Jerry Olsavsky appreciates 'professionalism' that Vince Williams brought to Steelers defense

For the past eight seasons, Jerry Olsavsky could count on Vince Williams’ presence on the football field and his emerging leadership off it.

Olsavsky was a defensive assistant in Williams’ first two seasons before he was promoted to inside linebackers coach. As he enters his seventh season in that role with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Olsavsky for the first time doesn’t have Williams in his position meetings.

Williams’ sudden retirement last week after eight seasons impacted Olsavsky perhaps more than any other coach on Mike Tomlin’s staff.

“Not having him around is going to be real tough for me,” Olsavsky said Thursday. “Hopefully, he prepared me, and I can take some of his professionalism and keep it going.”

Williams and Olsavsky were similar style players — hard-hitting tacklers who excelled on special teams and overcame their status as late-round draft picks to enjoy lengthy NFL careers. Olsavsky, drafted in the 10th round in 1989, played 10 NFL seasons, including nine with the Steelers. Williams lasted eight seasons after entering the NFL as a sixth-round pick. Nobody drafted after Williams in 2013 had a longer career.

Olsavsky said Williams epitomized one of Tomlin’s best-known cliches: The standard is the standard.

“Vince is the guy underneath the standard like this with his arms, holding up the standard,” he said, spreading his arms and lifting them in the air for effect. “That’s who Vince Williams is.”

Added Olsavsky: “People like Vince don’t play for money. People like Vince play so they can walk around and have people say, ‘There is Vince Williams. He was a hell of a football player.’ And you say, ‘Thank you, I got more out of the game than I gave to the game.

“That is what a Vince Williams is.”

When news of Williams’ retirement broke, Olsavsky sent a text message that expressed his appreciation for Williams’ contributions over the past eight seasons.

“It said, ‘Hey, thanks for being a great example to the young guys and thanks for being a true professional,’ ” Olsavsky said. “When I call somebody a true professional, I’m really talking about a professional like a lawyer or doctor. That’s what Vince Williams was. He was and always will be a true professional on the field. He went out there to win for his team, and he was amazing.”