Groh is 'excited' about a lot of things
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
December 20, 2004

Virginia coach Al Groh was adamant on Saturday about talking about the future.

The past, well, it is the past.

Virginia’s three losses this season to Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech are in the rearview mirror.

And while those losses kept Virginia from earning a Bowl Championship Series bid or even a date in the Gator or Peach bowls, Groh is focused on winning a third straight bowl game, something that has not been done in the program’s history.

The immediate future for Groh and the Cavaliers includes a date with Fresno State on Dec. 27 in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho.

“There are a lot of people who want to set a negative agenda on this, but internally we’ve set our own agenda,” Groh said. “We’ve got a chance to win nine games, one of the few Virginia teams to do that. We have a chance to have one of the highest rankings Virginia’s ever had. Those are worthwhile things to get excited about.”

Groh may have a few other things to be “excited” about.

Left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson told reporters on Saturday that he was coming back for a senior season at Virginia.

“I’m definitely coming back,” Ferguson said.

The junior’s stock for the NFL has risen as fast as his weight. As a freshman, Ferguson started all 14 games despite weighing only 250 pounds. Ferguson now weighs 295.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper had projected Ferguson as a top 15 draft pick in this year’s draft.

Ferguson isn’t expected to be the only draft-eligible Virginia player to return next year.

Linebacker Darryl Blackstock, a junior, is planning on returning as well.

“Everybody keeps asking me where I’m going, what I’m going to do,” Blackstock said. “I tell everybody the same answer: I’m going to keep you guessing.”

Blackstock offered a clue that said it all.

“I won’t be wearing [jersey No.] 56, the next game. I’ll be wearing No. 1,” Blackstock said. “I don’t plan on wearing it for one game.”

Since the NFL does not allow linebackers to wear a single-digit number, Blackstock is considered a lock for returning for a senior season.

Wide receiver Ron Morton had been wearing No. 1 this season, but Blackstock said he and Groh picked the number during a meeting last Monday.

Blackstock’s fellow linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who is a sophomore but draft eligible, skipped an interview session on Saturday. Blackstock said that Brooks is leaning towards returning to the program.

While Blackstock and Ferguson were forthcoming, tight end Heath Miller offered little on his decision.

“I’m not going to talk about it now,” Miller said. “I’m just focused on our next game.”

Miller was named a first-team AP All-American and won the Mackey Award, given annually to the top collegiate tight end.

Groh said that Snelling’s injury was comparable to the injury that former UVa tailback Antoine Womack suffered in the 2000 season-opener at Wisconsin.

“I think it was probably close to being similar to the injury that Womack had a couple of years ago even though it didn’t look as dramatic. But the damage inside was similar to it,” Groh said. “Those are long-term things unfortunately.”

Snelling has 21 carries for 143 yards on the season and scored one touchdown.

Jonathan Stupar, a redshirt freshman, will travel with the team to the game, but will not play. Stupar injured his foot during the preseason practice period, returned for the Florida State and Duke game, but reinjured his foot, ending his season.

News & notes. The Cavaliers will depart for Boise late Tuesday night after exams are completed. Groh said over 50 players have exams on Tuesday. … Defensive end Chris Canty, who was lost for the season with a knee injury against Syracuse, will not make the bowl trip with the team. “The NCAA prevents us from doing that,” Groh said. “We can take boosters, coaches’ children and people who work in the ticket office. We can take them, but because a player was injured and wasn’t able to continue in school he is not able to go with the team even though he has got his degree.

“That one makes sense.”

Mark of a champ
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
December 19, 2004

So much has been written about Vicqual Hall’s storied career at Gretna High School, that even his coach, Rob Senseney, had a difficult time when asked to sum up the deeds of his senior quarterback, the number-two player on The Gold List.

“I don’t know if anything you can say or write would do him justice,” Senseney said. “Vic has meant so much to this program and this community that I don’t think you can put it in words.”

Perhaps, then, we can put it in numbers.

Hall, who is headed to the University of Virginia, has posted staggering statistics over his career at Gretna. His 13,770 total yards are the fifth-most in national high school history and easily surpassed the state record of 11,519 by former Hampton star Ronald Curry.

The 18-year-old also broke the state record for career passing touchdowns with 104 (breaking Curry’s old mark of 89), career passing yards with 8,731 (again, breaking Curry’s record of 8,212) and total yards in a season with 4,852 (breaking Hall’s own record of 4,434 set in 2003). He also tied the state record with 38 TD passes in a season. Hall rushed for 1,995 yards this past season, while passing for 2,857.

“I tell people all the time that I could kick myself because I took Vic out of so many games, some at halftime, because I didn’t want him to risk injury or to make it seem like we were trying to run up the score,” Senseney said. “I know that if I had left him in, that Vic would probably have eclipsed Chris Leak and all those other guys ahead of him on the national list.”

However, the numbers that Hall is most proud of are much less glittery. Two is his favorite, as in back-to-back state championships. Then, there’s 28-0, which is the Hawks’ record over the past two seasons.

The other numbers concerning Hall that seems to concern fans is his size: 5-foot-10, 175 pounds.

Critics had questioned whether Hall could be an effective quarterback at Virginia because of a lack of height and point directly to current Cavaliers’ quarterback Marques Hagans (5-10, 211) as an example.

While Hagans has been an accurate passer, he has been criticized for his inability to win big games because of his less than impressive passing statistics. Many believe he is too short to find his receivers under a heavy rush even though UVa uses his mobility for bootlegs.

“I think I’ve heard it all, but it is common territory for a guy my size,” Hall told Jamie Oakes of the Wagononline. “People have questioned my size for a long time. I just suit up and play the game.”

Senseney doesn’t buy into the theory that Hall is too small to play quarterback at the Division I-A level either.

“If you will look back at [former Georgia Tech quarterback} Joe Hamilton, you can see what a small quarterback can do,” the Gretna coach said. “Hamilton was a legit

5-foot-9 and he started for two or three years and gave people fits.

“I think if you have the ability and willingness to work, you overcome things like that,” Senseney said. “In football you want the biggest and fastest. But the bottom line is if a kid is the best, then he’s the best.”

Hall, who has 4.5 speed, has an uncommonly strong arm and great touch for a passer. He has reminded many of those who have seen him of Curry (now a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders) and of Michael Vick (quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons). While both Curry and Vick are bigger, observers believe Hall is just as good an athlete as either of them.

Hall said that he will get a shot at quarterback, but if he can help the team early on as a wide receiver, he will do whatever the coaches ask of him to help UVa win. But he still wants that shot at quarterback.

“I think that Hagans is going to be a great kid for Vic to learn from and hopefully Hagans will tutor him and take him under his wing,” Senseney said. “Vic is a great kid and such a student of the game. I think he’s going to take to college ball like a fish to water.”

Win or lose, Tech needs the support
Commentary by Aaron McFarling

BLACKSBURG - The chant began with a little less than 3 minutes to go in the second half, after North Carolina had sent in its walk-ons to polish off an 85-51 win over Virginia Tech.

It came from the Tech student section, which was thinning out quickly. "Ti-re Bowl! Ti-re Bowl! Ti-re Bowl!"

That's the defense, at least for now. No matter what happens this basketball season, the Tech football team is still the ACC champion. Everyone else is ... well, bound for Tire Bowls and Peach Bowls.

But how long will that gridiron high linger, dulling the inevitable winter pain? Just how patient will fans be with a men's basketball team that is still growing, a team destined to be knocked around in a loaded, cutthroat league?

Make no mistake: This is the year we'll find out if Tech can be a basketball school again. And the gauge won't be found on the scoreboard, which figures to frown upon the young Hokies more often than not.

It will be found in the stands.

Nearly 10,000 fans showed up for Tech's inaugural ACC basketball game. They were fairly loud early, apathetic late. The ones who stuck around until the end gave the Hokies a polite round of applause before leaving.

Overall, not a terrible showing for the first game. But the passion was nothing close to what you're used to seeing at Lane Stadium on Saturdays, and the noise - even when the game was tight - couldn't rival most ACC arenas.

You get the feeling that a few more losses like this and some of those Tech fans will be selling their tickets on eBay, bailing out and looking forward to fall. And the fans can't do that if the Hokies are ever going to become anything more than a football school that also fields a basketball team.

In college basketball, the crowd is as big of a weapon as any soft jump shot or slick crossover dribble. A full, passionate arena provides energy to the home team, strums the road team's nerves and speaks loudly to potential recruits.

Of course, this is a two-way street. The basketball players must continue to get better and provide some hope to the spectators. Losses to VMI and a bad St. John's team don't help.

But at the same time, Tech fans need to realize that the basketball team needs them now more than the football team ever will.

"No one likes losers," said sophomore guard Zabian Dowdell, one of the cornerstones of a team that started just one senior on Sunday. "The fans are kind of spoiled with the football team. We just have to hold up our end now. It's on us to give them something to cheer about."

There is certainly some talent here. Dowdell scored 21 points and kept the Hokies close early with his deadeye outside shooting. Freshman forward Deron Washington can jump with just about anybody. Carlos Dixon is a proven scorer and leader.

But Tech's deficiencies - most notably youth and a thin presence inside - appear much too great to overcome in a conference with seven nationally ranked teams.

"I understand where we are right now," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "And I have a pretty good understanding of where we need to get - and that's not a quick fix ...

"If I'm not mistaken, it took Frank Beamer six years to become an overnight sensation."

Greenberg's in his second year. He deserves time to recruit his players and build a foundation. Tech fans must realize that the pixie dust that was sprinkled on the football team this fall has run out, and reality is sometimes painful.

"I grew up watching ACC basketball," Dowdell said. "It was like a dream to me playing today. I was out there like in Wonderland.

"But when the losses start, that feeling will go away, man."

The same holds true for many fans. How they react, and whether they keep coming, could determine the future of this program.

A hard lesson begins Tech's ACC education
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW
Dec 20, 2004
Bob Lipper
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or e-mail blipper @timesdispatch.com

BLACKSBURG Virginia Tech has a lot to learn about this ACC basketball business. Like when the team came onto the floor for final warmups before pregame introductions yesterday, the crowd welcomed it with a nice round of applause.

Not the home team.

The visiting team.

Well-intentioned hostility must be on semester break, too.

This is not to suggest the royal guests from Chapel Hill should've been greeted with Cole Field House slurs or Cameron Crazies jeers, mind you. We are talking about Virginians, after all, and they are an unfailingly polite (well, most of the time) and well-mannered species.

Especially when they haven't had something to go nuts about in just about forever and they size up one inaugural game more as experience than opportunity.

There was a time Cassell Coliseum rocked, but that time was many moons and Dell Curry jump shots ago. The building was pretty tame yesterday. So was the resistance the Hokies offered North Carolina. The Tar Heels came to town ranked fifth in the country and left 85-51 winners. They sank 64.6 percent of their shots, owned the boards - and did not resemble worldbeaters.

That says something about the opposition. The Hokies already had fallen to lackluster VMI and decimated St. John's this month, and they were not about to shock the world in this first-ever ACC outing. This wasn't Duke's football waifs trudging into Lane Stadium, you know. This was Sean May and Raymond Felton steamrolling into the Cassell. Not even a two-year low of three points from scoring leader Rashad McCants could stall this express.

The conclusion was foregone. The Hokies stayed in contention for 13 minutes by spreading the floor and grinding the clock, then faded before the inevitable onslaught. They were buried by a 33-9 Tar Heels avalanche that straddled halftime. They were limited to 36.2-percent shooting. They were outscored 10-zip by UNC's scrubs down the stretch.

They are now 0-1 in this league, and they will lose a few more.

"This was just part of the process," said Tech coach Seth Greenberg. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us. It's not like this was a shock to us. This is what it is. I understand where we are right now. I have a pretty good understanding of where we have to get to. It's not a quick fix."

UNC was playing with a roster that includes five schoolboy All-Americans. Virginia Tech was not playing with a full deck. Its best big man, Coleman Collins, is recovering from foot surgery and didn't suit up. Its fill-in starter at center was Robert Krabbendam, a late-July 6-11 Dutch import who was no deterrent against May and Jawad Williams (17 points apiece on 13-for-16 marksmanship). It has only one senior (Carlos Dixon), and its freshmen were far too skittish and undisciplined for this stage.

The lone bright spot was sophomore guard Zabian Dowdell, who was fearless and good for 21 points. It was his 3-pointer that gave Tech its fourth and final lead at 20-19 and prompted the crowd's most joyful noise. The fans quickly settled down. Dowdell stayed on the attack.

"I grew up watching ACC basketball," he said. "It's like a dream to be playing out there. I was out there, like, in wonderland, on cloud nine."

McCants was in a fog, Felton in a turnover mode (he had seven), backup big man Damion Grant in the dressing room with stomach distress ("We have a rule - if they're going to throw up, don't throw up on the coaches," Roy Williams said) - but the landing still was unpleasant for Dowdell and his buddies. The Hokies filed quietly off the floor. Their fans made a similar exit.

"They probably would've been more upbeat if we gave them something more to cheer about," Dowdell said.

Maybe down the road. Not yesterday.

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dec 20, 2004

HAIL TO THE VICTORS: Virginia's Al Groh said he's known James Madison University's Mickey Matthews for years, since "long before either one of us were coaching in the state of Virginia."
Parker Orleans

Matthews' Dukes beat Montana 31-21 for the Division I-AA football title Friday night.

Groh was out of town that night but said he got "home in time to find out what the end result of the game was, and really thought this is one of the feel-good stories in football this year: that that would happen for Mickey and his team and for James Madison University."

Matthews' son Clayton, who was paralyzed in a car wreck, has been treated at U.Va. Medical Center, and Matthews has dropped by Virginia's football offices during trips to Charlottesville.

"I do know that his son has been working for them in the [JMU] football office, so it's obviously something that Mickey and his family can share together," Groh said Saturday.

WITHIN REACH: Virginia never has won three consecutive bowl games, a drought that could end next week. The 18th-ranked Cavaliers (8-3) face Fresno State (8-3) on Dec. 27 in the MPC Computers Bowl at Boise, Idaho.

In 2001, U.Va. wasn't bowl-eligible. A year later, the Cavaliers whipped West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl. They went back to Charlotte, N.C., last season and beat Pittsburgh in the second Tire Bowl.

The Cavaliers will fly west tomorrow and return Dec. 28.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: Many U.Va. fans panicked after the Boston Globe reported Thursday that defensive coordinator Al Golden had accepted the same position at Notre Dame, but Groh said last week wasn't as stressful for him as some might have imagined.

Friday morning, though, U.Va. issued a news release in which Golden reaffirmed his commitment to Virginia.

"Because I knew the reality of things, I tried not to put an inordinate amount of time in on it or be distracted by it," Groh said. "But it's kind of like somebody running around your house putting a match to your curtains. Eventually you got to deal with it, or else the fire gets too hot. I thought a lot of it was irresponsible, [by] people more interested in creating the news than reporting on it."

Charlie Weis, Notre Dame's new coach, worked with Groh at the University of South Carolina and on three NFL staffs.

"I think it's a great opportunity for him," Groh said. "We had a long conversation [recently] about taking over a job, things that are helpful, so I know exactly what was going on [with Weis and the Notre Dame staff]. I know where Charlie's mind was. I don't have any quarrel with Charlie, I don't have any quarrel with the [Notre Dame] athletic director."

HIS OWN MAN: When he told his coach last week that he wanted to change his jersey number, junior linebacker Darryl Blackstock recalled, Groh said, "What's wrong with 56?"

Nothing's wrong with that number, Blackstock told reporters Saturday, but "I'm not Lawrence Taylor. I respect his game, I believe he's the best, I've got tons of film on him. But he earned his glory by himself . . . not through me. He's not reliving his game through me, and I'm not reliving his game through myself.

"Every time I read the paper, it was just, 'Lawrence Taylor.' Believe me, it felt good to be compared to somebody that great, but at the same time, you know, I'm still Darryl at the end of the day, and I wanted to leave my own mark."

Blackstock, who leads the ACC in sacks, will wear jersey No. 1 in the MPC Computers Bowl and, if he decides to return for his senior season, in 2005.

BACK IN THE FOLD: True freshman Philip Brown started three games at cornerback late in the regular season, but he didn't travel with the team to Blacksburg for the Nov. 27 showdown against Virginia Tech.

"Coach's decision," Groh called it after the Cavaliers' 24-10 loss at Lane Stadium. Brown used the same phrase Saturday night - he declined to elaborate - but has been practicing with the team and said he expects to make the trip to Boise.

"Me and Coach Groh, there never was any kind of animosity or heat," Brown said. "He calls me into his office just about every other day to sit and talk about life, so I'm definitely taking the necessary steps I need to move forward."

Brown struggled Nov. 13 against Miami and a week later against Georgia Tech, but he said those performances didn't hurt his confidence.

"Of course, everybody wants to go out and shine against the Miamis and Georgia Techs and schools like that, but that's just the name of the game," Brown said. "When you get on this next level, everybody's good. I like it this way, because that means that I can never fall off. I always got to work hard and keep working to get better. I like the competition. I like the fact that I didn't have the season I wanted to, because that's going to make me work twice as hard." - Jeff White
 

Virginia will bring loads of talent to MPC

The University of Virginia in Charlottesville is about 2,400 miles from Boise.

The Cavaliers' football team is worthy of a closer look.

They have a national ranking, a stellar offensive line, a bone-crushing defense, and NFL talent.
The 18th-ranked Cavaliers (8-3) face Fresno State (8-3) in the MPC Computers Bowl at noon Dec. 27 at Bronco Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN.

"Their front seven, they could probably play with some NFL teams. ... They're impressive, impressive to watch. For us to beat them, we have to go in there ready to play physical football," Fresno State starting quarterback Paul Pinegar said.
The Cavaliers placed five players on the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team — the most of any school. Virginia's only losses were to Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers played eight bowl-eligible teams. Six of those teams landed in bowl games.

"We're knocking on the door right now to really becoming one of the premier teams in the country," said Virginia senior running back Alvin Pearman, a first-team All-ACC selection.

Former NFL head coach Al Groh leads the Cavaliers. The fourth-year coach is a long-time protégé of NFL guru Bill Parcells. He worked under Parcells for 13 years in the college and pro ranks. Groh coached in two Super Bowls as Parcells' assistant, and was the head coach of the New York Jets in 2000.
"This whole season has been an exciting one. But really from the moment coach Groh decided to be the coach here, he has done an incredible job of evolving the whole mentality of the players, fans (and) student body to a winning one,” Pearman said.

On the field, the Cavaliers boast tight end Heath Miller. The junior, who is described by his coach as an NFL prospect, recently received the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end.

Sophomore Ahmad Brooks is one of Virginia’s ferocious linebackers. He was the youngest finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker. His father, Perry, played for the Washington Redskins.

“I’ve been around the game my entire life. I’m 22 years old. All I’ve ever really known is football, and Ahmad Brooks is the best athlete that I’ve ever seen, period,” Pearman said.

The Cavaliers’ offensive line is anchored by 6-foot-6, 338-pound guard Elton Brown.

Virginia probably could have played in the Champs Sports Bowl, but Groh and administrators said they weren’t interested in the Orlando, Fla., bowl game because more than 50 players have final exams Tuesday — the date of the bowl game.

Groh wanted to make sure not only athletes, but student managers, student fans and band members, had adequate time to prepare for finals and to take them.

The students’ reward for putting academics first is a missed date with Mickey Mouse and a possible encounter with Spuddy Buddy.

“It certainly emphasizes to the players — or for anybody else for that matter who wants to look at the University of Virginia program — that while we think football is very important ... the primary mission of the university is to educate. Part of the education process is the exams,” Groh said.

A commitment to scholarly pursuits has not slowed Virginia’s quest to become a major player in college football. Virginia was ranked as high as sixth in the nation before getting routed by then seventh-ranked Florida State 36-3 on Oct. 16.

The Cavaliers are No. 1 in the ACC and 12th in the nation in rushing offense (241.3 yards per game), behind 11th-place Boise State (242.7). Virginia also is first in the ACC in total offense (423.5).
The Cavaliers rank 11th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 15.9 points per game. Virginia is 15th in the country in total defense, allowing 300.27 yards a game.

“I’ve been here since Day 1. I felt the revolution happen. ... This team is destined for great things, and we’re in the midst of making it happen right now,” Pearman said.

Just one job left
While thrilled to be done with school and left to focus only on football, the Bulldogs say they must smooth out 'wrinkles.'
By David White / The Fresno Bee
(Updated Saturday, December 18, 2004, 6:17 AM)

At 2p.m. on the dot, Pat Hill blew his whistle four times and let out a rally cry.

"Get warming up, 'Dogs!"

Fresno State's fall semester ended Friday, and football was back in session. The Bulldogs started a six-day run of full-contact practices Friday to get back in shape for No.18 Virginia in the Dec.27 MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho.

It wasn't the cleanest or best-executed practice of the season, but that was to be expected after taking the week off for final exams. Before that, the Bulldogs held only light practices since the Nov.27 regular-season finale at San Jose State.

"Bowls are hard to prepare for," Hill said. "They've not had a lot of practices the past three weeks, but we'll get it back. We've just got to make sure they understand it isn't good enough right now.

"I like having them back."

It showed all afternoon.

During warmups, Hill walked station to station, shouting encouragement and patting backs.

"Get ready for the Cavaliers. … Woo!" While stretching, players laughed as they lobbed jokes and put-downs at each other. Afterward, they surrounded Hill and sang "Happy Birthday." He turned 53 Friday.

Even during the full-speed workouts, when players were slipping and falling, there wasn't a single angry shout from a coach or disgusted curse from a player.

Players were that happy to be done with school, and coaches were that glad to be back from the recruiting trail.

"It's good to be done with school so we can concentrate on football and get really locked in," safety Nate Ray said. "It's 100% football now with nothing else."

The trick is to regain the momentum that carried the Bulldogs to their fifth straight postseason berth. They finished the regular season with five straight victories by a combined score of 280-80.

If Friday was any sign, it won't be easy.

Wide receiver Joe Fernandez said, "You definitely have to iron out some details you may have lost."

Right guard Dartangon Shack said, "We've got to get the little wrinkles out of our skin and get the blood flowing. It's tough coming back."

The good news for Fresno State is there won't be another interruption. During the past four years, bowl preparations were broken up by a four-day Christmas break before the Bulldogs played Dec.30 or 31.

That won't happen this year, because the team leaves for Boise on Dec.23.

"I think it'll be better this year because we won't have that Christmas layoff," Ray said. "We go straight from here into the bowl, so that's a better setup."

Virginia isn't so lucky — its players have finals running through Dec.21. The Cavaliers have practiced sporadically since testing began Monday.

"You want to make sure your team isn't operating like a stick-shift car with a first-time driver," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "You start, stop, sputter … it's hard to keep the continuity of how you do things like that."

Final finals

Four seniors took their last final exams this week and, barring a failing grade, will graduate: defensive end Brian Morris, tight ends Mark Wood and Stephen Spach, and kicker Brett Visintainer.

Pittsburgh stuffs ballot box for Farrior
Dec. 14, 2004
SportsLine.com wire reports

PITTSBURGH -- James Farrior has already gotten one teammate's vote as the NFL's top defensive player this season. Make that a lot of votes.

"I've gone online like 20 times and voted for him (for the Pro Bowl)," Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said.

The Steelers might not feel the need to stuff the ballot box if Farrior were a bigger name - or, perhaps, a bigger talker. But while he lacks the reputation and name recognition of defensive stars such as Julius Peppers, Simeon Rice or Willie McGinest, Farrior is enjoying one of the best seasons of any NFL player.

Farrior's line score to date: four interceptions, four forced fumbles, three sacks, three fumble recoveries, 81 tackles. With numbers like those, Steelers coach Bill Cowher said Farrior is making a strong case for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

"There may be some better pass rushers, there may be some better interceptors," Cowher said. "But when you look at a guy who plays the run the way he plays the run, who plays the pass the way he plays the pass, who has the production that this guy does, and does the things we ask him to do, I don't think there is a more productive defensive player in the National Football League."

Farrior's best asset, according to his coach, is that he has no discernible weakness.

"He's made big hits, made tackles inside the box. He makes plays outside the box, drops back into coverage, rushes the quarterback, sets the defense," Cowher said. "He's having a very productive year."

Farrior has had nothing but productive seasons since the former Virginia star broke in with the New York Jets in 1997. He was credited with a league-high 101 tackles in 2001, but had to move inside in Pittsburgh's 3-4 defense after being a weakside linebacker in the Jets' 4-3 defense. Farrior's numbers dropped off after he signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 2002, but he has been the Steelers' top tackler the last two seasons.

"He's playing very instinctively, he's playing very decisively," Cowher said. "He's just playing with a lot of confidence right now. He knows not only what he's doing, but what everybody else needs to do."

The Steelers (12-1) allow a league-low average of 257 yards per game, and their strong defense has kept their 11-game winning streak going despite a recent falloff by the offense.

Pittsburgh hasn't scored more than 19 points in any of its last four games, but hasn't allowed more than 16. The Steelers have yielded only five touchdowns in six games, twice holding an opponent to only field goals.

"We know sometimes its going to come down to good defensive play, and that's what we love," Farrior said. "As a defense, those are the kind of games you want, and we thrive on that."

The Steelers' long succession of excellent linebackers -- Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland, Joey Porter -- was another reason why Farrior signed with them, even though he had to change positions.

"My goal is to go out and make every tackle in the game," Farrior said. "I know that's probably not possible, but it's my goal to try to make it happen."

Unlike Porter and linebacker Larry Foot, Farrior isn't a big talker on the field, but that didn't prevent his teammates from nicknaming him Big Play.

"That's what's separating him from every other linebacker in the league," Foot said. "He's making big plays, and so many of them have helped us win games. A lot of guys come out and have bad games, but James is there every week."