Steelers remain confident in defense
By Ralph N. Paulk
Friday, Sept. 4, 2015
The Steelers' perceived defensive strength is inside linebackers Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Shazier. They are the pulse of a unit that will enter the regular season at New England amid uncertainty.
The Steelers like what they saw from Shazier during the preseason. He played an inordinate number of downs for a starter, but it was enough to chip off the rust after a rookie campaign punctuated by injuries.
Defensive coordinator Keith Butler is confident Timmons' injured toe won't keep him from getting after quarterback Tom Brady during next Thursday's highly-antipcipated game.
With Timmons and Shazier watching from the sideline on Thursday night at Heinz Field, their backups — Sean Spence and Vince Williams — didn't leave Butler feeling confident about how they'll perform if forced into extended duty against the defending Super Bowl champions.
“For the most part, I thought we played well in the preseason,” said Spence, who had five tackles. “(On Thursday), we missed a couple of tackles. But the experience and having a chance to see different formations will always help in my development.”
Spence and Williams were inconsistent against the Carolina Panthers' second-team offense in a 23-6 loss that left the Steelers with a 1-4 preseason record. At times, they were out of position to defend the run and sometimes were shoved aside as Carolina created running seams.
It was reminiscent of how the first-team defense performed in a 43-19 loss to Buffalo a game earlier.
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