? It's a general rule of sportsmanship. You don't do that type of s---."
Lions defensive tackles A'Shawn Robinson and Akeem Spence came off the ball hard, leading to a scuffle and the ejection of Robinson for throwing a punch at Steelers guard, Ramon Foster.
Spence countered by accusing the Steelers offensive line of some questionable blocks.
"I looked on the big screen, and it looked kind of crazy. It was like I beat him, then Foster came on me. Then Pouncey came to dive at my legs to try and help Foster out. I thought it was kind of dirty. But, I mean, it's football," Spence said.
Spence played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Greg Schiano made rushing on a kneel-down play infamous, but denied diving at the Steelers' legs on this play, though.
"Nah, we used to go at people's legs, which I thought was really cheap," Spence said. "It wasn't nothing like that. Just came off with my hands up high, just playing ball. Nothing crazy. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just got a little chippy."
Pouncey didn't see it that way.
"I don't even play dirty like that, but once someone does some cheap s--- like that, that's some bulls---. I can't respect a man like that," Pouncey said. "Knowing we're just about to snap the ball and stand there and you want to fire off? That's player safety. It's a general, common thing. What if I just fired off the ball and cut him?"