On a defence in the middle of a generational shift, Lawrence Timmons is

PITTSBURGH, Pa. DeMario Davis Saints Jersey . - On a defence in the middle of a generational shift, Lawrence Timmons is the constant.The faces that mentored the Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker when he broke into the NFL in 2007 are gone. James Farrior and Larry Foote have been replaced by youngsters Ryan Shazier, Sean Spence and Vince Williams.Now its Timmons who is among the elder statesmen in the meeting room. It is Timmons who is making the defensive calls. It is Timmons who is serving as 6 feet, 1 inch and 234 pounds of duct tape, going wherever is required to fix whatever problem arises.And it is Timmons — at last — who has finally filled the one gaping hole on his resume: Pro Bowler. The 28-year-old earned his first invitation to Hawaii on Wednesday, eight seasons into a steadily spectacular career that is no longer being taken for granted.From Day 1, LT has always worked hard, and you appreciate it, Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward said. And you want someone like that to be rewarded for it. And we were all happy to see Lawrence make it. There are a lot of good linebackers in this league right now, but LT has been one of the centre guys for a long time right now. So, it was long overdue.So much so that Hall of Fame defensive co-ordinator Dick LeBeau long ago developed a stump speech for Timmons, who leads the Steelers (10-5) with a team-high 121 tackles to go with two sacks and an endless stream of quietly sublime plays where his ability to do his job has freed his teammates up to do theirs.In my opinion, he can get out on the field with anybody in the National Football League and play well, LeBeau said. And I think thats what an All-Pro is, and Ive said that repeatedly.Even if Timmons rarely says anything at all. There is a thankless quality that comes with playing inside linebacker for the Steelers, where the outside LBs are the ones who rack up the game-turning sacks and serve as the de facto intimidators, a lineage that stretches from James Harrison to Joey Porter to Greg Lloyd to Jack Ham.Timmons main responsibility is to chase down running backs or drop into coverage. Only occasionally does LeBeau allow Timmons to unleash his freakish speed on a dead sprint to the backfield. Yet theres little doubt Timmons could be among the best pass rushers in the league if let loose. Hes shown flashes while filling in on the outside at times the last few years because of injury, though its always back to the inside whenever there are enough healthy bodies around him.He just does whatever we ask him to do, even though that inside backer position was probably his best position the year that we were strapped outside with some injuries, and he went and played great outside, LeBeau said.While Pittsburghs defence is no longer the force it was a few years ago, the Steelers have improved steadily against the run since early in the season. They are one of six teams to allow fewer than 100 yards rushing on average and are 6-0 in their last six games when opponents fail to reach 100 yards on the ground.The improvement has as much to do with Timmons role in helping the young guys around him figure out what theyre supposed to be doing as it does his textbook tackling. Consider the next four inside linebackers behind Timmons on the depth chart — Shazier, Williams, Spence and Arthur Moats — began the season with five years of NFL experience combined.Hes somebody you turn to, said Spence, who is playing regularly for the first time after missing 2012 and 2013 with a devastating knee injury. Hes so productive and he knows whats expected here. You ask him a question and he always knows the answer.And he knows how to prioritize. In typical fashion, he downplayed the biggest individual achievement of his career. And given a choice, Timmons hopes hes busy playing for a seventh Steelers title instead of hanging out in paradise.Ill take the Super Bowl, Timmons said with a smile.___Freelance writer Dale Grdnic in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.___AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cameron Meredith Saints Jersey . 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Attacking on offence early and often, the Penguins topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night as Jussi Jokinen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series. Pittsburgh peppered Sergei Bobrovsky with 50 shots on goal, keeping the Blue Jackets goalie busy all night. "We competed hard," Crosby said. "We played desperate and really aggressive. Thats the game we have to play. Its not always going to result in 50 shots, but its our style of play." Chris Kunitz had a power-play goal and Kris Letang scored into an empty net for Pittsburgh, which has the upstart Blue Jackets on the verge of elimination with an opportunity to close out the series Monday during Game 6 in Columbus. "Their coach challenged them and they responded," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. "Now, we have to do the same thing on Monday." It hasnt been easy for the Penguins, a team considered by many a Stanley Cup contender. Columbus, which began the series searching for its first playoff win in franchise history, twice rallied to stun the heavily favoured Penguins and outshot Pittsburgh three of the previous four games this series. Boone Jenner scored the lone goal for Columbus, which played its first Game 5 in franchise history. "I dont think anybody in this room would say theyre uncomfortable going into the next game," Blue Jackets forward Ryan Johansen said. "Like weve been saying, all the guys, we believe we can get this done." Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury recovered from a game-changing gaffe in Game 4 for the victory on Saturday, making 23 saves. Fleury is 4-1 in his last five games after a playoff overtime loss. "He was solid," Crosby said. "He showed his experience tonight." Bobrovsky stopped 48 shots for the Blue Jackets. "They were going to the net hard and obviously it was something they talked about, to make it hard on Bobrovsky," Richards said. "Its how they wanted to play the game." Crosby and Malkin, despite playing on the same line and combining for eight shots, still havent scored through five playoff games, but the message was sent. "I think we went into the game with a good idea that we were going to see that," Bylsma said. "With the matchup, we were able to give those guys a good opportunity to play together and be a force." Crosby, who led the league in scoriing with 104 points, hasnt scored in his last 10 playoff games overall, while Malkin has gone nine without a goal. Custom Saints Jerseys. Richards hopes to extend the goal-less drought another game. "I have the last change, so its something I can possibly control a little bit better," Richards said. "But it makes for something different when you see (Crosby) and (Malkin) on the same line." The teams were tied at 1 entering the third, but Jokinen touched a backhand rebound past Bobrovsky along the far post 6:16 into the period. Letang scored an empty-netter with 1:01 to play to seal it. A 3-1 lead appeared to be a kiss of death for the team leading in the first four games of the series. Not on Saturday. Both sides endured wild momentum swings through the first four games, all decided by a 4-3 margin where the winning team rallied from a 3-1 deficit every time for the first time in league history. The Penguins twice had an opportunity to take a two-game lead in the series, while Columbus put Pittsburgh in a two-goal hole two times, only to come up short. The Penguins were seconds away from taking a 3-1 lead during the best-of-seven series in Game 5 when Fleury misplayed a puck behind the net, leading to Brandon Dubinskys tying goal that forced overtime and Nick Folignos innocent-looking wrist shot from the blue line that evaded Fleury and evened the series. Fleury, who was benched during Pittsburghs run to the conference finals last year, responded Saturday. "I think dealing with the pressure that he has, he was able to turn the page pretty quickly," Crosby said. "Thats what he needs to do, especially in the playoffs." Jenner helped the Blue Jackets score first Saturday with a power-play goal midway through the opening period. Fleury sprawled to cover a rebound at the top of the crease, but the puck came loose and Jenner jammed a shot home along the near post. Kunitz tied it with a second-period power-play goal, corralling a bouncing rebound in front of the net and backhanding it past Bobrovsky. Jokinens goal in the third put the Blue Jackets on the brink. "I expect nothing other than what theyve done all year, to respond," Richards said. NOTES: The NHL announced a 7 p.m. start for Game 6 in Columbus. ... Penguins D Brooks Orpik missed the game with an undisclosed injury. ... Penguins F Brian Gibbons (undisclosed) was out for a third straight game. ... Marcel Goc returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh after missing four games with a foot injury. ... 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