County Players in Friendly Rivalry for Steeler Position

Shar Pourdanesh and Kris Farris say theirs is a friendly rivalry.

"We joke around a lot with each other," Farris said. "I tell him I know I'm the best, and he keeps telling me he is."

The Pittsburgh Steeler coaching staff will eventually have to decide who's right.

For now, Pourdanesh and Farris are in a battle for one of the starting offensive tackle positions when the Steelers open the regular season Sept. 3 against the Baltimore Ravens.

A position duel between a veteran and a promising newcomer is hardly unusual in an NFL training camp--friendly or not. But this one has a twist:

With only about 25 players from Orange County trying to win jobs in the NFL this summer, what are the odds that two of them would be competing for the same job?

Their competition continues today as the Steelers play their second exhibition game, at home against Miami.

Pourdanesh played at University High, Farris at Santa Margarita, though their high school careers didn't overlap because of the difference in their ages.

Pourdanesh, 29, is the veteran; Farris, 23, is preparing to play in his first NFL season after going on injured reserve early in training camp last season.

Each stands out in a crowd. Pourdanesh is 6-6, 315 pounds; Farris 6-8 and 322.

After high school, Pourdanesh played at Nevada, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors as a junior and All-Big West Conference as a senior. Pourdanesh tried out with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent, but was cut after only one day. He began his professional career the next year in the Canadian Football League, spending two seasons with the Baltimore Stallions, and was CFL offensive lineman of the year in 1994.

He finally got his shot in the NFL in 1996 when he began a three-year stint with the Washington Redskins, starting 28 games in his last two seasons with the Redskins.

The Steelers obtained him in a trade before last season.

Farris starred at UCLA, winning the Outland Trophy as college football's top interior lineman in 1998. He left UCLA after his junior season and was selected in the third round of the draft by the Steelers.

Farris was supposed to begin his NFL career last season, but a stress fracture in his right ankle kept him on the sidelines.

Pourdanesh was on inactive reserve part of last season while learning the Steelers' system, but started the final two games at right tackle. He played well enough to earn a shot at the starting job this season.