After a year off due to injury, Farris is trying to make it with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League, relying - as always - on his work ethic and willingness to crash and burn on special teams to earn a roster spot.
It was those qualities that impressed Atlanta Falcons coaches. Farris was with Atlanta for three seasons because he was the kind of player head coach Dan Reeves liked.
The always-optimistic Farris feels good about his chances of sticking with Jacksonville but has enough NFL experience to realize anything can happen.
Farris started out on San Francisco’s practice squad after signing following his UM senior year of 2000. Toward the end of his rookie season in 2001 Farris was picked up by New England and was on the Pats active roster when the team won the Super Bowl in 2002.
After being released by New England during pre-season camp later that year Farris signed with the Falcons where he stayed for three seasons, calling it a “wonderful time in his career.”
In fact Farris has made Atlanta his off-season home. It’s not that far from Washington, D.C. where he signed with the Redskins in 2005.
He stuck with the Redskins until pulling a hamstring muscle during their 2006 training camp. After several months of rehab and working to get his strength and speed back, the opportunity came with Jacksonville.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs but a lot of great experiences and a lot of fulfillment,” Farris said of his pro ride to date.
Farris said he literally prayed that he would be picked up by Tennessee, Carolina or Jacksonville because of their proximity to Atlanta.
“As much as I’d love to be back in the Northwest,” Farris explained, “to make a move out to Seattle or the Bay Area again or San Diego (would be) a really difficult thing. And at this point in my life when I’m really settled and enjoying … Atlanta and the South I really kinda wanted to stay close to home.”
It takes Farris about 4 1/2 hours to drive from Atlanta to Jacksonville.
But he also realizes that staying in the South may not be an option down the road and he’s okay with that.
“I am more than willing to go play anywhere,” Farris said. “I’ll go play in Alaska if that’s where the best opportunity is for me. I was in a position where a beggar couldn’t be a chooser but at the same time if I had my choice I was really gonna try to explore (options) that were down here close to me.”
Farris still has a deep appreciation for Reeves and the chance the former Falcons head coach gave him.
“Much more than he would look at what a guy looked like or brought to the table on paper, Dan was really concerned with all the intangibles,” Farris said. “He wanted guys that were incredibly hard workers, tough guys, guys that would lay it on the line, smart guys, guys that really (show) that it meant something to them.”
Farris caught a break when the Falcons had some injuries that gave him a shot at playing wide receiver in addition to special teams.
It’s not a surprise that the former Griz is a fan of the movie, “Invincible,” that chronicled the walk-on success of Vince Papale with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 70s.
“That movie was really interesting to me,” Farris noted. “I watched it before I came back to camp this year just … to remind me to always - when I think I’m giving 100 percent - to try to give that little bit extra because (making it) can depend on one or two plays.”
Basically he thoroughly enjoys the different mentality that goes with playing on special teams and has since he played at UM.
All of the attributes Farris possesses probably resulted from his meeting with then new University of Montana head coach Mike Dennehy at Lewiston, Idaho High School following his senior season.
At the time Dennehy told Farris - who was interested primarily in UM and Idaho - that he didn’t think he had enough speed to play at Montana’s level. Dennehy said the best he could hope for was a walk-on spot in the fall of 1996.
Problem was it turned out that Idaho wasn’t all that interested in him either.
A phone call to UM assistant coach Billy Cockhill led to a partial scholarship from the Grizzlies. The rest, as they say, is history.
Farris still ranks 10th on Montana’s career and single-season receiving lists and has the two longest touchdown receptions in school history - 93 yards at Portland State in 1997 and 91 yards against Montana State in 2000.
“It was tough there for a minute,” Farris recalled about his first exposure to UM. “When I went there I really felt like they didn’t really want me, so I think it was probably that little edge that I had to prove them all wrong.”
Farris said he played his entire Grizzly career with the idea that nobody thought he was good enough.
“My senior year I was still trying to prove to the coaches that were not even there anymore that they’d made the right choice,” he said. “It turned into the most wonderful years of my life.”
One of the highlights of Farris’ time at Montana was during his redshirt year in 1996, looking at guys like Joe Douglass, Mike Erhardt and Brian Ah Yat and wondering if he would ever stack up with them.
Until the 2000 Grizzlies made it to the national championship game that was in the back of his mind.
That 93-yard touchdown reception came during his redshirt freshman year, obviously another highlight.
But he said nothing could compare to his senior season with guys like linebacker Adam Boomer that he came in with five years earlier.
“Those memories with those guys and spending that national championship week with them and that whole playoff run that we had is just stuff that I’ll take to my grave,” Farris said.
During Farris’ rookie year in San Francisco he struck up a much-chronicled relationship with controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens. The most-publicized occurrence was when Owens had a television set delivered to Farris’ apartment which was pretty bare at the time.
That relationship is songoing, Farris said. Owens also makes his home in Atlanta so the two stay in touch and get together occasionally.
“I wish everybody could see the side of him that I get to see, which is a really caring friend and a caring guy, and somebody that is an incredibly hard worker who loves to compete and loves to play.” Farris said of Owens.
“He’s a great guy and I just wish everybody could see that.”
Farris is still single which he says is probably a good thing given the amount of moving around he’s done. But at 29 he says he’s ready to get married, settle down and start having some kids.
Farris seems to be tying his pro football hopes strictly to the NFL, not expressing much, if any, interest in arena football because to him it’s not what he really loves about the game.
“I won’t say, ‘no,’ but I think if this doesn’t work out here and nothing happens this season then I’ll move on to something else,” Farris said.
That something else - and it’s not surprising given his gift of gab - hopefully would be a career in broadcasting.
“As much as I love football I would just love to talk about football for a living,” Farris said. “If I could get one of those jobs on the NFL Network or doing a pregame show or something like that I would jump on it.”
Farris got a small taste of broadcasting while in Atlanta. He said he did a weekly show after Friday practices that aired on the weekends.
Others tell him he should be a coach, and while he loves watching film and helping out teammates Farris isn’t sure that’s the place for him. A lot of it has to do with the hours.
“Those guys put in way too much time,” Farris said. “When we go home as players they stay here and game plan and do stuff for … hours after we’re gone. I don’t know that I love football in that respect.”
Farris has high hopes for Jacksonville, which had the second-ranked defense in the NFL under head coach Jack Del Rio last season.
With quarterback Byron Leftwich and running back Fred Taylor healthy and the system that offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has put in place, Farris thinks the team can hold its own in its division, despite having to face the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
“I think we’re definitely a playoff contender,” Farris said, adding that he doesn’t want to jinx the team. “(Our goal) shouldn’t be any less than being a playoff team and winning some playoff games.
“I think we’re that good,” Farris added. “It’s an exciting time to be around here. It’s kind of a team on the rise so to speak, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Hopefully when the season kicks off Sept. 9 at home against Tennessee Farris will still be looking forward to it.
Click here to hear the complete interview with Jimmy Farris.
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