The Steelers recently signed 5�9� 184 pound Terry Fair, who had been out of football. Here is some history on the player which might interest our readers.
When the Lions made Fair their first round draft pick in 1998, Lindy�s wrote this about the Tennessee DB:
�Small but athletic cornerback�Should help on kick returns, but is too small to play safety�Very quick and good on man coverage.�
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During the 1998 season Fair played in 14 games and started 10 as a rookie and averaged 28 yards on kick off returns, which led the NFL. Two of his 51 returns were for TDs.
During the 1999 season Fair played in and started 11 games, but spent the last month on injured reserve due to a broken knuckle which required surgery. Fair also had knee surgery following the season. Lindy�s described him as �playing reasonable well� and the �most consistent of the Lions CBs� during the 1999 season. He had 3 INTs for 49 yards, the longest being a 41 yard return for a TD. His kick return numbers were 34 returns for 752 yards for an average of 22.1 yards. His longest return of the season was 91 yards.
During the 2000 season Fair played in and started 15 games. Going into the 2001 season Lindy�s described Fair as the �Most consistent� and as having the �best technique of (the) Lions� cornerbacks.� During the 2001 season Fair played in and started 12 games, and was again described by Lindy�s as a �Good technique corner�; however, they also questioned whether his foot would heal.
Take Lindy�s past evaluations for whatever you will. One thing is clear. Fair has always been fairly fragile, never having been able to play in 16 games. I�d love for him to make the kind of comeback Tyrone Poole has made with the Patriots, but it is unlikely. One benefit that may come from having him in camp however is the exposure other DBs will get to a player with �good technique�. Someone needs to teach Steelers DBs to cover. If Fair can help do that, he will be worth the space he will take under the cap.
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