Foote steps in as if Farrior was still on the field
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Steelers inside linebacker Larry Foote received the highest of praise from the man he replaced Sunday against the New England Patriots.
"It was like I was out there," James Farrior said.
Don't get the wrong idea. Farrior wasn't being an egomaniac as much as he was taking a playful jab at Foote, his best friend on the team. But his words had plenty of validity.
It's not so much what Foote did after the ball was snapped to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, although he played every play and had a big part in holding the New England offense to 213 yards in a 25-17 victory. That he was so solid came as no surprise. He proved long ago he's a quality NFL linebacker. He started every game for the Steelers from 2004-08, including Super Bowl XL and XLIII. He played the '09 season with his hometown Detroit Lions before re-joining the Steelers before last season.
It's what Foote did before the snap that was impressive. As Farrior's fill-in, he had to make all of the defensive calls and make sure his teammates were lined up correctly for each play. "When you're not used to doing it, it can be tough," Farrior said. "But he made all of the calls and all of the adjustments. He did an excellent job."
The big victory and Foote's performance made it a little easier for Farrior to miss the game, ending a streak of 93 consecutive regular-season starts dating to November 2005. He is out with a torn calf and could miss a home game Sunday night against Baltimore and a game Nov. 13 at Cincinnati before the open week. It's likely Foote will remain the team's main man in the middle.
"I'll never be compared to 51," Foote said of Farrior, the team's unquestioned leader on the field and in the locker room. "I'm not even going to try to be him. I just wanted to go out and earn the respect of my teammates and show them I could lead this defense."
There didn't appear to be any blown coverages by a Steelers secondary that played a marvelous game. Brady completed only one pass longer than 19 yards and finished with 198 passing yards. There also didn't appear to be any missed assignments in the run defense. Running back Kevin Faulk's 9-yard run late in the second quarter off of a direct snap was the longest in a game when the Patriots had 43 rushing yards.
First Published November 1, 2011 12:00 am
