Unsung heroes of the defense: Farrior and Clark

You don't have the number 1 defense in the NFL without having several superstars. The Pittsburgh Steelers are no different. In fact, Lamaar Woodley and James Harrison set the all time Steeler single-season sack record for a linebacker duo with 27.5 sacks. James Harrison went on to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and made the Pro Bowl.


Troy Polamalu floated around the secondary making plays all year. Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith get lots of credit for stuffing the run for Pittsburgh's suffocating defense.


However, two guys have been playing in the shadows of the superstars all season and have achieved "superstar-like" accomplishments. James Farrior and Ryan Clark are serious contributors to the 2008 version of the Steel Curtain. They quietly do their jobs and they do them very well.


Farrior was recognized by the league by making the Pro Bowl this season, but still seems to play in the shadows of the flashy, sack machines next to him. Through it all, Farrior and Clark continue to bring their blue collar, lunch pail attitude to the field every Sunday and simply get the job done. They're not flashy...they don't tell you how good they are...they just repeatedly make plays.


Did you know that James Farrior finished the season 3rd in the AFC in tackles with 133? Did you know that Ryan Clark led all Steeler defensive backs in tackles and ranked 7th in the AFC among defensive backs with 87?


Farrior racked up 32 more tackles than James Harrison and Clark finished with 14 more tackles than his counterpart, Troy Polamalu.




Oh yeah...Farrior is leading all Steelers in tackles in the post season with 18 and Clark isn't too far behind with 10. And Clark's brain jarring hit on Willis McGahee last Sunday forced a fumble that sealed the deal for the Steelers Super Bowl bid.


I'm not trying to disparage the achievements of the superstars of the Steelers defense, but I'm simply shedding light on what the "others" accomplished this season. Nobody on the Steelers defense puts themselves above the team and they all play for each other. You usually find qualities like that on teams that win the Super Bowl. I don't think this season will be any different.