Former Pittsburgh Steelers OT Willie Colon was a guest on The PM Team with Andrew Filliponi and Chris Mueller on 93.7 The Fan, and Colon offered a lot of praise for Pittsburgh’s newest signing, LB Kwon Alexander. Colon said that Alexander reminds him of a more aggressive Larry Foote, a stalwart at ILB back when Colon was in Pittsburgh.
“I think maybe in his younger days he had a little bit of Lawrence Timmons in him as far as his ability to close on the ball. But he’s more in-between like a Larry Foote, probably just a little bit bigger, probably a little more aggressive. But I think what he does most right now, he doesn’t miss when he shoots his gun. As far as being one-on-one, being able to close, being able to read guards, being able to get in coverage and make the right plays, he’s probably a complete linebacker,” Colon said.
Alexander comes in as Pittsburgh’s best coverage linebacker, and that’s a skill that could get him immediate playing time. Even if he doesn’t start initially, Pittsburgh usually rotates their inside linebackers and Alexander could get playing time on obvious passing situations over Elandon Roberts. While Colon compared him to Foote and said he’s bigger, technically Alexander is right around the same size as Foote at his listed weight of 227 pounds, with both being 6’1.
Obviously, if Alexander can be like Foote, it’ll be a huge boon for the Steelers. Foote was a really solid linebacker for the Steelers, even when he took on a little bit of a reduced role later in his career. Inside linebacker looked like it could be a potential weak spot for the Steelers, but adding Alexander shores the position up in a big way.
He fits the Steelers’ mold as a big hitter and a guy who can get downhill and make plays, but his coverage ability gives him an edge and something that the Steelers have been missing at the position the past few seasons. Alexander’s not going to be the player he was early in his career when he was one of the better off-ball linebackers in the league, but he’s someone who can fill a void and end up looking like a really solid signing for Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh’s defense should be among the top of the league once again, and not having the inside linebacker position be a weakness should elevate the unit from where they’ve been the past few years. Alexander makes them better and gives them more depth and flexibility, something you can never have too much of. As he gets comfortable in the defense, look for him to earn more and more reps and ascend into a guy who gets regular playing time and makes a big impact.
