HE'S IN A FARR BETTER PLACE NOW

By BRIAN COSTELLO
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com
Posted: 2:19 am
January 28, 2009

TAMPA - James Farrior remembers the doubters. He remembers the people who thought the Jets blew it by trading out of the top spot in the 1997 draft and taking him with the eighth pick.

Now, as the Steelers linebacker goes for his second Super Bowl title those questions and criticisms seem like ancient history.


STEELY RESOLVE: He was a bust with the Jets after being taken eighth in the 1997 draft, but James Farrior has blossomed at inside linebacker in Pittsburgh.

"I feel like coming to the Pittsburgh Steelers was like a rebirth for me," Farrior said yesterday at media day for Super Bowl XLIII. "I feel like the Steelers allowed me to do some of the things I always thought I could do. I always thought I could be a playmaker and make plays in the NFL. I never doubted my ability. It was just me getting the opportunity and being given a chance. I love it here and I think it's a perfect fit for me."

Farrior is one of the Steelers' captains and led the team with 133 tackles this season. The 34-year-old has gotten better with age, and the Steelers rewarded him last August with a five-year, $18.5 million contract that included a $5 million signing bonus.

"(He means) everything," defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. "He's our leader. He's our captain. He calls every signal out there, never misses a snap. He's a great inspiration for all of us. We wouldn't be half of what we are without James Farrior."

It's hard to believe no one but the Steelers wanted him when he became a free agent after the 2001 season. He visited Buffalo, which chose London Fletcher over him, and Cleveland, who went with Earl Holmes. The JetsNew York Jets ? They had seen enough of Farrior, which never lived up to his first-round billing.

The Steelers met with Farrior partly out of a favor to his Pittsburgh-based agent. They took a chance on him and switched his position. With the Jets, he played outside linebacker. He began by playing on the line of scrimmage under defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, and struggled. Herm Edwards moved him off the ball in his 4-3 and he had success in 2001, but not enough for the Jets to keep him.

"[The Steelers] were the only team that wanted to pay me, so it was pretty much the only opportunity I had," said Farrior, who's moved to inside linebacker in Pittsburgh. "I definitely feel like it resurrected my career. I really feel like I'm playing my best football right now and I don't think I could be playing like this anywhere else."

Most of the attention on the Steelers defense goes to outside linebacker James Harrison or safety Troy Polamalu. But if you talk to Farrior's teammates, they credit him as being the glue that holds them together.

"He's the one out there when you've got those backs running through the middle making those big-time hits," outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley said. "For a guy that's been around the league so long to still play at that high level you can't ask for anything more than that."

In hindsight, the Jets' decision to let Farrior walk looks foolish. They signed Sam Cowart to replace him, who lasted three seasons with the team and is now out of football. Things worked out for Farrior, who doesn't harbor any ill will toward the Jets.

"I just think it was a business decision," Farrior said. "If they feel like they're going to get a better player for cheaper, then they're going to try to do that. I definitely don't have any hard feelings about the situation. I always thought it was business first."

brian.costello@nypost.com