Steelers’ Williams responds to critics
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� The late-May sun was shining and was backed by a gentle breeze as the Pittsburgh Steelers filed off the field following practice.
It all had Vince Williams in a good mood 无毛视频� until the questions went from bad to worse to just plain wrong.
The starting inside linebacker was left shaking his head by the end of the interview.
Did it bother you the Steelers went looking for a free agent to replace Lawrence Timmons?
无毛视频淣o that didn无毛视频檛 bother me. That无毛视频檚 the business,无毛视频� said Williams, the fifth-year vet who无毛视频檒l replace Timmons.
Have you heard the criticism from experts about your ability in pass coverage?
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 really care about the rap,无毛视频� Williams said.
Have you heard it?
无毛视频淚 heard it,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淧eople say I can无毛视频檛 cover and I无毛视频檓 not a three-down linebacker. But they无毛视频檝e never used me situationally. They never said 无毛视频楻yan无毛视频檚 hurt this week, so Vince you have to go in there and just play first and second down.无毛视频� I mean, you could just look at the plays I put on tape.无毛视频�
Didn无毛视频檛 you run a 4.9 40 coming out of college?
无毛视频淣ah, my 40 time wasn无毛视频檛 a 4.9. But 40s don无毛视频檛 even matter, man. You don无毛视频檛 have to be the fastest guy in the world to play football. If you无毛视频檙e running 40 yards on the football field, obviously somebody just scored on you because you gave up a big play. I think a lot of times people don无毛视频檛 take into account what it takes to be a good football player.无毛视频�
He paused.
无毛视频淎s far as overall sport, I think our fan base and the people that cover us, they无毛视频檙e really lacking in what they understand about football.无毛视频�
The fact Williams looked his questioner directly in the eye as he spoke was unmistakable.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 not numbers. It无毛视频檚 not how fast a guy can run, how high a guy can jump, measuring levels of athleticism, because this isn无毛视频檛 a game that 无毛视频� this isn无毛视频檛 track & field. You have to be a football player.无毛视频�
Are you sure you无毛视频檙e not listed at 4.9?
无毛视频淢an, I无毛视频檓 definitely not listed at 4.9. But, hey, you could just say 4.9 because that makes me look even better, because if I无毛视频檓 running a 4.9 and I get to the ball as much as I have gotten to the ball 无毛视频ξ廾悠禎
Williams paused as another thought struck him.
无毛视频淒id it look like I was running a 4.9 when I ran down and smacked Tyreek Hill?无毛视频� he asked. 无毛视频淗ow fast was that?无毛视频�
If Williams was talking about last year无毛视频檚 playoff game, when he ran down the field on a first-quarter kickoff and belted the Kansas City speedster at the 12-yard line, he无毛视频檚 right. Williams looked like a sprinter. And it may have been the crowning blow of the game, considering the dangerous Hill finished with only 18 yards rushing, 27 yards receiving and averaged only 18 yards per kickoff return that night.
No one无毛视频檚 ever doubted Williams无毛视频� striking ability, or his ability to play the run, or his leadership skills. He无毛视频檚 stepped into the starting role on three other occasions to give him 18 career starts. Eleven of those starts occurred in his rookie 2013 season when he replaced Larry Foote and finished sixth on the team in tackles.
In 2014, Williams started three games in place of Ryan Shazier and Sean Spence, and last year he started four games in place of Shazier. Williams made a career-high 15 tackles with a sack in his Week 4 start against the Chiefs last season. He had another sack and a team-high nine tackles the next week against the New York Jets.
As for the disputed stat, his 40 time, Williams was in fact timed at 4.76 at his 2013 Florida State pro day.
无毛视频淯se 4.9 instead,无毛视频� he said upon hearing the next-day apology. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 serious.无毛视频�
Vinnie is one tough egg to crack.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a good guy, especially if you know him,无毛视频� said Shazier. 无毛视频淏ut you don无毛视频檛 want to get on his bad side.无毛视频�
Shazier has been the starting mack inside linebacker since he was drafted in the first round in 2014. He took the playcalling duties away from Timmons late in 2015, marking a departure in protocol since the Steelers have had their other inside linebacker, the buck, calling plays from Levon Kirkland through James Farrior.
无毛视频淩yan无毛视频檚 going to call the plays,无毛视频� said Williams, the newest buck. 无毛视频淩yan wants to call the plays. I have no objection to that. We无毛视频檙e both capable of it, but if that无毛视频檚 what he wants to do, he无毛视频檚 the Pro Bowler.无毛视频�
Williams also says of Shazier, 无毛视频渢hat无毛视频檚 my boy,无毛视频� because the two have been friends ever since Shazier came to Pittsburgh and set up locker right around the corner from the hardened trio of Williams, James Harrison and Antonio Brown.
There无毛视频檚 a strict policy 无毛视频渙n the porch,无毛视频� as Harrison calls the area, that reporters can无毛视频檛 enter until Fridays. But Shazier无毛视频檚 always been around the corner to handle linebacking questions the remainder of the week.
无毛视频淢e and Lawrence are pretty close,无毛视频� Shazier said, 无毛视频渂ut I feel like my relationship with Vince is a little closer. We definitely have chemistry. A lot of times when we无毛视频檙e out there, if we无毛视频檙e doing something we know how to jump on and catch up to each other really quick. A lot of times we watch film together, even last year we used to watch a lot of film together. When I无毛视频檓 out there, I just say something, he knows exactly what I mean.无毛视频�
So what about those critics, Ryan, those 无毛视频渙ther reporters无毛视频� who worry about Williams无毛视频� ability in pass coverage?
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e heard a lot of criticism that I无毛视频檓 not a good coverage backer, either,无毛视频� Shazier said. 无毛视频淎t the end of the day, it无毛视频檚 not about what other people think, it无毛视频檚 about what our team thinks. We work on that every day in practice. I无毛视频檝e seen Vince in coverage in a few games. He might not get the pick, but he might get somebody else the pick.
无毛视频淭he thing is, he无毛视频檚 a hard-hitting guy and he gets the job done. It might not be as pretty as everybody wants it to look, but if you无毛视频檙e getting the job done exactly how it needs to be done and how the team wants it to be done, that无毛视频檚 all that matters.无毛视频�
NOTES: Nose tackle Javon Hargrave left Thursday无毛视频檚 practice with an apparent chest injury. Teammate Cam Heyward believed it was a contusion. No further details were available. 无毛视频� Ultra-quick 5-7, 200-pound running back Trey Williams went down with an apparent knee injury Wednesday and limped off the field. He stood on the sidelines in sweats on Thursday. 无毛视频� Le无毛视频橵eon Bell is recovering from groin surgery and is the only veteran consistently staying away from the practice field. Other injured/recovering players, such as Heyward, Harrison, Stephon Tuitt, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, Marcus Gilbert, Tyson Alualu, Sean Davis, Darrius Heyward-Bey and rookie James Conner, are missing scrimmage work but are either limited or standing on the sidelines. Ben Roethlisberger missed Thursday无毛视频檚 voluntary practice.