New York Post
http://www.nypost.com
January 22, 2011
PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 12: Reggie Kelly #82 of the Cincinnati Bengals is hit by James Farrior #51 of the Pittsburgh Steelers after catching a pass during the game on December 12, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.(Getty Images)PITTSBURGH -- Former Giants linebacker Carl Banks was the Jets director of player development when James Farrior was Bill Parcells' first-round draft choice in 1997.
Though expectations were high that Farrior would have a good career, even Banks couldn't have imagined the success and longevity Farrior has enjoyed.
"He's done a great job of maximizing his potential," said Banks, whose job then was to help players get acclimated to being a professional on and off the field. "For a guy that has played as long as he has, no one thought he'd be able to last. Everyone thought he was an undersized kid."
Farrior (6-foot-2, 243 pounds) is completing his 14th NFL season and at age 36 is as important to the Steelers defensive identity as Troy Polamalu or James Harrison. He left the Jets via free agency after five seasons, having played in the 1998 AFC Championship game in Denver. Yet, there were no real tears when he signed with the Steelers.
Hindsight might suggest the Jets made a mistake by letting Farrior walk. But truth is, Farrior was born to be a Steeler.
Farrior was an outside linebacker with the Jets, a position he played for Parcells, then Al Groh, then Herm Edwards. Pittsburgh made Farrior an inside linebacker, which takes advantage of his speed, instincts and love for contact to make an impact play after play.
"I think more than anything is that he is tremendously blessed," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "I don't think playing 14 years in the NFL is something anyone can plan or prepare for. He is extremely talented, mentally and physically. But he has been blessed to stay injury free."
Because of tomorrow's opponent in the AFC Championship game, Farrior has been asked about his early years with the Jets. He has nothing bad to say about his tenure.
"I am so far removed from being with the Jets," he said, "I really don't even think about it anymore."
And why should he? He's hoping to win his third Super Bowl ring in five years, and the Jets are simply an obstacle that must be eliminated.
"We haven't reached our goal yet," Farrior said. "Our goal at the beginning of the season was to win a championship. Until you get to that point you've got to stay hungry. That's what we're in it for."
To win tomorrow, Farrior knows the Steelers must do a better job against the Jets running game than they did last month, when Gang Green rushed for 106 yards en route to a 22-17 win at Heinz Field. It was the most rushing yards allowed all season by the Steelers, whose average yield of 62.8 was the third lowest in NFL history since the 1970 merger.
"They executed better than us that day," Farrior said. "Not a lot of teams are willing to stick with the run the whole game. But they were able to get into some manageable situations on third down where we were in a nickel defense. We're going to have to do a better job on first and second down this time around and force them into some third-and-long situations."
The Steelers defense led the NFL in at least eight categories this season and finished second in total yards allowed. But Farrior isn't ready to rank it among the best he has played on, much less in franchise history.
"I think it's a pretty good group. I think we have a lot of potential," he said, sounding as if the season just started. "We still have games ahead of us. You can't rank it with other defenses because we won championships with those defenses. So we'll have to hold off with that assessment until after the season."
A season he hopes doesn't end against his old team at Heinz Field.
george.willis@nypost.com
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