Steelers @ Baltimore: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

There is no sense in crying over spilled milk, but one can only imagine how rosy things would be in the Steelers' world if they had defeated Cleveland, Oakland, and Tennessee. 10-2 with a one game lead over Baltimore? Oh, if only. But today we focus on the realities of this season, and particularly Pittsburgh's emotional win over their archnemesis, the Baltimore Ravens.

The Good

Keenan Lewis & Cortez Allen: These two young men (Mr. Lewis is 26 years old and Mr. Allen is 24 -- barely)are playing tremendous football, and have been for about the past four weeks. Together they combined for six tackes, three assists, and four passes defended. Yes, Mr. Allen was flagged for pass interference -- a patently ridiculous call -- and looked bad in giving up the touchdown to Anquan Boldin -- but in the modern NFL those things are going to happen. Making sweeping pronouncements is a dangerous thing, but assuming that these two cornerbacks continue to enhance their skills the Steelers' secondary looks to have a solid foundation for the future.

Todd Haley: It is hard to know what the game plan was coming into the contest -- third string quarterback, center playing out of position, rookie right tackle -- but it appeared that the play calling was terrific (with one notable exception -- see below). One play that illustrates this point occurred in the Steelers' opening drive of the third quarter. On 2nd & 9 at their own 38 yard line Chris Rainey lines up as a single setback to the right of Charlie Batch, on the same side of the formation as Heath Miller. The ball is snapped, Rainey drifts into the right flat, and one can see in the replay that at least two Ravens go towards him immediately. Meanwhile, Heath Miller chips an on-coming rusher -- thereby helping Kelvin Beachum -- and streaks down the hash marks where Charlie Batch hits him, in stride, for a 43-yard completion to the Ravens' 19 yard line. The design of the play was beautiful, and the execution flawless.

Jonathan Dwyer: 49 yards on 16 carries does not typically get one a lot of shout outs, but we absolutely love the powerful north-south style of running that Mr. Dwyer brings to the offense; and we are quite certain that we are not the only ones who see a little of "The Bus" in him -- the Steelers had "JB," now they have "JD." Moreover, his ability to help in pass protection -- he hit Terrell Suggs squarely in the chest with his helmet on at least one occasion -- was both critical to keeping Charlie Batch ambulatory and a beautiful thing to see.

The Bad

Charlie Batch: Nobody is happier for Charlie Batch than we are, and the postgame reaction of Ben Roethlisberger, and others, is an indication of the respect the team has for him. But the Steelers were this close to losing a game in which they simply outplayed their opponent. Because the Steelers were victorious the enduring image will be the postgame embrace of Mr. Roethlisberger and Mr. Batch. But if things hadn't gone so well then that enduring image might have been Mike Wallace alone in the Ravens' end zone with the football sailing six feet over his head.

Larry Foote & Lawrence Timmons: So many mistakes, so little time. Larry Foote trying to make great plays, and putting himself out of position, rather than making the solid play; Lawrence Timmons getting sucked inside, so much so that when Ray Rice cutback on a 2nd and 10 carry in the third quarter there was nobody around to stop him, and Mr. Rice was able to go 34 yards for a touchdown. And let's not even talk about their ability, or lack thereof, to cover man-to-man in passing situations.

The Ugly

Emmanuel Sanders: That fumble . . . has been burned into our collective memories much the same way as the dropped pass by Limas Sweed in the AFC Championship game. Hideous.

Antonio Brown: Next training camp let's have Antwaan Randle-El give Mr. Brown some tips on throwing the wide receiver option pass, and let's begin with not throwing across the field (though, in fairness, that might have been some poor play design -- sorry Todd Haley). He didn't have to throw the ball, and clearly should not have thrown the ball.

Up close with Lawrence Timmons

The Sporting News (the electronic, daily edition) features a "My Profile" piece in each issue. The idea is to give us a closer look, albeit a glimpse really, of some athlete.

On January 19, 2010 that athlete was Lawrence Timmons; and while there is hardly anything of an earth shattering nature included in this profile I was interested to see that he drives a Toyota Camry. I have a Toyota Camry, and I cannot believe that: a) Someone the size of Lawrence Timmons squeezes himself into that car and, b) I drive the same kind of car as a professional athlete ~ thought it would never happen.

See the the complete profile by clicking here.

Back for Another Season

Unlike luminaries such as Peter King, Ed Bouchette, and whoever it is that is writing at Pro Football Talk, I am unable to create interesting postings out of thin air ~ i.e. once the football season is over it is nearly impossible for me to do any writing that would be worth your time or mine. But with the first preseason game just hours away the creative juices are beginning to flow. Of course, I would not want to pull a muscle by going too hard too early, so here are a few thoughts on which Steelers players are under the microscope already:

• Rashard Mendenhall : Ed Bouchette outlines the questions that the team and Mr. Mendenhall have to answer; and given the fact that the Steelers currently have no fewer than seven running backs on the roster it seems that they are hedging their bets. Another item that focuses on Mr. Mendenhall was in the Sporting News on Wednesday


• Dennis Dixon : This is a physically gifted player who may be in search of a position. He threw a single pass during the 2008 regular season, and despite the fact the Byron Leftwich moved on to greener pastures the Steelers seemed nearly desperate to bring Charlie Batch back for another season. If Mr. Dixon does not impress in the first couple of games he may be looking for a new team before the regular season begins.


• Lawrence Timmons : Having been in attendance at the AFC Divisional playoff game during which Mr. Timmons chased down Chargers' running back Darren Sproles ~ from behind ~ there is no doubt about the speed that Lawrence Timmons brings to the defense. However, it remains to be see whether or not his speed will be much of an asset in replacing Larry Foote at inside linebacker. Additionally, despite situational play, Mr. Timmons was fourth in sacks (5.0). So will he be stout enough inside for the Black & Gold defense to remain a league leader versus the run and who will replace him as the situational pass rusher?

Thursday evening's game begins the process of answering those questions; and, unless I'm wrong, at the same time many more questions are sure to emerge. Now that the players are back on the field I'll be at my post illuminating and informing on all the developments.

Personnel News Dominates

Naturally last weekend's draft dominated the news, and with so many media outlets covering what has become a circus we did not feel inclined to get into a "blow-by-blow" reportage of what we (and, probably, you) were seeing on the NFL Network/ESPN. However, with Tuesday's news that Larry Foote is soon to be an ex-Steeler (a rumor that was floating around during the week leading up to the Super Bowl) we decided to add our two cents to everything going on.

So far as Mr. Foote goes, like many of you we are a bit nervous about turning over the starting position to Lawrence Timmons. There is no doubt that Mr. Timmons showed flashes of brilliance during the 2008 season (and he may be the fastest player on the roster), but we just do not see him as an inside linebacker. If LaMarr Woodley had not performed at a Pro Bowl level last season we would wonder if there were not plans to move him inside and Mr. Timmons outside. Then again, how many times does Dick Lebeau have to dazzle us with his genius before we all just relax?

As for the draft . . .

1. We just want it noted for the record that we were one of the first "media outlets" to report on Frank Summers (a.k.a. "Little Bus") as a potential late round pick for the Steelers. The young man has an interesting story (not the least of which is his dyslexia), one that involved going to Cal, redshirting, being placed on academic probation, leaving Cal, being offered a scholarship to play at USC but choosing UNLV instead. The folks at Pro Football Weekly like his size and his hands, but rated him as someone to be signed after the draft because of his lack of burst and inconsistent blocking.


2. It speaks to how little we know about player evaluation that A.Q. Shipley lasted until the seventh round. We were impressed by his work at the Combine, he was well-regarded by NFL Network's resident expert Mike Mayock, and was described by Ourlad's Draft Service as a "[t]ough and intense player." Mr. Shipley has the fundamentals to be a serviceable offensive lineman in the NFL; and that fact makes this a terrific pick for the seventh round.


3. We should know better than to doubt Kevin Colbert and the scouts of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we are very dubious about the choice of Ra'Shon Harris in the sixth round. He certainly has good size ~ 6'3", 312 pounds ~ but Ourlad's rated him near the bottom of available defensive tackles (a score of 3.49, which in their system is indicative of a player who has some potential but is also borderline). Additionally, Pro Football Weekly in their very critical analysis indicated that Mr. Harris has "[q]uestionanle work habits."


4. Conversely, we like the choice of Keenan Lewis in the third round. On the field, Ourlad's describes him as a "[g]ood man to man cover corner with long arms . . . Can . . . drive quickly on the ball in the air." Pro Football Weekly sees him as a below average tackler who lacks toughness (ouch!). Off the field Mr. Lewis and his family have a pretty compelling story, having been displaced from the home in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.

The Steelers have their minicamp next weekend, and then "organized team activities" (OTA) May 19-21, May 26-28, June 2-4, and June 9-11. With so much activity on the horizon we believe that there will be more personnel moves in the offing.

Steelers @ Ravens: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

I've made much of Pittsburgh's struggles in Baltimore, and that fact makes Sunday's victory all the more special. Oh, and clinching the AFC North title, and a first round bye in the playoffs, and putting themselves in a position to earn the #1 seed in the AFC (in another locale ~ Tennessee ~ where they have underperformed), all of that is pretty special too.

There are so many things to discuss, but let's begin with some statistical notes:

• The Steelers are now a perfect 6-0 in those games in which their opponent has scored first.


• Ben Roethlisberger recorded his 50th win as a starting quarterback in the NFL.


• According to the Steelers' media department the win versus Baltimore is the 550th of the franchise since the merger of the AFL and NFL, and is the highest win total of any AFC franchise.

Without further adieu, here are some of my thoughts on this week's game:

The Good

1. I try not to get into matters of officiating, but given that John Harbaugh was complaining about the touchdown call in his postgame press conference, we offer up the following quote from the NFL Rule Book: "A touchdown is the situation in which any part of the ball, legally in possession of a player in bounds, is on, above, or behind the opponent's goal line (plane) provided it is not a touchback" (Rule 3, Section 39). Rule 11, section 2, article 1 reinforces this important fact ~ the ball does not have to cross the plane ~ it simply has to touch the line
   ("Rule 11, Scoring, Section 2 Touchdown Article 1 It is a touchdown (3-38):
   (a) the ball is on, above, or behind the plane of the opponent’s goal line and is in possession of a runner who has advanced from the field of play; or
   (b) a ball in possession of an airborne runner is on, above, or behind the plane of the goal line, and some part of the ball was passed over or inside the pylon; or
   (c) a ball in player possession touches the pylon, provided that no part of the player’s body, except his hands or feet, struck the ground before the ball touched the pylon; or
   (d) Any player who is legally inbounds catches or recovers a loose ball (3-2-3) on or behind the opponent’s goal line; or
   (e) The Referee awards a touchdown to a team that has been denied one by a palpably unfair act.")
   
   Given that fact, not surprisingly, the view from here is that the touchdown call was correct, albeit close.
   
   If Ravens fans want something about which they can complain, consider this: Of the Ravens' twelve offensive possessions none began at or inside their own 20 yard line. Eight of those possessions began at or outside their own 35 yard line; and three began on the Steelers' side of the field ~ and they still came away with only nine points. Can't blame the officials for that.


2. Moving on, the offensive line, despite multiple penalties being called against them, was amazing. Indeed, considering the excellence of the defense they were facing, it was arguably their finest performance of the season. Sacked three times and rushed on more than a few occasions, Ben Roethlisberger had still had time to deliver on target passes throughout the contest; and the job that the line did on the final, game winning drive (not to mention the final, scrambling touchdown pass) was as good a job as an offensive line can do. Additionally, the Steelers managed to rush for 91 yards ~ 22 yards better than the first meeting this season between these two teams ~ and 311 total yards of offense ~ 74 yards more than their previous meeting this season; and everyone remembers (I'm sure) that the first meeting went to overtime.
   
   Special recognition goes to the oft maligned Max Starks ~ none of the three sacks on Mr. Roethlisberger came from the blind side (indeed my recollection is that they came from up the middle), meaning that Mr. Starks and those who helped him (i.e. Max Spaeth, Heath Miller, and Mewelde Moore) in pass protection were terrific.


3. Speaking of Ben Roethlisberger, his performance in managing the game was so refreshing. He threw the football away when no receivers were open, he ran the football when there was an opportunity to do so, he moved laterally in order to keep plays alive, and he did not allow himself to become frustrated by the inconsistent play of a couple of his receivers. In other words his performance was a mature one, and he showed the calm of a leader during the winning drive. His statistics are fairly run-of-the-mill (22/40, 246 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, QB rating 81.9), but he kept his poise under duress and led his team to an important victory.


4. All of this would be pointless if not for the continued excellence of the defense. Yes, James Harrison was largely contained (and continues to make a habit of crashing down the line while a running back carries the ball outside of the spot he just vacated) as was LaMarr Woodley, but there is no doubt that Lawrence Timmons more than picked up the slack ~ delivering a beautiful open field tackle on special teams, a ferocious hit on Derrick Mason, and a sack and strip on Joe Flacco (a huge play in the game) ~ in playing his best game as a Pittsburgh Steeler.
   
   We continue to be concerned about the rushing yardage suddenly being surrendered by the Pittsburgh defense (112 yards this week) but the scoreboard does not lie, and nine points allowed in an NFL game is mind boggling.


5. Hine Ward was criticized here last week, but this week we come to praise him. One clutch catch, often times going over the middle without fear or hesitation, after another literally made up for the inconsistent (i.e. maddening) play of his colleagues at the wide receiver position. Moreover, his eight catches and 107 yards is (in both categories) more than he accumulated in his previous three games combined.
   
   Well done Hines, well done.

The Bad

1. Coming into the game the special teams, specifically the punt coverage and kick coverage teams, were amongst the best in the NFL.
   
   Not on Sunday.
   
   The outstanding field position that the Ravens enjoyed all day was the direct result of the beat down that Baltimore's special teams delivered on Pittsburgh's. The Ravens averaged 18.0 yards per punt return (even if the 46-yard return is excluded they averaged 11.0 yards per return which is still 4.3 yards more per average return) and 22.8 yards per kick return (5.6 yards more than the average allowed coming into the game).
   
   As for the returns teams, the punt return unit gained a grand total of five yards on three punt returns and the kick return unit averaged 17.5 yards per return (the lone bright spot on special teams ~ that is .3 yards more than the average kick return coming into the game).
   
   The abysmal performance of these units should keep Bob Ligashesky working long hours all week in preparation for next week's game.


2. Nate Washington is making me crazy.
   
   Drop one pass, catch one pass.
   
   I believe that he may now have the team lead in that dubious category; and it is only the big plays that he did make that kept him from sinking into the "ugly" section of this posting. Also, I have grown weary of watching him run the football (either on a designed running play of after a reception) only to come to a veritable standstill as he approaches would-be tacklers. Feel free to deliver a hit every now and again, Nate. But only after you start catching those balls that are hitting you in the hands.

The Ugly

1. Santonio Holmes caught the winning touchdown pass ~ and it is a good thing that he did.
   
   The poor punt return totals? That was Santonio Holmes.
   
   Dropped pass on 3rd-and-6 in the first quarter? That was Santonio Holmes.
   
   Two fumbles, including one that gave Baltimore the football at Pittsburgh's 16 yard line? That was also Santonio.
   
   Indeed, until that touchdown catch I have to say that the best thing he did the entire game was to block downfield for his teammates.
   
   On the day when Santonio Holmes scored the winning touchdown he was the one player whose poor play cost the team the most.


2. A personal foul on Jeff Reed? Now that was a bad call.

Ravens v. Steelers:The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

For the better part of the Monday evening's game we were not sure there would be much good news to discuss, and by the end of the game . . . we remained convinced that there is not much good news to discuss. Be that as it may, here's our perspective of the latest Ravens-Steelers slugfest.

The Good

1. The best news to come out of Pittsburgh last night was that Andre Frazier was on his feet and walking around when the game ended. Any injury is unfortunate but none has the tragic ramifications of a spinal cord injury. Seeing Mr. Frazier driven off the field strapped to a backboard was frightening (not to mention an ominous harbinger of things to come) and we are thankful to our personal God that his injury was not more serious.


2. Special teams ~ specifically the kick and punt coverage units ~ turned in another strong performance. In fact, if Mitch Berger continues to perform as he did Monday night (6 punts, net average 39.1 yards, total punt return yards for Baltimore was 7 yards) the Steelers will have a tough decision to make between him and Daniel Sepulveda. As for Jeff Reed, what can we possibly say that hasn't been said? He is as clutch as a kicker can get, and his kickoffs have improved dramatically (i.e. they are routinely sailing into the end zone). At the same time the coverage unit has improved even more dramatically ~ Monday night the Steelers limited the Ravens to 120 return yards on six kicks. So far in 2008 the kick coverage team is limiting opponents to an average of 19.4 yards per return, as compared to an average of 22.6 yards last season ~ an improvement of nearly 15%.


3. The best group of linebackers in the NFL, led by their two Pro Bowl caliber outside linebackers (i.e. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley), delivered the win Monday evening by making 32 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown. Even Lawrence Timmons playd well ~ possibly his best game as a member of the Steelers.

The Bad

1. We dinged Bruce Arians last week, and now we want to hit the point more emphatically ~ Bruce Arians is coaching himself off the Steelers' staff. Early in the game we were pleased to see two "sidecars" in the backfield on passing plays, one of those being Heath Miller who delivered a solid hit on an oncoming rusher before releasing into the flat as a safety valve receiver. We were also heartened to see (in the first quarter) the use of a fullback, even if it was tight end Sean McHugh. These, and other factors, resulted in the Steelers' offense gaining fifty yards during that first quarter.
   
   So imagine our surprise when they moved completely away from that approach during the disastrous second quarter, a quarter in which their ten offensive plays resulted in -4 total yards. Looking at the offensive numbers another way the 38-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes ~ that single play ~ accounted for 16% of the Steelers' total offensive output.
   
   Some will point to injuries as a way of explaining the difficulties the offense is facing; however it is fairly clear already that this offensive unit is not capable of protecting the quarterback much less running the ball on a consistent basis. It's time for Mr. Arians to look at this group, its skills and weaknesses, objectively and begin creating game plans accordingly.


2. Related to Mr. Arians, has anyone seen or heard from quarterback coach Ken Anderson lately? Ben Roethlisberger's propensity for holding on to the ball too long is not improving, and either he or his receivers are missing hot reads in blitz situations.


3. We love Dick LeBeau ~ who doesn't? At age 71 he looks better than men half his age, not to mention the great work he's done over the years in Pittsburgh. But Monday evening's performance was, overall, somewhat disappointing especially in terms of the zone coverage scheme that was employed. How does Derrick Mason end up with 71.35% of the receiving yards for the Ravens? At times it seemed that the Steelers' defense was more intent on squeezing in as many pre-snap formation shifts as possible than actually stopping the Ravens' offense ~ as evidenced by the Ravens' fourth quarter, 76-yard touchdown drive to tie the game.

The Ugly

1. Broken shoulder? Spinal injury? Achilles tendon rupture? Ankle sprain? It was not that long ago that a friend was riding his bike, and during this ride he was hit by a car ~ and ended up in better shape than some of the Steelers did in Monday's game. Wow


2. We try to be constructive in our comments, but we are incapable of intelligently expressing our feelings regarding the Steelers offensive line play. The reduction in the number of sacks from the game against Philadelphia to this game is more a testimony to Ben Roethlisberger's strength than it is to any improvement by the linemen. The offensive line has been pummeled two consecutive weeks, and they now look forward to playing Jacksonville.

Top Two Picks Sign, How Does it Compare?

As predicted by Mike Tomlin, and reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed have signed contracts and will report on-time to Latrobe.

For your consideration here, as reported by Pro Football Weekly, are the terms of the Steelers' first-round picks from 2000-2008.

• 2000: Plaxico Burress, Michigan State, 8th pick, $14,398,000, $5,5000,000 signing bonus


• 2001: Casey Hampton, Texas, 19th pick, 5 years, $6,760,000, $3,090,000 signing bonus.


• 2002: Kendall Simmons, Auburn, 30th pick, 5 years, $6,214,000, $3,214,000 signing bonus.


• 2003: Troy Polamalu, USC, 16th pick, 5 years, $8,265,000, $4,400,000 "total bonuses."


• 2004: Ben Roethlisberger, 11th pick, Miami of Ohio, 6 years, $40,000,000 maximum, $9,000,000 signing bonus.


• 2005: Heath Miller, 30th pick, Virginia, 5 years, $6,890,000, $3,950,000 guaranteed.


• 2006: Santonio Holmes, 25th pick, The Ohio State State University, 5 years, $8,100,000, $5,700,000 guaranteed.


• 2007: Lawrence Timmons, 15th pick, Florida State, 5 years, $11,900,000, $8,300,000 guaranteed.


• 2008: Rashard Mendenhall, 23rd pick, Illinois, 5 years, $12,550,000, $6,830,000 guaranteed.

So Many Decisions, So Little Time

This coming Sunday the Steelers begin their shortest training camp e-v-e-r. Twenty-two calendar days, and eighteen days of actual practice (with a couple of games thrown in to breakup the monotony) will be utilized to decide just who the best players are and they will best be utilized. From our perspective here are the pressing issues, presented in no particular order (except for the first one) facing Mike Tomlin and his staff:

• The Ghost of Alan Faneca: The offensive line is mess. At tackle, is Marvel Smith capable of playing like a man playing for a big, free agent contract or have the previous eight seasons revealed all that he is capable of doing? The transition player contract that Mr. Smith signed ($6,850,000) makes it tough to put him on the bench, but is Trai Essex ready to step up in his fourth seasons; and what of Jeremy Parquet? Of course all eyes will be at left guard where Chris Kemoeatu is being asked to replace a perennial All-Pro ~ no big deal, right?


• Which Larry?: Larry Foote has been terrific at right, inside linebacker ~ a solid run-stuffer. However, despite the fact that he is currently listed at right outside linebacker on the Steelers' roster, it is expected that Lawrence Timmons is expected to be given the opportunity to unseat the veteran. Very rarely is the second season for a first round draft pick described as "make-or-break," but the team is anxious to upgrade the speed of its defense, and it is hoped that Mr. Timmons will be a big part of that.


• They're back, but are they ready?: The Steelers suffered some significant injuries on both sides of the football ~ Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark and Willie Parker must notable amongst them ~ so one of the important tasks for the coaching staff will be to assess where those players are physically. Additionally, the declining performance of Troy Polamalu has, in our opinion, coincided with a decline in his physical well-being. It will be interesting to see if Mr. Polamalu's non-traditional off-season regimen will yield positive, long-lasting results.


• Shakin' Out at Wide Out: It seems that we have been predicting the demise of Nate Washington and Willie Reid as members of the Pittsburgh Steelers since the day they landed on the roster. But this time we really mean it ~ the axe is going to fall on one or both of these players this summer. At one time it was believed that Mr. Reid would have an impact as a return man on punts and kicks. His inability to field kicks cleanly certainly had an impact, but not exactly the one that was hoped for. If Jeremy Bloom can perform well in this role Mr. Reid's hold on a roster spot will be even more tenuous. On the other hand, in 2007 Nate Washington showed flashes of being the player the team thought he could be, but he was inconsistent at times both as a receiver and as a blocker. With Dallas Baker and Limas Sweed now on the roster Mr. Washington will be pressed to deliver consistent results.


• Just how tough are we?: In 2007 the Steelers rushing defense ranked twenty-second in the league on plays up the middle, giving up an average of 4.36 yards per carry ~ the first and only time the defense has performed that poorly in the past eight years (i.e. from 2000-2006 the defense yielded fewer than four yards per carry on plays up the middle); and anyone who saw last season's two games versus Jacksonville realizes that the Steelers were far from being their dominant selves. So, was 2007 an aberration or a harbinger of things to come?

Naturally this list is far from comprehensive, but there is little doubt that just addressing the issues we've outlined will occupy much of the time available in this year's training camp.

More Lawrence Timmons News

Sixteen weeks of the regular season passed and there was barely a word about the Steelers' #1 draft pick.

Now, in a matter of a couple of days we have the fourth item (Pro Football Weekly, Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic, Football Outsiders, and now this) regarding Mr. Timmons. Here's a preview:

"Lawrence Timmons has two tackles and a fumble recovery as a Steelers rookie linebacker. The second linebacker selected in the 2007 NFL draft, Timmons' biggest impact has been on special teams where he's tied for second on the team with 12 tackles and has another fumble recovery.

Known as a playmaker coming out of Florida State, Timmons hasn't been able to stay on the field long enough to make an impact. A backup on the league's top-rated defense, he mostly watches and waits his turn.

'My time will come,' said Timmons."

Sepulveda & Timmons Named to All-Rookie Team

Regular readers know of our great respect for the experts at Football Outsiders, so it is with great pleasure that we alert all of you to their All-Rookie choices.

Of particular interest to Steelers fans was the inclusion of Daniel Sepulveda, who single-footedly cleansed us of the foul taste that Chris Gardocki had left us with, and Lawrence Timmons as the "Special Teamer"!

One publication's dud is another's gold.

Lawrence Timmons Rated a Dud

Matt Sohn at Pro Football Weekly has made his assessments as to the best and worst of the first round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft, and Lawrence Timmons has made it on to the "Worst Picks" portion of the list. In his brief assessment, Mr. Sohn asserts Mr. Simmons been outplayed by LaMarr Woodley, and criticizes Mr. Timmons for primarily being "a special teams guy."

Great expectations are part of the territory for those players chosen high in the draft (Mr. Timmons was selected at #15), and it is undeniably true that Mr. Timmons has played almost exclusively on special teams. However, a look at some of the Steelers' other linebackers -- both current and former -- reveals that Mr. Timmons' first season in the NFL bears a striking similarity to some of his more well-regarded teammates (and one former Steelers linebacker).

Player	Games Played	Games Started	Tackles	Assists	Sacks
Larry Foote	14	3	13	7	0
Clark Haggans	2	0	0	0	0
James Harrison	1	0	0	0	0
Joey Porter	16	0	0	0	2
Lawrence Timmons	15	0	11	2	0

What we've done is look at a few of the linebackers who, like Mr. Timmons, grew up professionally in Dick LeBeau's defensive system, as way of giving his first season some context. And while he may not have had the immediate impact all fans of the Black & Gold hoped he would, Mr. Timmons appears to be serving an apprenticeship of sorts -- not to mention he's playing behind the team's Most Valuable Player, James Harrison.

The good folks out Pro Football Weekly have a right to their opinion, and we understand it, but this is one judgment that seems a little premature.