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01-04-2010, 11:10 PM
http://blog.triblive.com/view-from-the- ... ox+Blog%29 (http://blog.triblive.com/view-from-the-press-box/2010/01/04/farrior-speaks-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+triblive%2Fblog%2FViewFromThe PressBox+%28View+from+the+Press+Box+Blog%29)
The Steelers had a final team meeting today at their South Side practice facility.
Four Steelers were brought into the media room to discuss what went wrong in 2009 and what is ahead for the Steelers.
What follows is the Q&A with James Farrior, who said he expects Dick LeBeau to return as defensive coordinator next season and concedes that he has lost a step but is still confident he can play at a high level.
Q: What was the message from Mike Tomlin like this year compared to last year?
A: “Last year I don’t remember a final meeting, I think we just went from the Super Bowl to the parade, but this year I think the most important thing that he talked about that I took from the meeting was division play. That’s what basically was the downfall of our season, we didn’t dominate the division like we did last year. I think we were 2-4 in the division. Basically, that’s where our goal started, is winning the division, dominating the division. We didn’t do that this year and that’s what was his message to us.
Q: Mike Tomlin emphasized before the first division game this season the importance of winning the division so tie-breakers don’t come into play as much. Do you remember that?
A: “Yes, it definitely makes a lot more sense now, that’s basically what it was. We didn’t do well in our division and that cost us not getting in the playoffs this year. He said it to us earlier and I guess we didn’t listen good enough.”
Q: How frustrating was it for the defense to struggle? How much of an impact was it missing Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith?
A: “It was definitely a disappointing season for our defense as a group, we definitely feel like we didn’t do a lot of things well at the end of games, we cost the team, we didn’t play as well as we could’ve played, we had some plays out there that we left on the field that cost us games. Definitely having Aaron Smith and [Troy] Polamalu out, those are basically our two best players on defense, having those two guys out really affected the way we went out there and played. It was tough out there for us. Having those two impact-type of players not out there, I think it hurt us a little bit.”
Q: Are you concerned about the age of the defense?
A: “Not really. We’ve been getting old for a few years now. I think it’s all relative and it is what it is. If you’ve got it, you’ve got it. If you don’t, you don’t. I don’t really think about the age issue.”
Q: Do you think you’ve lost a step as you’ve gotten older?
A: “You lose a step every year. I feel like every year is going to be different. You can’t get faster every year, eventually you’re going to slow down. I definitely think my age is getting up there and I might’ve lost a step, but I think my mental part of the game helps me keep up pace. I think that’s what it is for a lot of older guys, if you’ve got the mental capacity, and you’re able to be smarter than the other guy, it keeps you on the same pace.”
Q: Do you need some inside linebacker help with that being said? Should Lawrence Timmons help you out more?
A: “No, Lawrence (Timmons) is a great player and he’s going to be a good player in this league in the years to come. I think everybody has their own responsibilities and it’s up to us to just go out and do our job. We don’t need to emphasize anybody else doing something different. We’ve all got our jobs, we can do it.”
Q: Are there similarities between the two seasons (2006 and 2009) after winning the Super Bowl?
A: I think it’s a little different. I think this year was probably different than any other year I’ve been around. I think it was pretty much a tale of a couple different seasons put together in one. We started off slow, off to a 1-2 start, we got hot, won five straight, then we got extremely cold, lost five straight and then we tried to rally back at the end, but it was just a little too late. I’ve never been a part of a season like this, it was definitely tough. I don’t think it really compares to the first time, I think it was a whole different situation.”
Q: Do you expect changes this year?
A: “I think after you sit and take a step back and look at it, right now it’s too early to try and make decisions about it, the season’s still fresh. You need time to go back and think about everything. I don’t know if we’re going to have a lot of changes but that happens every year, that’s a part of the business. That’s something that we go through anyway, win or lose.”
Q: “What would you change if you could?
A: If I could? I wouldn’t change nothing. I like this group, I like this team, I like the coaches…”
Q: I’m sorry, I meant about the season.
A: What would I change about the season? We would take a couple of those games back, some of our division games we let slip away. Some of the games that came down to communication errors, not usual of our defense, I’m just speaking in defensive terms when I’m talking.”
Q: What are your thoughts on Coach LeBeau coming back next season?
A: I’m looking forward to Coach LeBeau coming back next year and next year will be no different than any other year coming into the season. He didn’t have a whole lot to say to us, but he was glad to work with everybody. It’s going to be 31 teams mad, in our same position, it’s only one team that can to win the championship. If you don’t win it then everybody’s in the same boat, that was pretty much his message to us. We’ve got to go back to work, next year’s going to be a new start and it’s time to go back and try and do it again.”
Q: You have no doubt on him not coming back?
A: “Not really. He told us in a meeting a couple of weeks ago. I think the rumors had started going around again about him retiring and not coming back again. He laid it to bed with me. He told our defense they’re going to have to kick him up out of here so I took his word for it.”
The Steelers had a final team meeting today at their South Side practice facility.
Four Steelers were brought into the media room to discuss what went wrong in 2009 and what is ahead for the Steelers.
What follows is the Q&A with James Farrior, who said he expects Dick LeBeau to return as defensive coordinator next season and concedes that he has lost a step but is still confident he can play at a high level.
Q: What was the message from Mike Tomlin like this year compared to last year?
A: “Last year I don’t remember a final meeting, I think we just went from the Super Bowl to the parade, but this year I think the most important thing that he talked about that I took from the meeting was division play. That’s what basically was the downfall of our season, we didn’t dominate the division like we did last year. I think we were 2-4 in the division. Basically, that’s where our goal started, is winning the division, dominating the division. We didn’t do that this year and that’s what was his message to us.
Q: Mike Tomlin emphasized before the first division game this season the importance of winning the division so tie-breakers don’t come into play as much. Do you remember that?
A: “Yes, it definitely makes a lot more sense now, that’s basically what it was. We didn’t do well in our division and that cost us not getting in the playoffs this year. He said it to us earlier and I guess we didn’t listen good enough.”
Q: How frustrating was it for the defense to struggle? How much of an impact was it missing Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith?
A: “It was definitely a disappointing season for our defense as a group, we definitely feel like we didn’t do a lot of things well at the end of games, we cost the team, we didn’t play as well as we could’ve played, we had some plays out there that we left on the field that cost us games. Definitely having Aaron Smith and [Troy] Polamalu out, those are basically our two best players on defense, having those two guys out really affected the way we went out there and played. It was tough out there for us. Having those two impact-type of players not out there, I think it hurt us a little bit.”
Q: Are you concerned about the age of the defense?
A: “Not really. We’ve been getting old for a few years now. I think it’s all relative and it is what it is. If you’ve got it, you’ve got it. If you don’t, you don’t. I don’t really think about the age issue.”
Q: Do you think you’ve lost a step as you’ve gotten older?
A: “You lose a step every year. I feel like every year is going to be different. You can’t get faster every year, eventually you’re going to slow down. I definitely think my age is getting up there and I might’ve lost a step, but I think my mental part of the game helps me keep up pace. I think that’s what it is for a lot of older guys, if you’ve got the mental capacity, and you’re able to be smarter than the other guy, it keeps you on the same pace.”
Q: Do you need some inside linebacker help with that being said? Should Lawrence Timmons help you out more?
A: “No, Lawrence (Timmons) is a great player and he’s going to be a good player in this league in the years to come. I think everybody has their own responsibilities and it’s up to us to just go out and do our job. We don’t need to emphasize anybody else doing something different. We’ve all got our jobs, we can do it.”
Q: Are there similarities between the two seasons (2006 and 2009) after winning the Super Bowl?
A: I think it’s a little different. I think this year was probably different than any other year I’ve been around. I think it was pretty much a tale of a couple different seasons put together in one. We started off slow, off to a 1-2 start, we got hot, won five straight, then we got extremely cold, lost five straight and then we tried to rally back at the end, but it was just a little too late. I’ve never been a part of a season like this, it was definitely tough. I don’t think it really compares to the first time, I think it was a whole different situation.”
Q: Do you expect changes this year?
A: “I think after you sit and take a step back and look at it, right now it’s too early to try and make decisions about it, the season’s still fresh. You need time to go back and think about everything. I don’t know if we’re going to have a lot of changes but that happens every year, that’s a part of the business. That’s something that we go through anyway, win or lose.”
Q: “What would you change if you could?
A: If I could? I wouldn’t change nothing. I like this group, I like this team, I like the coaches…”
Q: I’m sorry, I meant about the season.
A: What would I change about the season? We would take a couple of those games back, some of our division games we let slip away. Some of the games that came down to communication errors, not usual of our defense, I’m just speaking in defensive terms when I’m talking.”
Q: What are your thoughts on Coach LeBeau coming back next season?
A: I’m looking forward to Coach LeBeau coming back next year and next year will be no different than any other year coming into the season. He didn’t have a whole lot to say to us, but he was glad to work with everybody. It’s going to be 31 teams mad, in our same position, it’s only one team that can to win the championship. If you don’t win it then everybody’s in the same boat, that was pretty much his message to us. We’ve got to go back to work, next year’s going to be a new start and it’s time to go back and try and do it again.”
Q: You have no doubt on him not coming back?
A: “Not really. He told us in a meeting a couple of weeks ago. I think the rumors had started going around again about him retiring and not coming back again. He laid it to bed with me. He told our defense they’re going to have to kick him up out of here so I took his word for it.”