LaMarr Woodley

[Lord Stiller]

Originally Posted by jjpro11

who would he start for? harrison and haggans have been playing quite well.. he's too small to play DE in the 3-4.

nobody. they are talking about increasing his playing time, not starting

[lilyoder6]

yea.. we have enough ppl who don't start and go out and having good playing time...

[revefsreleets]

I'm all for it. As I've said before, watching him play at Michigan, the guy was just a ball hawk, all over the field, and was always making big plays. This is a great example of a guy who is just an instinctual football player.

[TackleMeBen]

he was very good at michigan. we could use him this year..lol

[Davison_K]

Originally Posted by paw-n-maul-u

no doubt. not to mention hes so raw. woodley was basically a four year starter. He's been a monster on special teams, and shows just how much athletic ability he actually has.

but it is definitly disappointing seeing Willis, Poz, and Beason all starting. But what can you do?

I think them starting has less to do with their playing ability and more to do with the teams they are on. We drafted for the future. I am pretty sure Harrison has been working for that starting job the last 2 years. It was just a matter of time. Is it true that Haggens is a free agent at the end of either this year or next? If so that would be a great time for Woodley to step up into the starting role. As long as Harrison is cheap and signed lets use him as the starter until he gets beat out by Timmons which I suspect will be midway through NEXT season.

[Preacher]

Originally Posted by Davison_K

I think them starting has less to do with their playing ability and more to do with the teams they are on. We drafted for the future. I am pretty sure Harrison has been working for that starting job the last 2 years. It was just a matter of time. Is it true that Haggens is a free agent at the end of either this year or next? If so that would be a great time for Woodley to step up into the starting role. As long as Harrison is cheap and signed lets use him as the starter until he gets beat out by Timmons which I suspect will be midway through NEXT season.

That is actually an excellent post.

We were in serious trouble at LB... not because we had no starters... because we had no one BEHIND our starters. Now it seems we may have picked up a good ILB and OLB.

[steelpride12]

Wow thats great news and he will be a huge distruption for Carson!

[GeneralRobinson]

Originally Posted by NV STEELERS 723

I like Woodley too,,,,but what happenned to the first round stud Timmons?

Funny you should ask. John Harris has an answer for you.

Steelers rookie Timmons awaits chances
By John Harris
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, October 26, 2007

Steelers rookie linebacker Lawrence Timmons didn't avoid the question. He admits to being lost on the football field a few months ago.

"I was lost when I came here," said Timmons, a first-round draft pick from Florida State.

As the No. 15 overall pick joining a tradition-bound, defensive-minded team like the Steelers, on faces extra-large expectations.

Timmons believed he had all the answers, that his instincts, closing speed and playmaking ability assured him not only a spot on the roster, but also the opportunity to showcase his skills right away.

Entering Sunday's AFC North contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, Timmons has a team-high seven special teams tackles. But he has yet to have an impact at the position he was drafted to play.

Timmons, however, is enjoying his best week of practice at a time when the Steelers could use a few extra bodies on defense due to injuries. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, so don't be surprised if Timmons finally has some good luck as more than a special teams performer against Cincinnati's high-octane passing attack.

"I think the coaches are getting more comfortable with me," said Timmons, the Steelers' highest draft pick on defense since safety Troy Polamalu in 2003. "They keep asking, 'Are you ready, are you ready?' "

Timmons turned some heads this week in back-to-back practices with a couple of big-time plays that showed flashes of his anticipation and speed to the football.

Coach Mike Tomlin likes what he sees. Timmons is a superior athletic specimen with tremendous upside. Tomlin just wants to see it on a consistent basis.

"I think he's ready to play. But again, it's all about opportunity. He's got to be ready when his number is called," Tomlin said.

"No question, he's got potential. But they're not paid for potential. They're paid for results."

Timmons is late to the party primarily because of medical reasons. He missed the majority of offseason workouts and most of training camp because of a nagging groin injury. Compound that with losing valuable practice time, that made learning defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's sophisticated schemes 10 times more complicated.

Biding his time while waiting his turn, Timmons has internalized whatever frustration he may feel standing on the sideline.

"It's a situation that makes you better. You appreciate what you have when you work for it so hard," Timmons said. "Once you learn it, you respect the players that know it because it takes a lot of time to learn all these plays."

Even if Timmons knew the playbook backward and forward, there was still the matter of competing with veteran James Harrison (32 tackles, three sacks) for playing time at right outside linebacker. Timmons' initial paying time figures to come in dribs and drabs rather than chunks.

Still, Timmons' time will come. Considering the Steelers are entering the meaty part of their schedule with some key members missing on defense, it could be sooner than later.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_534648.html

[rbryan]

Thanks for the link General. I guess all we had to do was ask. lol

I think this is great news. Forget about 4/3 or 3/4 schemes, these guys are studs and you need to get them in there.

[Galax Steeler]

Woodley gets into the game

Despite playing as a pass-rush linebacker in most third-down situations in the preseason, rookie LaMarr Woodley said he has not performed that role in the nickel or dime defensive packages in the regular season.

Nonetheless, despite a limited of number of plays in the base defense, Woodley is tied for third on the team with three sacks. He had a sack and forced fumble despite playing just three snaps against the Denver Broncos.

"That's what you have to do whenever you get in there, you have to take advantage of the time you get because you might not get back in there," said Woodley, a No. 2 draft choice from Michigan. "Just try to make something happen with the little time you got."

Woodley might have one of the best sacks-per-play averages in the National Football League.

He said he did not appear in scrimmage play in Arizona, played just one snap against Seattle, three against the Broncos, "four or five" at the end of the game against the Cleveland Browns and "five or six" at the end of the game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Woodley's longest appearance was against the Buffalo Bills, when he played the entire second half (35 plays) after linebacker James Harrison was injured right before halftime. All of his appearances, he said, have been in the base defense, not substitutional packages.

"You are talking about a guy that has probably played 65 or 66 snaps of defense and he has three sacks this year," coach Mike Tomlin said.

"That tells us we need to play him more."

However, Tomlin said Woodley, a converted defensive end, is not a candidate to replace the injured Smith.

"You would kind of think that because they had me going in on third down in the preseason, doing a little bit of this, that hopefully during the season I might be doing it," Woodley said. "But it didn't work out that way. I'm not going to sit back and complain. It's just something that happened."