Vince Williams and Devin Bush Get the Nod from Keith Butler

By: CJ Lester, @CJLester58

SteelerNation.com

It’s no secret now who will be starting at inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. According to Steelers.com, Keith Butler stated earlier yesterday afternoon in a Zoom call “(Devin Bush) and Vince (Williams) will be playing inside linebacker for us this year.” I mean we all assumed those two would be the starters this season. Butler went on to make a statement about Bush:

“Of course, you want Devin to make a good jump for us this year, and I think he will because things won’t be new to him. He has done it before, and we’re going to expect more out of him. We’re going to want him to help make calls and get the communication down, and we think he’s capable of doing that. We think he’s really going to come alive for us this year. He played well for us last year as a rookie, but once you’ve been there and seen the game a little bit, he knows the speed of the game, he knows what we’re going to call for the most part. He’s got an idea of what we’re going to expect of him. We’re hopeful he’s going to have a good year for us.” (Steelers.com)

It sounds to me that Butler, like every Steelers’ fan, is expecting a huge year from 2^nd year linebacker Bush. Butler isn’t wrong. Bush had a coming out party for the Steelers in 2019! The linebacker, who the Steelers traded up 10 spots in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to get, totaled 109 total tackles, 72 solo tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits, 4 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, a forced fumble, 4 fumble recoveries, and a touchdown. Bush was all over the place last season! As for Williams, we have high expectations for him as a starter for this defense as well. Butler also referenced Williams in the same Zoom call:

“Because he’s a great communicator,” was the response Butler gave on the why of Vince Williams.

Butler also referenced communication being an issue when anything went wrong with the defense last season. Even though the defense finished top 5 in every major defensive statistical category, it sounds like Butler is looking for improvement and that is the Steelers mentality. The defensive coordinator talked about how Williams excels in the area of communicating. I am excited for the year Bush and Williams will have for the Steelers this season. The last season Williams was a full-time starter, in 2018, he totaled 76 total tackles, 50 solo tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 10 QB hits, 4.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 1 interception, and 1 touchdown. The year before that, in 2017, he totaled 89 total tackles, 69 solo tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 14 QB hits, 8 sacks, and a pass defense. The inside linebacker is fully capable of stuffing a stat sheet and helping the defense communicate more effectively. To add to that, he is an incredible threat to get to the QB as well! More pressure on the opponent’s QB is always a great thing. It looks like Williams is motivated to get to the QB more this season!

What are your expectations for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ inside linebacker duo this coming season? Sound off in the comments section below, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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