James Farrior Madden Career 1998-2012 - Peak 95 OVR
James Farrior Madden NFL 2012 rating

James Farrior Madden Career 1998-2012 - Peak 95 OVR

Position
ILB
Team
Steelers
Height
6'2"
Weight
243
College
Virginia
DOB
Jan 6, 1975
Madden
1997-2011
91OVR
2011 Current
95OVR
Peak 2009
14
Seasons Played

First-team All-Pro in 2004, two Super Bowl rings in Pittsburgh

James Farrior was born on January 6, 1975 in Ettrick, Virginia, played college football at Virginia, and was drafted eighth overall by the New York Jets in 1997. He started 15 games as a rookie outside linebacker, and Madden NFL 98 put him at a calculated 56 for that 1997 season. He started all 16 games in 2001, his last year in New York, then signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 2002 and moved to inside linebacker.

In 2004 he was named first-team All-Pro, made the Pro Bowl and finished second to Ed Reed in Defensive Player of the Year voting; Madden NFL 05 rated him 86 for that season. Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL following the 2005 season. Farrior was a second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection in 2008, when the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII, and Madden NFL 10 rated him 95 for the 2009 season that followed.

He started all 16 games in each season from 2006 through 2010 and started 14 in 2011, his fifteenth year, with Madden NFL 12 rating him 91 for that season. The Steelers released him on March 2, 2012. He recorded 35.5 sacks, 11 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries in the NFL, and was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor in 2020.

James Farrior Madden Career Milestones

  • Peak rating: 95 OVR in Madden NFL 2010 (age 34)
  • Appeared in 14 Madden releases (Madden NFL 1998 through Madden NFL 2012)
  • Entered at 56 OVR in Madden NFL 1998, climbed 39 points to his peak
  • Biggest single-year rise: 26 points into Madden NFL 1999
  • Played for 2 franchises: Jets, Steelers
  • Listed as a linebacker in every Madden release
  • Final Madden appearance: Madden NFL 2012 at 91 OVR

James Farrior Madden Career Ratings

Scale (starred* rows) Only the starred 1-15-era seasons convert; modern rows stay 0-99.
Madden Team Pos OVR Speed ACC AGI STR JMP STA INJ TGH AWR PRC THP TAS TAM TAD PAC TOR CAR BTK TRK BCV SFA SPM JKM CTH SPC CIT SRR MRR DRR RLS RBK PBK IBL TAK POW PUR BSH PMV FMV MCV ZCV PRS KPW KAC KRN
1998 *
1997 NFL season
 Jets ROLB 56* 59 - 53 - - - - - 53 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 53 - - - - - - - - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - -
1999
1998 NFL season
 Jets LB 82* 81 80 83 76 - - 9 - 69 - - - - - - - 19 18 - - - - - 14 - - - - - - - - - 80 - - - - - - - - - - -
2000
1999 NFL season
 Jets LB 76* 59 59 73 73 - - 73 - 64 - - - - - - - 19 24 - - - - - 24 - - - - - - - - - 80 - - - - - - - - - - -
2002
2001 NFL season
 Jets RLB 62 67 61 76 73 56 64 69 69 61 - 12 20 20 20 - - 24 - - - - - - 41 - - - - - - 17 18 - 72 - - - - - - - - 14 10 -
2003
2002 NFL season
 Steelers RILB 72 75 75 77 77 56 66 69 69 - - 17 - - - - - 27 - - - - - - 47 - - - - - - 23 22 - 81 - - - - - - - - 19 15 -
2004
2003 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 78 75 76 77 77 56 66 69 69 75 - 17 24 24 24 - - 27 - - - - - - 50 - - - - - - 23 22 - 84 - - - - - - - - 19 15 0
2005
2004 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 86 75 76 79 79 56 66 69 69 82 - 17 - - - - - 27 - - - - - - 53 - - - - - - 49 22 - 90 - - - - - - - - 19 15 -
2006
2005 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 90 79 82 80 80 60 87 80 - 86 - 17 24 24 24 - - 27 - - - - - - 67 - - - - - - 49 22 - 91 - - - - - - - - 19 15 0
2007
2006 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 94 79 85 82 80 60 87 83 91 91 91 17 24 24 24 - - 27 - 50 38 30 45 45 65 - - - - - - 49 22 75 92 - 93 - - - 55 70 - 19 15 0
2008
2007 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 93 79 85 82 80 60 87 83 - 91 92 17 24 24 24 - - 27 - 42 38 30 45 45 65 25 25 15 15 15 30 49 22 75 94 91 95 - - - 55 70 72 19 15 0
2009
2008 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 92 78 80 80 82 60 94 94 93 90 93 17 24 24 24 - - 65 - 42 38 30 45 45 65 25 25 15 15 15 30 49 22 75 93 90 96 - - - 55 70 72 19 15 10
2010
2009 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 95 75 80 87 77 60 94 93 93 - - - - - - - - 65 - - - - - - 60 - - - - - - 49 - - 94 - - - - - - - - - - 10
2011
2010 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 88 75 77 74 84 60 90 94 93 94 95 17 5 5 5 5 5 65 - 42 38 30 45 45 55 25 25 15 15 15 30 49 22 75 95 90 88 - - - 39 54 72 19 15 10
2012
2011 NFL season
 Steelers LILB 91 75 77 74 84 - 90 94 93 97 97 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 96 90 86 93 87 62 39 54 72 - - -
How to read these: Each row is the player’s rating in that year’s Madden, listed by the NFL season it covers (Madden NFL 2001 = the 2000 season). Madden sets its ratings before the season is played, so they reflect the previous season’s performance - a player’s breakout year tends to show up as a jump in the following year’s game.
About the starred rows*: Several early Madden releases rated players on a 1-15 scale, as printed in the game manuals, rather than the modern 0-99. We store those ratings converted to 0-99 (each manual point is about 6.6) so you can compare players across eras at a glance - use the 0-99 / 1-15 toggle above the table to see the original numbers on those seasons. EA didn’t publish an overall rating in those games, so the OVR* values for those years are our own calculation, the average of the player’s two best ratings.
Note: Some Madden releases tracked fewer attributes than others. Cells shown as - were not published by EA that year.

Era Linebackers who played alongside James Farrior

Von Miller Madden ratings
Von Miller
Madden NFL 2012-2026 - Commanders
99
 DeMarcus Ware Madden ratings
DeMarcus Ware
Madden NFL 2006-2017 - Broncos
99
 Patrick Willis Madden ratings
Patrick Willis
Madden NFL 2008-2015 - 49ers
99
 Ray Lewis Madden ratings
Ray Lewis
Madden NFL 1997-2013 - Ravens
99
 Brian Urlacher Madden ratings
Brian Urlacher
Madden NFL 2001-2013 - Bears
99
 James Harrison Madden ratings
James Harrison
Madden NFL 2006-2018 - Steelers
98
 Shawne Merriman Madden ratings
Shawne Merriman
Madden NFL 2006-2013 - Bills
98
 LaVar Arrington Madden ratings
LaVar Arrington
Madden NFL 2005 - Commanders
98
NFL career stats: View James Farrior's NFL stats & grades →

James Farrior Madden Ratings by Year

James Farrior Madden NFL 1998 rating: 56 OVR (1997 NFL season, NYJ). James Farrior Madden NFL 1999 rating: 82 OVR (1998 NFL season, NYJ). James Farrior Madden NFL 2000 rating: 76 OVR (1999 NFL season, NYJ). James Farrior Madden NFL 2002 rating: 62 OVR (2001 NFL season, NYJ). James Farrior Madden NFL 2003 rating: 72 OVR (2002 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2004 rating: 78 OVR (2003 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2005 rating: 86 OVR (2004 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2006 rating: 90 OVR (2005 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2007 rating: 94 OVR (2006 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2008 rating: 93 OVR (2007 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2009 rating: 92 OVR (2008 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2010 rating: 95 OVR (2009 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2011 rating: 88 OVR (2010 NFL season, PIT). James Farrior Madden NFL 2012 rating: 91 OVR (2011 NFL season, PIT).