Cook: Steelers' Foote finds his greener pastures
-
Steelers linebacker Larry Foote.
Share with others:
It was, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said this week, "one of the best and happiest days of my life." Aug. 7? Absolutely. That was the night he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. May 21, 2009? Of course. The Steelers visited the White House and President Barack Obama singled him out by name. Feb. 1, 2009? You bet. The Steelers survived the Arizona Cardinals to win Super Bowl XLIII. Feb. 5, 2006? Sure. The Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks to become Super Bowl XL champions.
All were huge days for LeBeau in his magical football career. But he was talking about another day -- March 15. That was the day the Steelers re-signed inside linebacker Larry Foote.
"He's a plus -- on and off the field," LeBeau said. "He's special -- on and off the field."
LeBeau's respect for Foote is understandable; Foote had a starring role in the two Super Bowl wins. It is especially understandable this week; Foote carried the load for injured linebacker LaMarr Woodley against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, making one of the game's big plays when he stopped running back Ronnie Brown for no gain on a third-and-1 play from midfield early in the fourth quarter.
"Larry Foote did what Larry Foote does," LeBeau said.
It was the biggest of Foote's six tackles in the game. He took over at inside linebacker in the base defense after Woodley's hamstring injury in the second quarter, bumping Lawrence Timmons to Woodley's outside spot. He also had their only sack when he got to quarterback Chad Henne in the third quarter.
"He's been waiting for his chance to show that he's still got it," inside linebacker James Farrior said.
Point proved.
That's why the Steelers brought Foote back after he spent a season with the Detroit Lions, signing him to a three-year, $9.3 million contract, including a $1.8 million bonus. It's not just that he's one of their more respected veterans, an emotional leader along the lines of former linebacker Joey Porter. He still can play and knows LeBeau's complicated defense inside out.
That knowledge enabled Foote to make that third-and-1 play even though he busted the technique. He took a gamble and sliced behind pulling guard Richie Incognito to tackle Brown because he knew where his gap control help was.
First Published October 29, 2010 12:00 am
