Timmons expected to be a real ironman

Five gems you might not know about former Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who recently signed a two-year free-agent deal with the Dolphins:

■ He’s a regular ironman: The Dolphins ought to get their $12 million worth out of him.

T i mmons r a r e l y c a me o f f the field in Pittsburgh. When he played all 65 snaps against the Dolphins in their wild-card game, it was no aberration. He also played every snap against the Chiefs (59) and Patriots (74) in the playoffs. Timmons was, however, loafing on Christmas Day against the Ravens, playing a mere 73 of 75 snaps (97 percent).

Overall, Timmons ranked third in the NFL in snaps played by a linebacker in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, trailing only Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright of Seattle.

■ The Joey Porter connection: When Timmons says it’s “fitting” that he joins the Dolphins and that he’s “from here,” he (sort of ) means it.

Strictly speaking, Timmons is a South Carolina guy — born there, went to high school there — but his career path has long led to Florida.

Timmons was drafted in the first round (15th overall) by the Steelers out of Florida State in 2007.

The reason the Steelers went for a linebacker that season: They’d just lost Joey Porter — who signed with the Dolphins as a free agent. Porter went on to play three seasons in Miami and made the Pro Bowl in 2008.

Timmons, meanwhile, was on Miami Beach watching the draft with his family and agent. And he was only 20 years old at the time.

Timmons, who will turn 31 in May, appears to have spent considerable time in South Florida over the years — Dolphins center Mike Pouncey said he’s a friend.

■ Draft stock questioned: S h o u l d T i mmons h ave b e e n drafted higher? L ower? That depends on whom and what you believe. Reports at the time said Timmons’ status dropped when he measured a tad taller that 6 feet, not the 6-3 listed on the Seminoles’ roster.

But more attention focused on his speed. Although he was a high school sprinter, Timmons was timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40.

“When I didn’t run a 4.4 like I was supposed to, a lot of teams said, ‘You don’t have the speed we thought you did,’” Timmons told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review in 2010. “Some teams backed off me right there.

“I don’t think it’s fair for teams to go off a 40 when you’ve got cameras on you and it’s like a Hollywood movie scene. Teams judge you that one time. Your tape should explain it all.”

■ Rookie season questioned: Upon reaching the NFL level, questions cropped up fairly quickly over whether he’d be a bust. Timmons made 13 tackles as a rookie, but he injured his groin in rookie minicamp and never seemed to make up for lost time. At one point, it was thought he’d suffered a sports hernia.

■ Timmons answers doubters: Judge for yourself if Timmons was a bust. In 2014, he made 90 tackles, had two sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro.

Is he fast enough? Over 10 seasons, he has averaged 95 tackles. He also has 35.5 sacks, 12 interceptions, 13 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.

And what about durability? He has streaks of 120 games played and 101 starts — longest active streaks among NFL linebackers.