An NFL career spanning 15 seasons with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers in which he ammassed 1,440 tackles, 98 tackles for loss, 35.5 sacks, 11 interceptions, 18 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries and 69 passes defensed, all while playing in 230 career games with 197 career starts should not be considered underrated, at least at face value.
That’s exactly how the career of one James Farrior is viewed though, especially in the era that he played in behind the likes of names like Ray Lewis, Derrick Brooks, London Fletcher, Zach Thomas and more.
Though he was a he won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and earned a First Team All-Pro honor in 2004 and a Second Team All-Pro honor in 2008, not to mention two Pro Bowls (2004, 2008), runner-up to Baltimore’s Ed Reed in the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award in ’04, and an induction into the Steelers’ Hall of Honor in 2020, Farrior was often overlooked, at least from the national media’s perspective.