Replacing Farrior near impossible

By A. D.

Romeo Crennel may be the old defensive coordinator and the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns but this Sunday night’s game will be anything but romantic when the Steelers play their old turnpike rival. Crennel is most noted for being the defensive coordinator for the recent Super Bowl dynasty team the New England Patriots.

When talking about Steelers head coach Bill Cowher and the offensive and defensive lineups he has set up, Crennel had this to say, “They’ve been able to have a system in place for these years that he’s been there. They’ve been able to get people to fit into that system and buy into that system. The system is consistent. All those things together make them successful.”

The absolute center of the Steeler’s renowned defense is linebacker James Farrior and he is more than likely not going to start or even dress for the game against the Browns. Farrior will be sidelined with a knee injury, more precisely a ligament sprain. In his career with the Steelers he has missed only two games, both of which happened during his first year with the team. Though Farrior has stated that he wishes to get back to his position as soon as possible he is listed as doubtful and hasn’t yet practiced this week.

Farrior was drafted by the New York Jets in 1997. He played with them for five seasons before being acquired by the Steelers in 2002. Each year since being signed to the Steelers Farrior has improved upon his performance. His play is now to the point where his ability to rattle an offense and make game changing plays appear to be effortless. In 2004 he had 4 interceptions that were returned for a total of 113 yards and a touchdown. Running back Jerome Bettis, the emotional leader of the team, has said of Farrior, “I don’t think there’s a linebacker in the NFL he hasn’t outplayed.”

Farrior was named the team MVP in 2004 and was also voted to this first Pro Bowl in 2005. If he can’t play this Sunday, who is going to be able to fill his cleats? The Steelers hope to rest this immense burden on Clint Kriewaldt. In his seven NFL seasons this will be only his third start. He came to the Steelers in 2003 as a free agent from the Detroit Lions. Kriewaldt will have to take the helm of the defense, calling the plays and making sure each linemen is in position.

“I’ll concentrate on getting the defense set and doing my job,” Kriewaldt said. “I’m going to be jacked up. I can’t get too excited and too caught up in the whole start. I’m just going to go out there, play hard, get my keys, get the defense run right and just play my butt off.”

Kriewaldt had an illustrious college career at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, a Division III school. Though he was recruited by larger Division II schools, Kriewaldt decided to stay close to home while pursuing his football dreams.  The decision paid dividends. He set the schools all time tackle record with 416, 289 solo, and in his last season in college he posted at least 10 tackles per game. He also had four All Conference selections and is only the fifth played in the college’s history to have 4 touchdowns in a single game. These stats are almost unbelievable considering he joined the team as a running back.

While his school career was overwhelmingly dominating Kriewaldt only had 22 tackles and no sacks in his four years with the Lions. His presence has been felt on the Steelers special teams, however, where he was named co-captain in 2004. Now is his chance to prove that he can not only compete with the one of the top defenses in the NFL but that he deserves his spot. Fans will just have to wait until Sunday to see if Kriewaldt is capable of competing on the level of Farrior. It’s a long shot but then again so was making a rookie the starting quarterback last season.