Steelers’ Williams responds to critics
PITTSBURGH 鈥� 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 鈥� 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?
鈥淣o that didn鈥檛 bother me. That鈥檚 the business,鈥� said Williams, the fifth-year vet who鈥檒l replace Timmons.
Have you heard the criticism from experts about your ability in pass coverage?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 really care about the rap,鈥� Williams said.
Have you heard it?
鈥淚 heard it,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople say I can鈥檛 cover and I鈥檓 not a three-down linebacker. But they鈥檝e never used me situationally. They never said 鈥楻yan鈥檚 hurt this week, so Vince you have to go in there and just play first and second down.鈥� I mean, you could just look at the plays I put on tape.鈥�
Didn鈥檛 you run a 4.9 40 coming out of college?
鈥淣ah, my 40 time wasn鈥檛 a 4.9. But 40s don鈥檛 even matter, man. You don鈥檛 have to be the fastest guy in the world to play football. If you鈥檙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鈥檛 take into account what it takes to be a good football player.鈥�
He paused.
鈥淎s far as overall sport, I think our fan base and the people that cover us, they鈥檙e really lacking in what they understand about football.鈥�
The fact Williams looked his questioner directly in the eye as he spoke was unmistakable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not numbers. It鈥檚 not how fast a guy can run, how high a guy can jump, measuring levels of athleticism, because this isn鈥檛 a game that 鈥� this isn鈥檛 track & field. You have to be a football player.鈥�
Are you sure you鈥檙e not listed at 4.9?
鈥淢an, I鈥檓 definitely not listed at 4.9. But, hey, you could just say 4.9 because that makes me look even better, because if I鈥檓 running a 4.9 and I get to the ball as much as I have gotten to the ball 鈥︹��
Williams paused as another thought struck him.
鈥淒id it look like I was running a 4.9 when I ran down and smacked Tyreek Hill?鈥� he asked. 鈥淗ow fast was that?鈥�
If Williams was talking about last year鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 ever doubted Williams鈥� striking ability, or his ability to play the run, or his leadership skills. He鈥檚 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.
鈥淯se 4.9 instead,鈥� he said upon hearing the next-day apology. 鈥淚鈥檓 serious.鈥�
Vinnie is one tough egg to crack.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a good guy, especially if you know him,鈥� said Shazier. 鈥淏ut you don鈥檛 want to get on his bad side.鈥�
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.
鈥淩yan鈥檚 going to call the plays,鈥� said Williams, the newest buck. 鈥淩yan wants to call the plays. I have no objection to that. We鈥檙e both capable of it, but if that鈥檚 what he wants to do, he鈥檚 the Pro Bowler.鈥�
Williams also says of Shazier, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 my boy,鈥� 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鈥檚 a strict policy 鈥渙n the porch,鈥� as Harrison calls the area, that reporters can鈥檛 enter until Fridays. But Shazier鈥檚 always been around the corner to handle linebacking questions the remainder of the week.
鈥淢e and Lawrence are pretty close,鈥� Shazier said, 鈥渂ut I feel like my relationship with Vince is a little closer. We definitely have chemistry. A lot of times when we鈥檙e out there, if we鈥檙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鈥檓 out there, I just say something, he knows exactly what I mean.鈥�
So what about those critics, Ryan, those 鈥渙ther reporters鈥� who worry about Williams鈥� ability in pass coverage?
鈥淚鈥檝e heard a lot of criticism that I鈥檓 not a good coverage backer, either,鈥� Shazier said. 鈥淎t the end of the day, it鈥檚 not about what other people think, it鈥檚 about what our team thinks. We work on that every day in practice. I鈥檝e seen Vince in coverage in a few games. He might not get the pick, but he might get somebody else the pick.
鈥淭he thing is, he鈥檚 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鈥檙e getting the job done exactly how it needs to be done and how the team wants it to be done, that鈥檚 all that matters.鈥�
NOTES: Nose tackle Javon Hargrave left Thursday鈥檚 practice with an apparent chest injury. Teammate Cam Heyward believed it was a contusion. No further details were available. 鈥� 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. 鈥� Le鈥橵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鈥檚 voluntary practice.