Pittsburgh Steelers veteran inside linebacker Larry Foote was forced to watch the 20-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Monday night on television as he continues to recover from surgery on his torn biceps, but he paid close attention to the play of his replacements, Vince Williams and Kion Wilson, just the same.
“They looked good,” said Foote during a Tuesday morning interview on 93.7 The Fan. “They made tackles. I saw a couple of missed assignments, but they made tackles; they were getting off blocks; they looked physical and the main thing; the defense didn’t look confused.”
Williams and Wilson combined to make 11 total tackles Monday night and while each made a few mistakes in the game, overall it wasn’t a bad showing by both despite both failing to make plays on the two touchdowns scored by the Bengals.
“I thought they had their moments,” head coach Mike Tomlin said about Williams and Wilson during his Tuesday press conference. “I think there are obviously opportunities for growth with both men. We’ll continue to work with those guys.”
While Wilson started the game alongside Lawrence Timmons, it was Williams, who was drafted in the sixth-round this past April out of Florida State, that received the lion’s share of the snaps. Neither, however, were on the field for nearly 20 plays when the Steelers used their dime sub package that included four safeties.
The Steelers next take on the Chicago Bears Sunday at Heinz Field and there is a good chance that both will see similar playing time in that game as they continue to get their on-the-job training with Foote now out for the season.
“I like where they are, and I like where they’re going,” said Tomlin.
