PITTSBURGH (AP)- On a Pittsburgh Steelers defense filled with big hitters and big talkers, inside linebacker James Farrior sometimes gets overlooked because he’s the one making the least amount of noise.

But Farrior doesn’t care if he is heard, as long as he is seen.

The Steelers (7-1) are the biggest surprise in the NFL this season, bouncing back from a 6-10 record in 2003 to match the best start in franchise history and stamp themselves as a Super Bowl contender.

Farrior has been no surprise to those who watched him during five productive seasons with the Jets from 1997-2001, when he was among the NFL’s leading tacklers. He has been just as productive and as consistent in Pittsburgh, but is getting recognized only now because of the big plays he regularly makes.

Maybe he’s not a big-name defensive player like Jevon Kearse, but plenty of people have noticed him.

“Farrior is having an outstanding year,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “I don’t know how many fumbles he has caused and recovered, but it is probably more than anybody else in football that I have seen.”

Every week, Farrior seems to do something new, something important, something bigger than in the previous game.

Against Cleveland on Oct. 10, Farrior and linebackers Larry Foote, Joey Porter and Clark Haggans were in quarterback Jeff Garcia’s face so often he began shedding the ball even before they arrived. Afterward, coach Butch Davis called Garcia “skittish.”

A week later, Farrior had two sacks and three forced fumbles – a half-season’s work for some linebackers – and his punishing hit on Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde caused a game-turning fumble late in the fourth quarter.

Farrior had the two most important defensive plays Sunday as the Steelers manhandled the Eagles 27-3, a 41-yard interception return and a heads-up tackle of running back Brian Westbrook for a 2-yard loss on a third-and-2 screen pass.

“He’s been making a lot of plays like that, and he’s gotten better with every game,” defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. “He’s definitely one of our leaders.”

With Porter and Foote both all-pro talkers and the revved-up Haggans always in motion, Farrior said somebody must be the traffic cop on what may be the NFL’s best group of linebackers. It’s one that figures to get even better now that 2001 Defensive Rookie of the Year Kendrell Bell is playing again after missing seven games with shoulder and groin injuries.

“I’m the guy who keeps everything together,” said Farrior, who has two interceptions, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three sacks. “I’m like the head of the group. I try to keep everyone focused on the task at hand, even though sometimes it’s difficult because they’re all doing their own thing.”

To Farrior, the time between plays can be just as entertaining as a sack on third down.

“Oh, yeah, we all love working with each other,” said Farrior, a psychology major at Virginia. “We play off each other and pretty much know what each other’s going to do. Larry? He really surprises you. I thought Joey talked the most trash, but Larry’s passed Joey 10 times over. Anything is liable to come out of his mouth.

“Clark? He’s a high-energy guy. His motor’s always running 100 miles per hour. He’s always flying around doing something. Even if he’s wrong, he’s flying.”

A Steelers defense enjoying a turnaround season has done little wrong, ranking No. 2 overall, No. 1 against the run, No. 5 in scoring and No. 6 against the pass. The last two weeks, Pittsburgh limited the previously unbeaten Patriots and Eagles to a combined 28 yards rushing, even though Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton – the primary run stopper – went down with a season-ending knee injury Oct. 17.

The biggest difference in Pittsburgh’s defense is the return of the disruption-causing pressure created by LeBeau’s zone blitzes. With any or all of the four linebackers liable to blitz, the Steelers are causing numerous breakdowns that have enabled Farrior to keep making plays.

“We trust and believe in him, and we think he’s the best defensive coordinator in the league,” Farrior said of LeBeau, who returned this season after being on the Steelers’ staff from 1992-96. “We all have confidence in him that he’s going to put us in good situations. All we have to do is make the plays.”

AP-ES-11-11-04 1813EST