Legursky matchup with Raji one to watch

FORT WORTH, Texas - The Steelers' starting center in the Super Bowl will not be The Big Legursky.

Yes, Doug Legursky is 6-1 and 315 pounds, and that might make him seem mountainous in any other profession. But when you put him in there next to the rest of the Pittsburgh offensive linemen - some of whom are a half-foot taller and 50 pounds heavier - Legursky seems downright tiny.

"You see me around some of these guys, you'd think I'm the midget," Legursky said. "I'm pretty short."

He'll have a big job Sunday. With Pro Bowl rookie center Maurkice Pouncey out with a serious ankle injury suffered in the AFC Championship Game against the Jets, Legursky is stepping in to grab the controls of the offensive line.

Yesterday, the Steelers placed Pouncey on injured reserve, a move that allowed them to activate practice squader Dorian Brooks in case they need an emergency lineman in the game.

As for Legursky, the former practice-squadder has played in 24 games in the last two regular seasons and started four of them at guard in 2010, but this will be his first career start at center.

As if the Super Bowl isn't intimidating enough, he'll be facing one of the league's top nose tackles, the Packers' B.J. Raji.

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The Steelers have expressed confidence in Legursky in the two weeks since they last played, and Legursky himself has taken a no-big-deal attitude about the task. He said it's an easy move from guard to center because both are interior positions.

There are two key differences, though - having to snap the football, both when Ben Roethlisberger is under center and in shotgun formation, and having to make the calls at the line of scrimmage.

He's been able to work on the snaps in practice the last few weeks, something that the backup rarely gets to experience. "It's going to be nice going in there with a few reps under my belt," he said.

As for making the calls, the self-proclaimed "student of the game" said he's looking forward to the responsibility.

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"Center is the hub," he said. "You have to make all the calls, which I feel completely comfortable with. Guard is a more physically demanding position but there is less mentally that you have to worry about . . . I feel center is my more natural position, so it's really not an issue for me."

It may be the most natural, but it's the one he plays least. He's not only played guard but has come in as an extra lineman and even as a fullback in some short-yardage situations.

"This is the guy who kind of embodies the 'more you can do' attitude that our football team has," Mike Tomlin said of Legursky. "He competes, he's mentally and physically tough, and we expect him to meet the standard."

As for his height, he's just about the same size as Raji. Legursky probably wishes Raji were a little taller.

"It's like my old man says; I'm real short and that's not a disadvantage because I can get under people," Legursky said. "That's my outlook on it, too. He's told me that all along. I've been one of the shortest guys around since I started [playing football]. 'Low man wins' is what he always says."

The low man is about to reach some pretty unexpected heights.