The faces have been changing the past couple of seasons on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense.
Yet while there are a few veterans that still remain, Dick LeBeau’s defense has gotten much younger over the course of the past couple of seasons. The youth movement was needed, but it also leads to one question entering the 2014 season.
Who is the leader of the Steelers’ defense?
That man has to be linebacker Lawrence Timmons.
Even though Troy Polamalu still resides in the Steelers’ secondary and Ike Taylor will be back at one corner, this defense needs a leader and Timmons has to be the guy.
Polamalu and Taylor are winding down their respective careers and there is a good chance that when the Steelers open the season at Heinz Field September 7 against the Cleveland Browns, they will be the only two defensive starters over the age of 30.
The Steelers need a guy to not only lead by example, but become a vocal leader to keep the defense motivated week to week. Timmons must continue to produce on the field, but also must step into more of a leadership role vocally now that guys like Larry Foote and Brett Keisel are currently not with the team.
Timmons must step into that role, the Steelers absolutely need him to do so.
The Steelers can’t have another season in which they finish No. 14 in points allowed and No. 13 in yards allowed.
Someone has to step up and the Steelers need it to be Timmons, who may be their best player on the defensive side of the ball and is a veteran, even though he is only 28.
As the Steelers prepare to head to Latrobe for camp, it is also a role that Timmons seems comfortable embracing,
“I do feel like I have to do a lot for this team. With me being one of the older guys, I understand that if everybody does their job, everyone is going to make plays,” Timmons said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I want to be a model citizen for this team because we’re very young now. I can’t get carried away with having a good time because everyone, especially the young guys, have to know there’s a time and place for everything. It’s why I do the things I do and why I carry myself a certain way.”
Timmons knows that someone must step into the shoes of being a leader on the defense and his play and the way he embraces the role could go a long way into taking some pressure off some of the Steelers younger players.
If the Steelers are to get back to being one of the better defenses in the NFL, a lot of it will be on Timmons’ shoulders.
He is willing to lead.
We will find out soon if everyone else follows.
Photo Credit: US Presswire
