The 2016 season is unfortunately over, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are now embarking upon their latest offseason journey, heading back to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, formerly known and still referred to as the ‘South Side’ facility of Heinz Field. While the postseason is now behind us, there is plenty left to discuss.
And there are plenty of questions left unanswered as well. The offseason is just really the beginning phase of the answer-seeking process, which is lasts all the way through the Super Bowl for teams fortunate enough to reach that far.
You can rest assured that we have the questions, and we will be monitoring the developments in the offseason as they develop, and beyond, looking for the answers as we look to evaluate the makeup of the Steelers as they try to navigate their way back to the Super Bowl, after reaching the AFC Championship game last season for the first time in more than half a decade.
Question: What is your favorite memory of former Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons on the field?
It’s not every year that the Steelers part ways with a cornerstone member of their team, but I believe that the departure of 10-year veteran inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons would qualify, a player who helped them get to two Super Bowls and win one of them.
Timmons was one of the last players on the roster to have a Super Bowl ring, and now just four remain. The first ever draft pick of Mike Tomlin as the team’s head coach, he was an immediately impactful player in spite of the fact that he did not enter the starting lineup until his third season while biding his time behind James Farrior and Larry Foote.
Timmons was responsible for a lot of highlight plays over the course of the past 10 years, as his 35 and a half sacks and 25 combined interceptions and forced fumbles would attest to, and that included some highlights from his past season. His interceptions against the Giants and the Bengals were not only skillfully done, but timely.
I think perhaps for me, however, the moment, or sequence rather, that I will remember most came during the 2009 season while he was trying to prove that he was a legitimate every-down linebacker and starter after battling injuries early in his first season in the starting lineup.
The game was the first one against Cleveland, at Heinz Field. The Steelers were attempting to close out the game after scoring a touchdown to make it a 24-14 game. After the defense forced a three-and-out, the offense threw an interception that was returned to midfield.
Three plays later, Timmons sacked Derek Anderson and forced him to fumble, with the Steelers recovering. Two plays later, Willie Parker fumbled and lost the ball back. Timmons got Anderson again three players later for another sack and forced fumble that the defense recovered yet again.
Of course, the very next play Rashard Mendenhall fumbled the ball back again and lost it, but the defense did prevent the Browns from scoring again. The Steelers added another field goal to claim a 27-14 victory.
