Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers had allowed defensive leader Joey Porter to leave via free agency. The move left a rather large gap in the defense that the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to address. Enter first round pick Lawrence Timmons.
Timmons was a pass-rushing, outside linebacker from Florida St., and most had him as the #1 linebacker in a relatively weak crop of outside linebackers. There were several questions about Timmons, starting with the fact that he had only started one season, having backed up all-american Ernie Sims for two seasons. Still, the promise was there.
Timmons was injured during his first mini-camp, and wasn’t healthy again until pre-season had already begun. He missed months of playing, and by the time he was able, he had fallen behind second rounder LaMarr Woodley. It became a lost season, as he didn’t become a factor at all until…well…he was never really a factor, although he did receive playing time at the end of the year.
So is Timmons a bust, or is their potential for Timmons to explode onto the scene this year, and give the Steelers in essence, a second first rounder?
