It is hard to believe that Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons is already entering his seventh year in the league, as it seems like yesterday that he was a rookie in training camp.
With experience comes knowledge, however, and Timmons is making sure to pass on to rookie outside linebacker Jarvis Jones what it takes to be successful with the Steelers.
“Definitely make yourself stand out. Be a good rusher and cover well in coverage against the tight ends, who he\’s going to play a lot against,” Timmons told Jones, according to Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Just be a student of the game. Follow the playbook, look at film, always be in line to gather information. If he does all of those things, he\’ll be fine.”
While both Timmons and Jones share the distinction of being drafted in the first round, at least the Georgia product shouldn\’t have to worry about changing positions the way Timmons was forced to do when he was rookie. Head coach Mike Tomlin said following the selection of Timmons in the 2007 NFL Draft that the Florida State product would be playing outside. That\’s the position he opened up his first training camp playing until ultimately being shifted inside a short time later.
While Timmons advice to the rookie won\’t likely show up on any motivational posters in the near future, it is spot on. He knows first hand what Jones is going through and how tough the learning curve can be in the Steelers 3-4 defense. Jones is getting new packages thrown at him everyday and he must eat the elephant one bite at a time so that he doesn\’t get overwhelmed.
So far it appears as though the rookie is a good student and Timmons is a good mentor.
