Manish Mehta, Jets reporter for the New York Daily News, joined The Fan Morning Show Monday to discuss what the Steelers are getting in Avery Williamson. He says he's very effective…you just have to know how to use him.
"He's a really solid guy. He's always been a team leader.
You never have to worry about any issues in the locker room, off the field.
The big concern with Avery Williamson is you do have to deploy him the right way. Against the run, absolutely terrible. He was a tackling machine in Tennessee, things didn't really change with the Jets.
The issue is, if you put him in coverage, you could see some problems. I don't know how the Steelers plan on deploying him. He's not Devin Bush, he's not the same type of player. He's utilized best in the box, in run support. In many ways, that's why the Titans didn't re-sign him a few years ago. They viewed him as a two-down linebacker."
Mehta says that he can adjust to whatever you ask him to do, though.
"Whatever you ask him to do, he will be able to do fairly quickly within his physical capabilities. Again, if you are going to make him a coverage linebacker, you will be disappointed. That's just the bottom line.
Tennessee felt that way when he was 25, now he's 28 years old and he's coming off an ACL injury so he hasn't gotten better in coverage.
Now look, he takes a lot of pride in being a well-rounded player.
He's an extremely intelligent football player. Those qualities, they don't erode with time. He's as solid as it comes from a football acumen standpoint.
So if you want him to do things slightly differently than he did in Tennessee or the two different systems he played with the Jets, he can adapt. But there are some physical limitations.
Again, if you're looking for coverage help at linebacker, I don't necessarily think he'll solve your problems."
