Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

This is Part 7 of our 9-part Super Bowl XLV Preview series.  In this installment, we’re going to take a look at the linebackers on both teams.

If you haven’t read the other parts of this series, click the appropriate link below:

Part 1:  Super Bowl XLV Preview -  Team overviews

Part 2:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The quarterbacks

Part 3:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Offensive Lines

Part 4:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Receivers

Part 5:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Running Backs

Part 6:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Defensive Lines

Part 7:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Linebackers

Part 8:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Defensive Backs

Part 9:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – Putting it all together

In 2009 the Green Bay Packers defense was ranked #1 in the NFL against the run.  But in 2010, they dropped all the way down to #18 (while the Steelers defense moved to #1 against the run).  A big part of the decline that the Packers experienced was due to injuries to their linebackers.

The Packers’ linebackers were decimated by injuries just as badly as the Steelers’ offensive line got decimated.  Three of the linebackers who started for the Packers on opening day ended up on injured reserve.  Nick Barnett, Brad Jones, and Brandon Chillar all ended up on the IR list.  Back-up linebacker Brady Poppinga also ended up on injured reserve.

The injuries forced the Packers to rely on guys that they didn’t expect to play an important role when they entered training camp.  Desmond Bishop had only started 1 game in the past 3 seasons.   Erik Walden wasn’t even on an NFL roster when the Packers signed him in October.  Frank Zombo, an undrafted free agent, also gave to Packers some quality minutes.

Bishop and Walden make up the right side of the Packers linebacking corps.  They are not as high profile as Clay Matthews and A.J. Hawk, the two linebackers on the left side of the Packers’ defense, but they played an important role in getting the Packers to the Super Bowl.  Bishop finished second on the team in tackles.

Clay Matthews is obviously the star of this unit.  He’s an All-Pro player, and many thought that he might be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year (Steelers’ safety Troy Polamalu ultimately won the award).

Matthews is an inspirational story.  He entered his senior year at USC as a special teams player.  He hadn’t started his first 3 years, and wasn’t expected to start his final year.  But he won a starting position by sheer determination, and then one year later he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL.

Matthews is virtually unstoppable, but unlike the Dallas Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware, Matthews doesn’t have super human speed, and unlike the Steelers’ James Harrison, he doesn’t have super strength.  What Matthews DOES have is a motor that never stops.  Never.  He’s the type of player who plays until the echo of the whistle.

The final member of the Packers’ starting linebackers is A.J. Hawk.  He entered the NFL as the top rated linebacker coming out of college his senior year.  He’s a solid linebacker, but he’s been a disappointment relative to the expectation of what he would accomplish in the NFL.  He seldom makes game-changing plays, and prior to Brandon Chillar being injured, the Packers used to pull A.J. Hawk in favor of Chillar in their nickel defense.

The Steelers’ linebackers are a much more talented unit than the Packers’.  In my estimation, only Clay Matthews could start for the Steelers.  The rest of the Packers linebackers (even those on IR) would be back-ups for the Steelers.

Outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison are widely recognized as the deadliest outside linebacking duo in the NFL.  Both of them have had double digit sacks for each of the past 3 years.  Their effectiveness is a big part of the reason the Steelers led the NFL in sacks in 2010.

Inside linebacker James Farrior is the captain of the Steelers’ defense.  He makes the defensive calls.  The 14 year veteran is an extremely intelligent player who continues to defy Father Time.

The least heralded of the Steelers’ linebackers is Lawrence Timmons.  Timmons was Mike Tomlin’s first draft pick when he took over as head coach of the Steelers.  Timmons is the fastest of all of the Steelers’ linebackers.  And though he doesn’t get the attention that his fellow linebackers get (Timmons is the only starting linebacker who hasn’t been to the Pro Bowl), Timmons actually led the Steelers in tackles in 2010.  It won’t be long before he’s also a Pro Bowl linebacker.

Besides their starters, the Steelers have excellent back-up linebackers.  Keyaron Fox can step in for James Farrior or Lawrence Timmons, and the team doesn’t seem to miss a beat.  Larry Foote rejoined the Steelers this season after leaving them when Lawrence Timmons took his starting position.  He is a veteran of this system, and he provides quality depth.  Rookie linebackers Jason Worilds and Stevenson Sylvester have played very well whenever they’ve been called on to play.

Clay Matthews may be playing the best football right now of all of the linebackers who will be playing in Super Bowl XLV.  But when taken as a unit, the advantage in this game definitely falls to the Steelers.

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This is part 3 in a series evaluating the Steelers’ off-season needs.  So far, we’ve looked at the cornerbacks and safeties.  The next position that we’re going to look at is the linebackers.

Linebacker has traditionally been a strength for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Their legacy of great linebackers extends all the way back to guys like Jack Ham and Jack Lambert.  The legacy was continued by such notable Steelers linebackers as Greg Lloyd, Mike Merriweather, Levon Kirkland, Jason Gildon, and Joey Porter.  Current Steelers linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley continue that tradition of linebacker excellence.

Despite playing alongside former NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, it was LaMarr Woodley who emerged as the Steelers’ most dominant linebacker in 2009.  Woodley recorded career highs in tackles, sacks, and even passes defensed, while starting every game.  Woodley’s dominance makes it very difficult for teams to double team James Harrison.

James Harrison didn’t seem to be his usual dominant self in 2009.  Moreover, his statistics bore that out.  He had his worst statistical season since he became a starter in 2007.  He had 22 fewer tackles and 6 fewer sacks than he had in 2008, despite playing in one more regular season game  in 2009 than he did in 2008.

Harrison will be 32 years old when the 2010 season begins.  I hope he can continue to play at a high level until he is 40.  However, the Steelers probably need to make sure they have an eventual replacement for Harrison when they come out of this year’s draft.

Even more pressing is the inside linebacker position.

Statistically, James Farrior had a decent season in 2009.  His tackles were down versus 2008, but they were up relative to 2007.  But what bothered me about Farrior was that he looked visibly slower.  He seemed to have a difficult time keeping up with running backs coming out of the backfield.  We all remember that brutal game against Baltimore where Ray Rice made Farrior look like he was playing in quicksand.  Arrrrgggghhhh!!!!!

Farrior is 35 years old.  He’s the oldest of the Steelers’ starting linebackers.  Farrior has been extremely consistent during his tenure with the Steelers.  Unfortunately, Farrior’s time with the Steelers is quickly coming to a close.  I can’t remember many 36 or 37 year old linebackers playing for the Steelers.  Can you?

Playing opposite Farrior is Lawrence Timmons.  Timmons is only 23 years old, but I still have concerns about him as well.  Timmons has yet to complete a full season without a significant injury.  He seems to have chronic high ankle sprains.  Moreover, while Timmons is extremely fast, he doesn’t seem to be as stout against the run as I’d like him to be.  2009 was Timmons’ first season as a starter, so I’m sure that he is going to get better.  I just wish he didn’t get hurt so often.

It is probably this uncertainty at both inside linebacker positions that prompted the Steelers to bring back Larry Foote.

Foote and Keyaron Fox make up a very reliable tandem of back-up linebackers.  Frankly, I sometimes feel more confident when Keyaron Fox is in the lineup than I do when Timmons is in there.  Fox and Foote will be 28 and 30 years old, respectively, when the 2010 season begins.

What should the Steelers do?

Bringing in Larry Foote really makes the Steelers fairly secure at the inside linebacker position.  They could use a young ILB that they can develop for the future, but that is not a  pressing need.  What is a pressing need is the outside linebacker position.

As was mentioned earlier, James Harrison is getting older, and there is no young lion waiting in the wings to take his place.  Lawrence Timmons can play on the outside if needed, but you can never have enough linebackers in a 3-4 defense.  And frankly, the Steelers don’t have enough young linebackers in the developmental stages right now.  The failure of Bruce Davis really set them back a bit.  Does anyone really want to have to rely on Andre Frazier or Patrick Bailey to play significant minutes at linebacker?  I didn’t think so.

The Steelers could use a young linebacker at both the inside and outside linebacker positions.  There are some talented linebackers in this year’s draft that would look very good in black and gold.  Here are a few of them.

Inside Linebackers

Rolando McClain (Alabama) – McClain is the best of the inside linebackers in this year’s draft.  He’s big, strong, and hits like a Mack truck.  Moreover, McClain played in a 3-4 defense at Alabama.  Thus, his learning curve will probably be less than some other players who have only played in a 4-3 defense.

Brandon Spikes (Florida) – Spikes is another solid inside linebacker who will probably be drafted in the first round.  Spikes has great coverage skills for a linebacker.  This is something that will be valued by the Steelers, since linebackers often drop into coverage in Dick LeBeau’s system.

Sean Lee (Penn State) – Penn State fans know that Sean Lee is another great product from Linebacker U.  He is a great leader with a high football IQ.  He is not a great athlete, but he is rarely out of position.

As mentioned earlier, the Steelers’ greatest need may be at outside linebacker where they will probably consider the following players.

Outside Linebackers

Sergio Kindle (Texas) – Kindle is a very fast linebacker who can get to the quarterback.  He was used in a variety of ways, and is used to playing both linebacker and defensive end in college.  He will make an easy adjustment to playing in a 3-4 scheme.

Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri) – Weatherspoon is used to playing behind last year’s 1st round pick Ziggy Hood, since he played with him in college.  Weatherspoon is a very good athlete, but some teams will pass on him due to his less than desirable height (6’0″).  Of course, the Steelers’ own James Harrison excels at that height.

Ricky Sapp (Clemson) – Sapp played defensive end in college, but I think he will make an excellent rush linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.  He’s a classic “tweener”, and is often compared to the Cowboys’ Demarcus Ware.  That’s not a bad player to be compared to.

Regardless of which linebacker(s) the Steelers select this year, they will not see any playing time unless it is on special teams.  But it is important for the Steelers to start accumulating their linebackers of the future right now, while the need is not pressing.

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July 25, 2009
By Donald Starver

This is part 2 in a series.  In part 1 of our Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 Training Camp Preview, we took a look at the defensive line.  We looked at all of the defensive linemen who will be in camp, and gave our picks of who would make the final roster.

In this installment, we are going to take a look at one of the most important positions in Dick LeBeau’s 3-4 defense; the linebackers.

This may be a blasphemous thing to say, but the Steelers’ 2008 linebackers may have been the best in team history.  My apologies to Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Andy Russell, Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Levon Kirkland, Mike Merriweather, Jason Gildon, and Joey Porter.  They were all great in their time with the Steelers.  But in what they did both collectively and individually, the 2008 linebackers reigns supreme.

As good as the 2008 linebackers were, the 2009 version may be even better.  Larry Foote is gone, and his starting position will be filled by the younger, faster Lawrence Timmons.  Pro Bowler James Farrior remains ageless,  Lamar Woodley is an emerging superstar, and James Harrison is NFL Defensive Player of the Year.  Did I mention that these guys are pretty good?

So, how do you improve upon perfection?  The answer is, “you don’t”.  As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.  That’s pretty much the approach that the Steelers took this off-season.  They didn’t draft any linebackers this year, and they only signed 2 undrafted free agent linebackers.  They’re pretty much going with the same guys they had last year.  Probably not a bad strategy.

In the two years that Mike Tomlin has been coach of the Steelers, he has always carried 9 linebackers on the roster.  Therefore, it is pretty likely that he is going to come out of training camp with 9 linebackers.  Let’s see if we can figure out who they’re going to be.

James Harrison – What more can we say about James Harrison?  101 tackles.  16 sacks.  NFL Defensive Player of the Year.  Could have easily been MVP of the Super Bowl after his 100 yard interception return.  I don’t think anyone is taking his job.  Do you?

LaMarr Woodley – In his second season in the NFL, and his first as a starter, LaMarr Woodley blossomed into an emerging star.  Not many first-time starters get 11.5 sacks.  But that is exactly what LaMarr Woodley did.  Yeah, I think his job is safe too.

James Farrior – Another Pro Bowl season for the ageless wonder.  Aside from being the defensive captain, he had an amazing 133 tackles.  Other players get older.  Farrior gets better.  I think it’s safe to say that he is going to make the team.

Lawrence Timmons – It isn’t very often that a substitute player records more tackles and more sacks than the starter that he is substituting for.    But that’s exactly what Lawrence Timmons did last year.  He recorded 65 tackles versus Larry Foote’s 63, and 5 sacks versus 1.5 for Foote.  Timmons should record even better numbers as a starter.  Yup, his roster spot is safe too.

Keyaron Fox – Fox was a special teams ace last season.  With Mike Tomlin’s emphasis on special teams, that is enough to assure Fox’s roster spot.  But with Lawrence Timmons becoming a starter, Fox will also emerge as the top substitute at inside linebacker.

Patrick Bailey – Another special teams ace, Bailey beat out Rashard Mendenhall, Bruce Davis, Limas Sweed, Tony Hills, and the rest of the 2008 rookies for Rookie of the Year honors.  That accomplishment alone should secure his roster spot.

Bruce Davis – I was a big fan of Bruce Davis when he came out of UCLA.  Unfortunately, he was slow making the transition from defensive end to linebacker.  Moreover, he didn’t show a passion for special teams, and made almost no impact there either.  He is a big, strong kid who really is very good at getting to the passer.  If he can show the Steelers’ coaches the player that I saw in college, he could emerge as the top back-up at outside linebacker.  I think his roster spot is safe.

Andre Frazier – The biggest of the Steelers inside linebackers, he has yet to truly distinguish himself as a playmaker.  He should be able to hold onto his roster spot, because other players are a bit more vulnerable.  However, it would be great to see Frazier make his presence known this season.

Arnold Harrison – After injuring his ACL, Harrison ended the season on injured reserve.  It is unclear how well his recovery from ACL surgery will go.  He is probably the most vulnerable of last year’s linebackers due to the injury.  Additionally, he is primarily an outside linebacker where he will have lots of competition.  I don’t expect Harrison to make the team.

Donovan Woods – The second year player was activated a few times last year due to injury.  But for the most part, we got to see very little of him.  He will be helped by the fact that he is primarily an inside linebacker, where there is less competition.

Tom Korte – The odds of a 5’11″ linebacker from tiny Hillsdale college making the roster of the reigning world champions are infinitesimal.  Sure, James Harrison is essentially the same height as Korte, but Harrison is from the planet Krypton.  Keep as many training camp souvenirs as you can Tom.  Otherwise your friends will never believe that, for a brief time, you were a Pittsburgh Steeler.

Andrew Schantz – I have never seen the rookie from Portland State play.  However, Portland State is a quality program that has placed a linebacker in the NFL each of the past 2 years.  Schantz was the MVP of the Portland State squad, as well as second team All-Big Sky Conference.  If he plays well in camp, particularly on special teams, Schantz could battle  Donovan Woods, and Arnold Harrison for the final roster spot among the linebackers.

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