Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
Half of the shake-and-bake combo, Vince Williams proved in 2017 he is more than capable of being the rock on the interior of the Steelers’ defense.
By Jeff.Hartman
May 16, 2018
The injury to Ryan Shazier was difficult to watch for everyone who viewed it either live or on replay. You didn’t have to be a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers to watch in horror as a young man brimming with potential lay motionless on the football field on Monday Night Football.
Shazier was a transcendent talent - a combination of smarts, athleticism and freakish speed rarely seen at the inside linebacker position. For the few years fans enjoyed watching No. 50 roam the interior of the defense wreaking havoc, it isn’t far fetched to think everyone got a little spoiled. Because when he wasn’t in the lineup it seemed as if a gaping hole was left in his absence.
Players like Ryan Shazier don’t grow on trees, and replacing them midseason is almost impossible. But while a large majority of the fan base has been suggesting Vince Williams, half of the shake-and-bake duo, isn’t good enough to be the anchor at the inside linebacker position, I will politely disagree.
Is Williams the same player as Shaizer? No, but few are. Is Williams an NFL starter who is more than capable of doing his job, and doing it well? No doubt about it.
to read rest of article:
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...n-ryan-shazier
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
He is one of the few good points on the linebacking Corp. He is a good run defender and can get some sacks. Problem is his pass coverage
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
Quote:
Originally Posted by
st33lersguy
He is one of the few good points on the linebacking Corp. He is a good run defender and can get some sacks. Problem is his pass coverage
which is why pairing him with a hybrid LB/S like Edmunds makes a lot of sense, let VW do what he's best at which is defending the run and rushing the passer and let Edmunds drop into pass coverage.
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
He was better when Shazier was back there with him.
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
The wisest of us Steelers fans already knew he was good and even before last year. The guy has the right demeanor for the Buck position along with good tackling ability. He isn't a 3 down backer but the truth is based on how they are defined there are very few in the entire NFL who should be.
Even taking a guy like Shazier who is fairly capable in coverage, if you have a safety who can tackle and cover better than Shazier why would you not replace both LB's with box type safeties if they are better cover guys? Again, that is assuming they can tackle about as well and are better cover guys. I would assume most safeties can cover better than most LB's.
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
VW is by no means the weak link on the D.
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DesertSteel
VW is by no means the weak link on the D.
No he isn't. But, he isn't fast enough to get to the edges vs the run, even if the OLB sets a good edge and the RB runs the gap inside that. I think we saw against Jax and CHI among others last season. Spence just magnified the issue with having neither ILB having the ability to run to the sideline to make tackles.
I was happy we took Vinny from when I saw his Senior Bowl performance, but he is what he is...a 2 down ILB.
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
He's not "the problem," but that's like saying Gilbert and AV aren't the problem at tight end.
I mean, the offensive tackle lines up next to the tight end and does some of the same things, but it's a different position with different demands.
We might have two guys lining up at ILB, but as currently constructed, they are very much different roles, and not at all interchangeable unless you have a super-talented guy who can play both. It's become a lot more specialized than when you basically needed two fairly sturdy and fairly mobile guys; now you need at least one who's super-sturdy and one who's super-mobile.
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ALLD
He was better when Shazier was back there with him.
everybody was better when Shazier was on the field
Re: Steelers fans should realize Vince Williams is good enough to anchor the ILB position
Ray Fittipaldo's Steelers chat transcript: 5.21.18
Brian: Will the Steelers keep cap space open for a late ILB free agent signing from training camp or is the team set to move forward with what they have now on the roster ?
Ray Fittipaldo: I think they'll keep their eyes open for any players that might be able to help them. But I don't sense they feel completely uncomfortable with their roster as they start OTAs. Maybe they make a move before training camp or after final cut-downs, but they seem to like Tyler Matakevich as a top reserve. If he's healthy it might not be an issue, but he is coming off shoulder surgery and shoulders sometimes can be tricky.
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201805210085
