LB Williams on the fast track

By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Rookie linebacker Vince Williams did not know Lawrence Timmons before being drafted by the Steelers in the spring. Timmons last played for Florida State in 2006, two years before Williams arrived on campus to play for the Seminoles.

"But I was aware of his legend," Williams said Thursday. "Lawrence really played only one year at Florida State. A lot of people don't even know that. He played a little special teams his sophomore year, started as a junior and went to the NFL as a first-round draft pick. That's odd. That's amazing."

Williams took a more conventional route to the NFL. He was at Florida State for five years and started his final two before the Steelers selected him with their second pick in the sixth round in April.

It took Timmons until his third season to become a full-time starter for the Steelers. Due to the injury to Larry Foote, the other Seminole in the linebacker corps might soon become a full-time starter as a 24-year-old rookie.

Kion Wilson started the past two games in place of Foote, but it was Williams who saw the majority of the snaps in both games. Williams played 33 snaps against the Bears compared to 11 for Wilson.

"I thought he did real good," Timmons said. "In the second half, he did a real good job fitting up with the run. He's going in there, calling the defense, too. For a rookie to come in and do that, that speaks volumes."

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May have mentioned this before, but I really liked this pick in this year's draft. This kid was real smooth at Florida State. You have to grit your teeth when he makes rookie mistakes, but I think his talent level will begin to show when he gets more experience. BTW, i used to grit my teeth seeing Polamalu make rookie mistakes as well.

I have to say, Foote exceeded my expectations when he came back from Detroit. I really thought he was there as a second stringer, but his play was far better than I expected as a starter at this point in his career. He'll never have the raw athleticism as Timmons (and Williams for that matter), but his blue collar hustle and determination produced for this team.

At this point I don't care who starts or what college they attended. What I care about is whoever that person is, they take care of business, and help the Steelers get a win on Sunday.

Quite honestly, I really haven't paid too much attention to Williams, so I can't judge his performance so far. My attention has been on Jones and the D-line. I'll have to focus on him a bit more.