| LB Lawrence Timmons had a team-high nine tackles in the Steelers' win over the Eagles on Sunday. (US Presswire) |
Some believe that Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons has rarely played like a first-round draft pick since the club took him with their top selection in 2007, and more had questions when the Steelers signed him to a five-year, $50 million contract extension before last season.
With injuries to James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley from the outset, Timmons rarely played his normal position. He generally lined up on the outside and had to deal with large offensive tackles more often than not. Still some wondered if the club's money could have been more wisely spent.
Those concerns aside, Timmons' performance was key to the Steelers' 16-14 win against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday at Heinz Field. Timmons led the club in tackles with nine, including eight solo, two stops behind the line, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery for his best performance this season.
"He did a great job,'' Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Monday during his weekly press conference. "He did what we asked him to do. Lawrence has been very consistent for us in general. He did a nice job bottling up a guy like Shady McCoy, who has a unique talent and skill set. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. Lawrence is a uniquely talented guy. He better bring those weapons to the stadium on Thursday night because (Tennessee running back) Chris Johnson in a uniquely talented guy.
Tomlin added: "We're still in the growing stages of the season. We're still adding to our packages and our menu and finding a rhythm of what works for us in all three phases. Such is life. It worked out pretty good. Maybe we’ll continue to bring him more.''
Timmons also missed a few sacks on Michael Vick, but he still had a good game, which could be attributed to the return of James Harrison for the first time this season.
Tomlin agreed.
"I think a guy like James, his presence is just a shot in the arm to others, and I think players of his caliber inspire others and create certain level of comfort in others,'' he said. "You don’t deny that. It’s somewhat intangible but you acknowledge that it exists.''
Small chance Woodley could play: After the Steelers beat the Eagles Sunday, Tomlin said safety Troy Polamalu, who reaggravated his right calf injury, and LaMarr Woodley, who had a mild right hamstring injury, likely were out for the game at Tennessee Thursday night because of the time constraints this week.
Tomlin said Monday that while Polamalu was still out, a possibility exists that Woodley could play against the Titans.
"From a judgment standpoint during a short week, you'd lean on him being out, as opposed to in,'' Tomlin said of Woodley. "But I acknowledge that his injury is less severe and can be characterized as a mild hamstring. So, we'll leave the door ajar (for Woodley to possibly play Thursday night).''
Head shots: Before this season, Tomlin co-chaired a project for concussion awareness called "Don't hit the head -- Don't use the head," and the veteran coach discussed the reasons against helmet-to-helmet hits by NFL players.
During his weekly press conference Monday, Tomlin refused to publicly discuss two such shots -- by safeties Ryan Clark and Ryan Mundy -- that occurred during a third-quarter touchdown drive. Clark clocked tight end Brent Celek, while Mundy nailed wideout Jeremy Maclin later in the drive. The two 15-yard penalties kept the scoring drive alive.
"We're not going to dispute calls,'' Tomlin said. "Those guys are trying to do the best that they can, particularly in light of the emphasis that we have in today's NFL regarding player safety. Just know that we're trying to play our very best to play within the rules, and it's just as disappointing to us when we don't. We have a desire to play within the rules.
"We've also got a desire to increase our chances of winning, and when you're picking up 30 yards of penalties in one drive that's going to give people an opportunity to score. So, obviously, we're trying to rectify those things. We're less concerned with judgments and interpretations and more concerned about playing in a manner that the flags stay in the pocket.''
Tomlin quickly dismissed a followup question.
"I'm not getting into that,'' he said. "Give me a new one. Next question. ... We're no different from anybody else in the National Football League in regard to dealing with some of the penalties that we're talking about.
"We had an opportunity to sit out last week (bye) and I saw similar things from other teams. So, we'll continue to do the best that we can and understand that we have a high level of respect for how the game needs to be played today.''
His answer to Harrison's comment after the game that he pulled up, instead of drilling Vick and possibly getting fined was curt. When questioned about Mundy's hit, Tomlin went off a bit.
"Guys, I'm not disputing these penalties with you in here,'' Tomlin said. "I'll do it in the proper manner with the people in the league office if I have a beef. I'm not going to do it in here. That's unprofessional, as far as I'm concerned.''
Final notes: The Steelers put out a practice report, even though they didn't work out Monday, that said Polamalu and Woodley did not practice. Harrison (knee), running back Rashard Mendenhall (knee) and linebacker Stevenson Sylvester (knee) were limited.
Follow Dale Grdnic on Twitter for real-time updates from Steelers training camp @CBSSteelers.