Vince Williams knows what time it is. The clock and football’s cyclical nature are working against him. He’s a big, thumping inside linebacker who will be 30 before season’s end in an era when players his size are disappearing from the game.
The recently completed NFL draft drove that point home. Linebackers in the mold of Williams went undrafted while a new breed of players took their place. They’re smaller but faster and better able to hold up against the spread offenses that are permeating the game.
The Steelers got one of the draft’s most-prized new-breed linebackers. They moved up 10 spots in the draft to select Devin Bush in the first round of the draft. He’s two inches shorter and much lighter than Williams, built to chase down slot receivers in the passing game as much as taking down running backs. He is going to cut into Williams’ playing time and eventually become his replacement.
Some veteran players bristle at the idea of mentoring players that will take their jobs, but Williams is embracing the role as he enters his eighth season with the Steelers.
“It’s not going to do anybody any good being selfish,” Williams said. “I’m an open well of information. I just want to pour it into as many people as I can. If a guy reaches out to me and asks a question, I’m going to answer it to the best of my ability.”
Williams has started 30 games over the past two seasons and 47 in his career. He’s on his third contract with the Steelers, and he’s accomplished more than anyone could have predicted after he was taken in the sixth round of the 2013 draft.
“My whole agenda is just to win,” Williams said. “I don’t care about anything else. I don’t listen to anything else. I got a ton of money. I’ve made a lot of plays in this league. I want to win a Super Bowl. That’s the only thing I’m missing from my resume, if you ask me. I’m all about team goals – winning championships and stacking another Lombardi upstairs.”
Williams is an old-school thumper, a downhill linebacker built to stop the run. He’s added versatility to his game in recent years as a pass rusher and has contributed 12½ sacks over the past two seasons, which is more than outside linebacker Bud Dupree, whose primary role is to rush the passer.
Still, the Steelers knew they had to revamp their defense this offseason and get players that are better-equipped to play in pass coverage. In addition to selecting Bush with the No. 10 overall pick, they signed veteran hybrid linebacker Mark Barron to a two-year, $12 million deal.
Defensive coordinator Keith Butler hasn’t told the linebackers anything about how the reps will be distributed in practice, much less the games that will take place in a few months, but the first week of OTAs provided some insight. Williams and Bush started in the base defense and Barron subbed in.
The Steelers, however, only played in their base defense 25 percent of the time last season. When the Steelers go to sub-packages, the likely combination will be Bush and Barron.
“They haven’t really told us anything,” Williams said. “It’s however coach [Butler] decides to divvy it up. That’s how it’ll play out.”
The on-field responsibilities aren’t the only changes for Williams next season. The Steelers missed the playoffs when he was a rookie in 2013, but he played on teams that made the playoffs four consecutive seasons from 2014-17 and won the AFC North in three of those years.
The Steelers aren’t the favorites to win the division this year. The up-start Browns and Ravens, who won the division last year, are the front-runners. The Steelers are the underdogs for the first time in a long time.
“Let’s not be coy about it,” Williams said. “We didn’t make the playoffs last year. We feel like we’re a championship-caliber unit. Everyone is embarrassed and pissed off. We had a tumultuous offseason. That was some crap. We’re just flushing that, turning the page and trying to go into the season trying to get a championship. There’s nothing to be said. Everything has been said.
“People are doubting us. We know what it is. We let a lot of people down not making the playoffs last year. We’re hungry. We have an edge to us. We’re putting all the negativity to bed. We’re focusing on winning a championship and we’re going to do that as a unit.”
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: May 24, 2019, 4:08 p.m.