Timmons quiet, but top choice is heard on field



Lombardi Award winner LaMarr Woodley of Michigan was added in the second round.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Lawrence Timmons was drafted to be Joey Porter's successor as the Pittsburgh Steelers' right outside linebacker. As far as succeeding Porter as an onfield agitator, trash talker and locker room quote machine, he has some work to do.
Timmons' quiet but determined approach to playing made an impression on Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert, no doubt given Florida State's reputation of turning out players who love to talk as much as they like to play. And how Porter often talked his way into headlines, even when he wasn't trying to do so.
Linebacker history
Timmons became only the third linebacker drafted by the Steelers on the first round when they took him No. 15 Saturday. The others were Huey Richardson in 1991, one of the worst picks in club history, and Robin Cole in 1976.
With the Steelers precariously thin at outside linebacker, where only Clark Haggans has been a full-time starter, they added another on the second round in Lombardi Award winner LaMarr Woodley of Michigan. He had 12 sacks last season and 25 in his career while shuffling between defensive end and linebacker and was strong against the run.
Pittsburgh selected Minnesota tight end Matt Spaeth in the third round with the 77th overall pick.
Some juniors, especially those as young as the 20-year-old Timmons, talk more like teenagers than NFL players, according to Colbert. Timmons, however, "is very serious and very, very quiet," Colbert said.
"He's got a long way to go," Colbert said when asked about how Timmons compares to Porter as a talker. "He might be different on the field -- I've never been that close to him in game situations -- but, just meeting the kid, that was the one thing that struck me. He's very serious and very quiet."
Very good hitter
What struck new coach Mike Tomlin was ... well, how Timmons struck people.
"Ultimately, he has what we call the RH factor -- he's a runner and a hitter," Tomlin said. "He's a Pittsburgh Steeler."
The 6-foot-1, 234-pound Timmons almost was a Florida State Seminole for another season. He started only one season there -- he played behind 2006 first-round pick Ernie Sims of the Lions the previous two seasons -- and weighed whether returning for his senior season would help his career.
Tomlin, not happy when it was suggested that Timmons is too inexperienced and wasn't productive enough to go in the middle of the first round, pointed to Timmons' junior-season statistics.
"He's a linebacker that scored three touchdowns [on an interception, fumble return and blocked punt return], blocked two kicks and had five sacks," Tomlin said. "He's a productive football player who can make plays in a lot of ways."
And in a lot of defenses?
Tomlin insisted that Timmons was drafted to be a 3-4 outside linebacker -- a position that demands a strong pass rusher, as Porter was for most of his Steelers career. The Steelers didn't bring Porter back for the final year of his contract, allowing Porter to sign with Miami and Timmons to compete with backup James Harrison to replace Porter.
Fits both schemes
Going into the draft, Timmons seemed to be a better fit for a 4-3 scheme, possibly on the inside because of his size. Timmons said he can play both defenses.
"For an outside linebacker, sure, ideally you want them 6-3, 260 pounds and running a 4.5 [in the 40-yard dash]," Colbert said. "His measureables are almost identical to Greg Lloyd's. You can say that Greg was a sixth-round pick [in 1987], but should he have been a sixth-round pick for as good as he was? ... His versatility, and the fact he has played on the line, behind the line, with his hand down -- he has really done it all."
Timmons is represented by Drew Rosenhaus, known for being an especially difficult negotiator. Colbert said the Steelers never weigh agents when making a pick.
Timmons didn't say much in his first interview as a Steelers player, but showed some individuality in college with his No. 83 -- a wide receiver's number, and one he can't wear as an NFL linebacker.
"It's a unique number," he said. "I like to be original. I like to be different."
Father a connection
Timmons also has a Pittsburgh connection. His father, Lindsley, was a scholarship basketball player at Duquesne under coach John Cinicola and lettered in 1976.
Asked what his father told him about his new home, Timmons said, "He said it's a beautiful city -- and it gets cold up there."
Woodley grew up a Steelers fan in Saginaw, Mich., and likes that Michigan played some schemes similar to those used by the Steelers. As a youngster, he wore No. 36 in honor of former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, a Detroit native.
"I decided to call myself 'The Bus' and, ever since then, I've been rolling," he said.

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