http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday officially concludes the 13th NFL training camp for Steelers defensive captain James Farrior.
Thirteen sweltering summers featuring uncomfortable dorm-room beds, two-a-day practices, goal-line drills and vague remembrances of countless players whose names he can't quite place.
This is Farrior's eighth training camp with the Steelers. He's been coming to St. Vincent College in Latrobe for so long, he can't tell one camp from the other."It's pretty much the same,'' said Farrior, who was the New York Jets' first-round pick in 1997 before joining the Steelers as a free agent five years later. "These are the dog days of the season that you have to go through to evaluate your team and evaluate the type of personality you're going to have.
"The main thing for me is being around these young guys. Being around that young energy keeps you going.''
How long has Farrior, 34, been around football? He's the only current Steelers player old enough to have faced coach Mike Tomlin as a player when the two were in college -- Farrior at Virginia, Tomlin at William & Mary.
Farrior has seen it all and done it all. He's the go-to guy on the Steelers if you want to get an accurate reading of his team's pulse. He doesn't avoid the truth, even when it hurts.
Farrior speaks excitedly about the young players attempting to earn a roster spot for the first time. He said Tomlin told the team this week that those young players don't want to make the mistake of falling behind and losing their focus and perhaps a chance to stick around.
"Learning the playbook and being where they're supposed to be is going to be the main key for the young boys,'' Farrior said.
Those young players are the future of the Steelers. But veterans such as Farrior remain the glue of the team.
"We've got a lot of older guys that know what it takes,'' Farrior said. "The older guys showing their confidence is going to spill down to the young guys. We've always been a prideful group. We're always going out there, trying to be the best. That's our attitude every year.''
Farrior will not only go down as one of the finest linebackers in Steelers history -- which is saying a lot -- he'll also conclude his career as one of the best linebackers of his generation.
Farrior is Ray Lewis without the hype. Baltimore's Lewis never met an accolade he didn't embellish to describe his play. Nice guys such as Farrior finish last in terms of the publicity they receive.
Not only has Farrior won two Super Bowls, which is one more than Lewis, he's started three AFC Championship Games, played in two Pro Bowls and has led the Steelers in tackles five times.
Not to mention being the proud survivor of 13 training camps.
"My body feels good, probably the best shape I've been in for a while,'' he said. "The rest that Mike has been giving the older guys (in camp), it's really helping me out and keeping my legs fresh. Being an older guy, you've to take it one stride at a time. I'm right where I want to be.''
No comments:
Post a Comment