OUR FANHOUSE TOOLBAR INTEGRATES THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS INTO YOUR WEB BROWSER AND INSTALLS IN SECONDS.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE TOOLBAR HERE.

Worth Watching: Lawrence Timmons

Posted Jan 29, 2009 9:14AM By JJ Cooper (RSS feed)

Filed Under: NFL, Super Bowl, Steelers

Text SizeAAA
You know about Hines Ward and Kurt Warner, but this week we'll also try to spotlight some non-household names who could play crucial parts in Super Bowl XLIII.

Who: Lawrence Timmons.

What Does He Do: Steelers backup inside/outside linebacker.

2008 Stats: 65 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 interception.

How he got here: Timmons had an inauspicious introduction to coach Mike Tomlin. At Florida State's pro day, he was gassed by the workouts, bad enough that his agent had to promise Tomlin that Timmons would be in shape by training camp. But the Steelers drafted him in the first round of the 2007 draft anyway, and after a mediocre rookie season, he's proven to be an impact player as the team's primary backup at all four linebacker positions while also serving as a regular in the team's nickel package.

What to look for: Timmons doesn't start--Larry Foote won the battle for an inside linebacker job during training camp. But while Foote's forte is stuffing the run, Timmons' strength is playing the pass. Against a Cardinals team who has three 1,000-yard receivers and no running back with more than 514 yards, it's a safe bet that Timmons will be on the field for the majority of the game. Timmons is the Steelers' most physically gifted linebacker in pass coverage, but he's also able to use his speed as a blitzer--he was fourth on the team in sacks during the regular season. To get an idea of the Steelers' opinion of Timmons' athletic ability, when Troy Polamalu was hurt, Timmons was the player who took over most of Polamalu's free-lancing role.

Prediction: With the Cardinals' base offense being a three wide receiver set, the Steelers will likely spend most of the game in their nickel and dime packages. If that's the case, Timmons will rarely leave the field. Timmons can defend tight ends and running backs, but against the Cardinals, it's more likely he'll be dropping into zone coverage to help cover the middle of the field. He'll also be used on blitzes both up the middle (something he did twice against the Ravens) but also looping outside of the tackles.

Tags: Lawrence+Timmons, LawrenceTimmons, Super+Bowl, SuperBowl, WorthWatching

NewsMakers

Super Bowl Newsmakers It nearly left him drained, but James Harrison's record-setting interception return changed the course of the the Super Bowl.

NewsMakers
loading...FanBrand.com