By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Steelers linebacker James Farrior has a team-high 127 tackles (86 solo) and 3.5 sacks
When inside linebacker Larry Foote was a rookie in 2002, he reported to training camp weighing 230 pounds. It didn't take him long to realize he wasn't big enough to play his position in the NFL, not when he had to take on 330-pound guards and running backs who were bigger than him.
"I tried to get real heavy when I saw how big the guys were," Foote said. "I tried to get big. I went up to 245 pounds. I was real big."
Turns out, actually too big. The added weight made Foote slower, even sluggish, he said. So he got back down to his original playing weight of 230 -- light for inside standards -- and has settled there for most of his career.
But 218 pounds?
That's what James Farrior, Foote's partner at inside linebacker, weighed Dec. 7 against the Dallas Cowboys. Farrior might have been even lighter for the 13-9 victory Sunday in Baltimore, except he said he missed the weigh-in last week and didn't know his exact weight.
But, to satisfy his curiosity -- and that of his questioner -- Farrior walked over to an electronic scale in the locker room and jumped on, still wearing some of his practice gear.
The scale read 228.2, which Farrior said equated to about 220 pounds, considering his added clothing.
"This is the thinnest he's ever been," Foote said. "He's too thin. He has to get to at least 225 pounds. The year we won the Super Bowl, we were both down in low 220s by the end of the season. It's amazing when you look at how thin he is."
What's amazing is not that Farrior is more than 15 pounds lighter than he was in 2004, the season he went to his first Pro Bowl. Rather it is that Farrior still plays with the same aggressive, hard-hitting style, throwing his 33-year-old body into the middle of the line and taking on running backs such as Baltimore's Le'Ron McClain, who outweighs him by nearly 40 pounds.
With two games remaining, Farrior has a team-high 127 tackles (86 solo) and 3.5 sacks, numbers that already exceed his total from the 2004 season. What's more, he is headed back to the Pro Bowl, one of three players from the NFL's No. 1 defense to be honored.
And he is doing it at a weight that makes him more like a strong safety -- Troy Polamalu weighs 215 pounds -- than a linebacker. At least one in the mold of most inside linebackers, a position once manned in the Steelers' defense by 280-pound Levon Kirkland.
Even some of Farrior's teammates were surprised.
"Two-eighteen?" said outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, sounding incredulous when he discovered Farrior's weight. "Well, he doesn't play like 218. Whatever weight he brings, even if he's 200 pounds, as long as he brings it."
"Man, he's got that old-man strength," said nose tackle Casey Hampton. "He hits hard. His head is hard. There's something about how he hits."
"He plays hard-nosed, smashmouth football," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "That's exactly how he wants it. He wants the guys to come punch him in the face because he's that type of guy. He's rock solid everywhere. He plays much bigger than his weight."
It is not a weighty issue with Farrior.
He reported to training camp this year weighing 230 pounds, which was 13 pounds lighter than the weight at which he played last season. But, as the season has worn on, he slowly has lost more weight -- not by design, he said, but because he doesn't always eat a lot during the season.
"During the week, after I go home from practice, I really don't feel that hungry like I usually do," Farrior said. "I feel fine. If I keep it close to 220, I feel I can work with that. It's not a big issue for me."
It isn't an issue for defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, either, not with the way Farrior has performed in his 12th NFL season.
"I just go by what I see on video; I don't pay attention to weight," LeBeau said. "He seems big enough. Look at our numbers against the run. Our backers have to play well against the run or we wouldn't have those numbers."
"He's the quarterback of our defense," said cornerback Deshea Townsend. "He understands where to put everybody and he plays hard. That's the thing you can't underestimate: how he plays with no regard for his body. He'll stick it in anywhere."
Of course, the one area where Farrior isn't lighter is in the wallet.
He signed a five-year, $18 million contract before the season, a surprising deal for a player who will be 34 Jan. 6. But he certainly justified the big contract with another Pro Bowl season, this one more satisfying than the other.
"I think I worked hard all year," Farrior said. "I really didn't make the splash plays like I did [in 2004]; it really wasn't that type of year. It's more of a consistent year, just playing well every week. Being in my 12th year is a big accomplishment for me."
First published on December 19, 2008 at 12:00 am
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