Mike Wallace calls new team 'hungry,' and old teammate Maurkice Pouncey takes exception. (USATSI)
After four years in Pittsburgh, wide receiver Mike Wallace signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the Dolphinson the first day of free agency. It's the likely impetus for his rosy disposition. Once spring turns to summer, and OTAs and minicamps become training camp and the NFL regular season, his opinion might change. But for now -- understandably -- it's all unicorns and rainbows.

And not only is Wallace happy to be in South Florida, one of the league's fastest players likes what he has seen from his new teammates.

“Everybody has a college mentality around here," Wallace said via the Miami Herald's Adam Beasley. "It’s a lot different than where I came from. Everybody’s hungry. Everybody wants to get better, get to where we need to be -- that’s a winning record.”

Innocuous enough -- except it's the slowest point in the offseason, which means that any comment, no matter how seemingly banal, qualifies as bulletin-board material.

And that brings us to Wallace's old team, the Steelers. When center Maurkice Pouncey was asked about the notion that the 2013 Dolphins might be hungrier than the 2012 Steelers, he offered this:

Pouncey's brother is Mike Pouncey, the Dolphins' center. And the two teams will face off in Pittsburgh on Dec. 8.

It's worth noting that the Steelers limped to an 8-8 record a season ago, their worst effort in the Mike Tomlin era. Wallace probably deserves some of the blame; he had his worst effort as a pro and later admitted that he lost focus in a new offense that put less emphasis on the downfield passing game.

Also contributing to the mediocrity: injuries to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the offensive line. Wherever you choose to point the finger, Pouncey knows that a lot needs to change in 2013.

Wallace, for his part, took to Twitter clarify his initial remarks.

"I want it to be known that I have nothing but love and respect for everybody in the Pittsburgh Steelers oraganization," Wallace wrote Tuesday afternoon. "(T)hat is a A1 organization over there ... those guys are my brothers for life beyond football so to all the people who think I take shots at them it is (t)otally misleading ... people keep making it out like I wanna bash them ... I am forever grateful for everything they have ever done for me."

In related news: The NFL season is still more than three months away.