He doesn’t do much trash talking on the field and doesn’t spout in the media, but Pittsburgh's Lawrence Timmons lets his presence be known on the field.
In 2010, his fourth season in the NFL, Lawrence broke out and ranked as our top inside linebacker after amassing over 100 tackles and 20 QB pressures. He’s a force on the Steelers' defense that took the playmaker role from Troy Polamalu back in the 2008 season and continues to flourish. Lawrence is now a staple of the Steelers’ defense since becoming a three down linebacker who rarely sees time on the sidelines.
Timmons can do it all. He can rush the passer, stuff the run, drop back in coverage – and he excel in all areas. Despite his 2010 success and his all around ability, he didn’t get voted to the Pro Bowl. Why not? Well, I spent some time with Lawrence talking about that, the Steelers mentality on defense, and what he needs to improve on in 2011 to get to that Pro Bowl.
Steve Wyremski (SW): What’s going on? What have you been up to this offseason?
Lawrence Timmons (LT): I’ve just been going back and forth between my places in Pittsburgh and Miami. I’ve been in Pittsburgh most of the time just working out here at Power Train. A few guys come here. You got James Harrison, Jason Worilds, and Antonio Brown. A few other guys come out here too.
SW: Looking back, you were selected 15th overall in the 2007 NFL draft and, in your rookie season, you were relegated to special teams playing roughly half of the team’s snap. You go back to last year, it was obviously a breakout season for you. You finished the year starting every game and racked up over 100 tackles. What do you attribute the 2010 success to and what was the biggest reason for it taking three years to produce at this level?
LT: My coaching staff definitely helped me out. They slowed the game down for me. Like anything else, anything takes time. That’s pretty much what I think it was. I was young. I came in [to the NFL] at 20. As I got older, I got better through repetition.
SW: Is any of the slower development due to the Dick LeBeau defensive scheme being complex? Or is just being a young guy coming into the league?
LT: I was 20 when I came in, so that’s a heck of a difference. I only had two and a half years in college, so to see college and then go to a pro scheme … you get flooded with plays. It’s tough.
SW: In the 2008 Super Bowl run, you showed that you were a playmaker. You've been put in the playmaker role now which previously was held by Troy Polamalu. Dick LeBeau puts you all over the place. You’re a three down linebacker who plays almost 100% of the team’s snaps and your range is one of the best in the game today. Can you talk a little bit about that playmaker role?
LT: I’m just normally free in the scheme to run around. That’s pretty much the way it is because you got Casey [Hampton], [Brett] Keisel, and Aaron [Smith] to clog it up for us.
SW: LeBeau has been your defensive coordinator since you’ve been in the league. He’s obviously a defensive genius. Tell me about how he has specifically influenced your development as a linebacker in this league.
LT: He gets us [pumped] up for the games. He’s a great motivator just like Mike Tomlin. I feel like they know how to prepare. The way they practice is still tough, but it’s clean too. You don’t have to worry about any injuries. We go after it every day and everybody’s competing. That’s what makes us different from the rest.
SW: You finished 2010 with 57 stops, which ranked you 4th in the league among inside linebackers. You seem to always come up with the big stop, whether it be on 3rd-and-short or on the goal line. How are you able to buckle down in crucial situations and make the big play?
LT: It’s big. The coaches put you in those positions to make the plays and everybody is depending on you. If you want to be a top linebacker, you’ve got to go out and show that. That’s the way I take it. Mike Tomlin definitely called me out saying, “Hey Lawrence, you always make all these plays. It’s time you be consistent and do it on a regular basis.” That’s what I try to do.
SW: [Explain PFF]. If we look at your game-by-game breakdown in 2010, we rank your Week 2 game against the Titans as your best game of the season. In that game, you amassed 11 tackles to go along with 5 stops. Do you agree that was your top game of the year?
LT: I’d definitely say no. First of all, that game was 1,000 degrees [laughs]. I was exhausted half the time because of the heat. I think the Cleveland game was a better game for me. That’s where I had AFC player of the week.
SW: Yeah, that was the week you had two sacks and nine tackles. We did think your Cleveland game was a positive game, but thought Tennessee you played well both in the pass rush and run defense, which propped it up for us.
You had 20 QB pressures in 2010, which ranked you No. 1 among inside linebackers. Your teammate James Farrior was at 18, which ranked No. 2 among the same group of guys. How are you guys able to get to the quarterback as much as you do?
LT: Coach LeBeau is like Merlin, ya know, with how smart he is? He just knows how to play defense. He knows what the offense is going to do. It just goes to show you … our defense was almost No. 1. San Diego got us with a few yards, but we almost got them at the end. That just goes to show you what type of defense he brings out every year. You see it year-in and year-out. He’s just a hell of a coach.
SW: Pre-snap … are you guys just chomping at the bit to get to the quarterback? You guys just seem to be all over the place and getting in the quarterback’s face.
LT: Yeah, everybody loves the sacks. You get more sacks … you get more money. It’s more than that for us, though. You want to show your teammates what you can do. When you go and sit down in the film room on Monday or Tuesday, you want to show everybody what you got. It’s a healthy competition that we all love.
SW: Sticking with the sacks, in 2010 you had three. In 2009, however, you had seven sacks in over 100 fewer snaps. Why the drop in sacks last season? Was there a change in how you were used in certain packages?
LT: No, it was just that I’d go for kill shots. Half the time I just missed lay-ups and that’s horrible. I could have easily had over 10. I had 20 pressures and if I just had half of them, I’d have [10]. That just goes to show you that this is a game of inches.
SW: Do you think there may be any changes about how you’ll be utilized going forward to get you that inch closer and rack up your sacks?
LT: No, I just need to keep working at my craft and do what I do. I’m pretty sure I’ll do better in the sack game this year.
SW: I’m sure you’ve seen it on the Steelers defense without Troy Polamalu. The numbers just aren’t as good. Troy’s missed 21 games in his career and in those 21 games, you guys are 12-9. That compares to 75-29 when he plays. When you’re on the field with Troy and he’s playing, does it feel different?
LT: You’re talking about a Defensive Player of the Year. Of course, you’re going to know it’s different when he’s out. Being a linebacker, it always made me sorry when I saw a person in the secondary [get] hit like a truck. When I see him come up and hit people, it just motivates you. You see him do that and it’s like, “Hey, I want to go out and do that too.” He’s a motivator and somebody you can feed off of.
SW: Take me inside a Steelers’ linebacker’s head. Say you're pre-snap, 3rd down and the Ravens have the ball on your 40 in a 10-7 game. You guys are up 10-7. Describe the mentality for me. What’s going through your head?
LT: We know it’s the Ravens, so they like to screen us. They like to do the counter, but Ray Rice tries to cut it backside every time he does the counter. You take your pre-snap alignments, you read the guard, [and] you look at the down and distance. If it’s 3rd-and-long, I’m thinking screen or draw most of the time because they know we’re coming after them. They want to get it out quick. You should know that after looking at the Green Bay game/Super Bowl.
SW: On the field, you play angry. You’re just laying people out and putting solid hits on people. How are you able to play with that type of intensity?
LT: Ever since I was young, that’s just the way I play. Some people just have that and I think I have that mentality of playing physical. That’s just the way I was taught at Florida State [and] at Wilson High School. That’s just how you play the game. Just being a Steeler and looking and Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, and Andy Russell just to name a few linebackers. Even James Harrison. That’s just the way you play. That’s just the way you should play and you should carry on that tradition.
SW: Is that something the coaching staff, whether it be LeBeau or Tomlin, drills into your head to play like a Steelers’ linebacker?
LT: It’s just something you know. Pittsburgh is like a college to me with how everybody is so unified. When you go out there and you see guys you were looking at when you were younger and you see them out there, and you see all the yellow towels waving around … what more do you need to play football?
SW: Similar to the NFL Network, PFF created a top players list for 2010. On that list for us, you ranked as the 20th overall player. You ask what the main reasons for that were and it was that you didn’t give up a passing TD in coverage, the fact that you’re dominant against the run, and an all around solid player. Is a No. 20 overall ranking warranted?
LT: I’m always striving to get better. Mike Tomlin always tells us to never settle. So, if I’m 20th, I’m pushing to be 15th or 10th. I’m trying to get better.
SW: What do you think you need to do at this point to get better and be considered up with the Jack Lamberts and other Steeler all-time great LBs?
LT: The number one thing that I need to do that I didn’t in 2010 is pick up sacks. Like you said, that was pretty bad. You look at the Cleveland game last year at their place and I missed the young quarterback twice. I had him in my hands and just missed him. I pretty much did that every game. That’s something I need to work on.
SW: With the ability to do it all like I mentioned and the 2010 season that you put together in 2010, you still had no Pro Bowl. Why do you think that was?
LT: I really don’t know. Obviously I wasn’t a good enough player. Whoever wins, deserves it. With the fan voting, I don’t think I market myself too well. Me being a quiet and reserved guy probably has a lot to do with it. That’s something I’m working on. I’m just a chill guy. I’ll just keep playing the way I play. Obviously Pittsburgh is home to me and they love the way I play, so I’m just going to play the best I can for them.
SW: Looking towards 2011, you guys were the Super Bowl runner-up. Teams in that position often struggle with a hangover the following season. How do you prevent that?
LT: We don’t need to think about a Super Bowl. We just need to take it one game at a time. Right now, we’re focusing on getting ready for camp and take it step by step. That’s the key to success for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Lawrence seems to be pretty aggravated with the sack opportunities that he literally let slip through his hands in 2010. While he’s chill off the field, an angry Timmons on the field is a scary thought for the Steelers’ 2011 opponents.
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