If you’ve ever attempted to play the game of golf on a regular basis, you probably know how frustrating it is to get a little white ball to go exactly where you want it to. However, for Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the sport of kings has become a “therapeutic obsession” of sorts, according to Ralph N. Paulk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
“It’s like therapy, and it calms my nerves,” said Timmons, who played every snap last season despite suffering a broken hand way back in Week 7. “It gets you in the kind of mentality that’s required to work. You shouldn’t be on the field hesitating and being on edge all the time.
“It’s why you do certain things in practice, so you can get used to playing under pressure. Sometimes when I get to Heinz Field, the game feels as it does during practice because the game slows down for me.”
Timmons will need nerves of steel once again this year as he’s likely going to have yet another rookie starting alongside of him as first-round draft pick Ryan Shazier has worked all offseason at the mack linebacker position. Last season, Timmons spent a lot of time trying to make sure that then-rookie Vince Williams knew his assignments after veteran starter Larry Foote was lost for the season with a biceps injury in the opener against the Tennessee Titans.
“I feel like Shazier getting a lot reps instead of waiting behind Vince (Williams) has helped him a lot running with the starters,” said Timmons. “He’s starting to put together little pieces of the puzzle.”
Shazier won’t be the only player on the Steelers defense this season that will be expected to assemble the puzzle pieces together quickly to match the cover of the box as safety Mike Mitchell and defensive end Cam Thomas are also newcomers that are expected to contribute greatly in 2014. Timmons, however, is excited about those additions to the defense.
“We have all the potential in the world to get things back on track,” said Timmons. “We’ve brought in some quality players like Mike Mitchell and Cam Thomas who will make us stronger and deeper.”
While Timmons might enjoy the game of golf, he certainly doesn’t want to be making tee times next offseason back in Florida until after the Super Bowl. In order to accomplish that, he knows that he’s going to have to have another great season.
“I have to get my piece of the puzzle in the right place for us to be successful. In the end, that’s how you win championships.”
