It was just a matter of time until Steeler linebacker LaMarr Woodley made his mark in the NFL.

But should success in just his second year be that unexpected? After all, this is a guy whose fans at Michigan made a shirt for him that read, "Guns don't kill people. LaMarr Woodley kills people."

Then there was this little fact. As a defensive end for the Wolverines in 2006, the 6-feet-2, 270-pound Woodley posted 36 tackles, 12 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles. It garnered him the Lombardi Award, which is given to the nation's top lineman.

So impressive were the stats that Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau liked what he saw, and the Steelers, surprised he was still there, drafted Woodley in the second round.

The rest, you might say, is part of Steeler linebacking history.

"The first time that we played a preseason game during his rookie year, he took a tight end on a crossing route and reached out and swatted the ball out," LeBeau said. "I turned to Coach (Keith) Butler, our linebackers coach, and I said 'we are in business.' "

Yes, Woodley's transformation from lineman to linebacker was complete.

"We are willing to take a chance. We have had players like Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd and Levon Kirkland who were down linemen, but they played pretty good for us as linebackers," LeBeau added. "They got a lot of pressure, yet they could still handle the space requirements. LaMarr is going to get a lot better at that. I only wish I could give you a magic formula for what we have done with him."

While teammate and linebacker James Harrison was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Woodley seemed to feed off his play.

"They have a friendly competition going on out there on the field," fellow linebacker James Farrior said. "If one gets a sack the other wants one."

Woodley ended the year with 60 total tackles, 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception. He returned a fumble for a touchdown.

The last four games of the year though, he struggled. Many wondered if the first-year starter had hit a wall.

"Once you're in that first year as a starter, you hit that wall a little bit," Harrison said. "But then, we had a little time off, he got rejuvenated and came in and played like he had all year."

Rejuvenated may be an understatement. Against San Diego in the Divisional Round, Woodley recorded two sacks and three tackles for loss. Then in the AFC Championship game against Baltimore, he had two more sacks and seven tackles.

In the process, he set an NFL record by becoming the first player to record three consecutive multi-sack playoff games. He had two against Jacksonville last year.

"Growing up, you know a little about the Pittsburgh linebackers and the tradition. That's what their defense has always been built on — the linebackers," Woodley said. "You hear about some of the great names. Kevin Greene, Jason Gildon, Greg Lloyd, Jack Ham, you hear about those names. If you're here playing on this team, you know one thing, you would like to be mentioned as one of those top linebackers like they're still remembered."

For a day at least on Tuesday, it was time for memories, as media day, a time for players to enjoy some time off from the rigors of football and answer loads of questions from the reporters, took place.

"You know, today is an exciting day. It's hot. … I'll tell you that," he said. "I'm not used to this weather. But being on the plane ride down here was exciting. Every guy on there has a video camera. Everybody's talking and throwing pillows on the plane. I think that was definitely one of the most exciting moments for me so far."

But come Sunday, it will be all business.

"We've still got one more game," he said. "I have confidence in this team. We've been playing hard all year long. We lost a few games, but we bounced back. A lot of people didn't think we were going to do anything with it, but we proved a lot of people wrong."