Scott Brown: Steelers' 1st pick Timmons man of few words

TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, April 28, 2007


Lawrence Timmons is about as far from the player he will try to replace at right outside linebacker -- at least in terms of personality -- as Pittsburgh is from Miami Beach.

Where even a severe case of lockjaw probably couldn't stop Joey Porter from talking, Timmons is a man of few words.

Director of football operations Kevin Colbert said as much Saturday shortly after the Steelers selected Timmons with the 15th overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Timmons then proved it shortly after the Steelers made him the latest in a long line of first-round picks out of Florida State and gave him an early birthday present in the process.

He hardly came across as someone experiencing one of the best days of his life during a conference call with reporters. Apparently, that is Timmons' nature.

The Steelers are hoping -- heck, they will soon be banking on it -- that Timmons, who watched the draft in Miami Beach, is not nearly as reserved on the field as he appears to be off it.

They took him with their first pick yesterday because they see Timmons as a relentless pass rusher and one whose versatility is such that he can do more than simply get after the quarterback.

He started just one season at Florida State -- Timmons played behind Ernie Sims, the ninth overall pick of last year's draft, his first two seasons -- but made the most of his opportunity.

Timmons had 18 tackles for losses, five sacks and two blocked kicks in 2006. He also scored three touchdowns.

"I think I can be a very good (linebacker) in Pittsburgh," Timmons said.

If Timmons is, uh, economical with his words, it was also learned yesterday that he comes from a close-knit family, has a Pittsburgh tie (his father, Lindsley, played basketball for one season at Duquesne University in the mid 1970s) and is so athletic that he once turned in this stat line from a high school game: 10 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns; 16 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.

"The best single performance I ever saw on a high school football field," said Darryl Page, Timmons' coach at Wilson High School in Florence, S.C.

Not that it should have surprised him.

Two years earlier, when Timmons was a sophomore, he intercepted a pass in a playoff game and returned it more than 70 yards for a touchdown.

"The thing that kind of blew you away as he ran down the field, his heels were actually touching his buttocks," Page said. "That kind of athleticism from a kid his size at that particular time was amazing."

Timmons excelled as a wide receiver in high school as well as at linebacker. He also anchored Wilson's 4x100 meter team in track and competed in the 200- and 400-meter runs and the long jump.

Despite those attributes, speed became the biggest question about the 6-0, 234-pounder as he went through the pre-draft evaluation process.

During the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day workout at Florida State, Timmons never ran better than a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash.

And, for the first time in his life, it looked like his speed might work against him.

"Just because you run fast on the track doesn't mean you're a good football player," longtime Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said. "Lawrence Timmons plays on the field faster than his (40) time."

The Steelers apparently share Andrews' opinion that there is speed and then there is football speed, and that Timmons is blessed with the latter.

While Timmons said the Steelers have not talked to him about putting on more weight, they do expect him to grow.

He doesn't turn 21 until May 14, and Timmons started just 13 games at Florida State before declaring for the draft after his junior season.

"No doubt, his best football is in front of him," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

Andrews agreed.

"A lot of people like to play, but they don't all like to prepare," Andrews said. "He showed up to work every day. It's fun having a guy like that on your football team because that kind of attitude and work habit is contagious."

If Timmons' personality is contagious, then the Steelers' locker room will become as silent as a monastery.

"You don't think I say many words," Colbert said, "but this kid is very quiet, very soft-spoken."

Timmons, Page said, comes across as quiet because he is guarded until he gets to know somebody. Contrary to first impressions, Page said, Timmons has a wry sense of humor and has an engaging personality.

The kind of engaging the Steelers expect Timmons to do takes place on the football field, and they'll want him to do it in a variety of different capacities: as an edge pass rusher, as an inside linebacker and as a special teams player.

The one position at which Timmons won't line up is wide receiver, even though he played the position in high school and wore No. 83 at Florida State.

Asked about the rather curious choice of jersey number for a linebacker, Timmons said, "I don't like to do stuff that everybody else does. I like to be original."

One original could be the eventual successor at right outside linebacker to another one, and if Timmons turns out to be Joey Porter without the noise, that will be just fine with the Steelers.


Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.