Faceoff - ILB Lawrence Timmons, Pittsburgh Steelers

Posted 7/29, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by John Norton

Timmons was the 15th overall pick in 2007 and was really turning heads as a rookie until an injury set back his learning curve and made 2008 more or less his rookie season. He wasn't handed the starting job which came as little surprise when you consider that guys like Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley weren't first year starters in the complicated zone blitz either. The thing that stuck in my head about Timmons heading into last season were the words spoken by current Lions MLB Larry Foote who said something along the lines of "I don't blame them for wanting to get him on the field, this guy can play." This coming from a four year starter who could see the writing on the wall and was obviously right.

Foote and Timmons shared the position last season with Timmons seeing action in passing situations early before taking on a slightly increasing role late in the season. The two combined to go 77-51-6.5 from the position. Those numbers alone don't substantiate my ranking of Timmons but there are other factors at play. Not the least of which being that I believe Timmons will do more production wise with Foote's playing time than did Foote. This is to say that if we were to do the research, I believe that Timmons box score production per snap would prove to be significantly better.

Another factor that I believe will come into play is that the coaches will find more ways to keep Timmons on the field in every situation. His combination of pass rush and coverage skills will give DC Dick Lebeau a lot more options than he had with Foote, and will result in the Steelers staying in their base defense more often in short passing situations.

The final consideration for me is the fact that Timmons is being groomed to take over for 34 year old James Farrior as the play caller and leader in the huddle. I may be a year or even two early on this one but would not be surprised to see Timmons become THE every down ILB at some point this season.

Timmons is smart, fast, athletic, has great cover skills, can rush the passer and is young. Even if he doesn't pile up great tackle numbers Timmons is going to contribute a significant number of big plays. I believe he will emerge as a strong second starter for IDP owners this year and a solid #1 in the near future.

Downside - by David Baker

The future for Lawrence Timmons looks very bright indeed. The former first round pick (15th overall) out of Florida State played only sparingly last year for the Steelers but still mustered up 65 total tackles and registered five sacks. With Larry Foote moving on to Detroit, look for Timmons to step up as the starter in 2009. Timmons is fast and agile and an excellent tackler. The Steelers look to continue to post the best group of linebackers in the game and it's quite possible that Timmons is the scariest athlete of the bunch.

So what's not to like? It's been noted that Timmons started the season a bit slow as he recovered from a groin injury. While true, it should also be noted that while Timmons had five sacks last year, he only had one in his last 11 games (which includes their playoff games). And while Timmons definitely showed flashes of stardom during the season, he also had his moments of inconsistency.

One question I have is whether or not Timmons is a natural fit at inside linebacker. While he certainly has the pass rushing chops, those duties have been typically left for the outside guys in the Steelers defense. Because Timmons is so talented, the team wanted him to start somewhere, but playing in the middle might not be ideal for his production and style. James Harrison had 16 sacks last year. LaMarr Woodley had 11.5 sacks. It may not be reasonable to assume that Timmons, playing on the inside, will be able to get more than a handful of sacks in 2009.

Foote is a fine player, but he's far from a world beater and as the starter last year, he only had 63 total tackles. So it might not be a safe assumption that Timmons will come right in and dramatically increase Foote's tackle output. With James Farrior, NFL Defensive Player of the year James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley starting with Timmons at linebacker, there might not be a plethora of tackles leftover for Timmons. While many have pointed to Farrior's age as a likely sign he's slowing down, he had 133 total tackles last year, the most he's had since 2003.

Watching the footage of Lawrence Timmons, you can quickly surmise that Timmons will have a long and healthy career in the NFL. Playing for the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers should ease Timmons' transition as a starter. But while he may play very well, I think the numbers won't truly come along until he replaces James Farrior as the centerpiece of their defense. And that does not appear to be happening in 2009. Go ahead and draft Timmons. Just don't overpay to get him.