Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. still can’t keep his hands to himself, and his uncles, Joe Haden and James Harrison, want to help. Recapping the Steelers’ win over the Colts, they discussed the third-year defender’s penalty issues. Haden is a former Pro Bowl cornerback, so of course he had some more detailed insights. Harrison, though, played with Porter’s dad, and surely saw him as a little kid around the facility.
“My nephew, Lil Peezy, he gets a PI [defensive pass interference], man. What is going on?”, Harrison said on the Deebo & Joe podcast about Porter. He asked for Haden’s opinion, who praised his physicality. But both concluded that he isn’t trusting his natural gifts.
“So my man needs to start using his feet a little bit more, and when you get to the top of routes, you recognize that dig. Slip the hip”, Haden advised Joey Porter. “All that grabbing and the pulling, you’re gonna get flagged for it. They’re gonna call it. I love your aggressive play, but in this league now, it’s not college no more”.
Porter came out of college with a reputation for physicality, as well as handsiness. The Steelers knew this and bet on being able to coach it out of him. While he has shown the ability to play clean in stretches, it is also a recurring theme throughout his career. In five games played this year, he has four defensive pass interference penalties and one defensive holding penalty. He drew two pass interference calls on Sunday against the Colts.
“Just don’t use that dance with them”, Haden told Porter, “them” being the receiver. “Use your feet and get under and try to undercut some of these routes”.
Added Harrison, addressing Porter directly, “Nephew. I’m telling you this because I love you, man. Rely on what it is you have. You’re gifted. You got speed and you got length. You don’t need to be so handsy, man. You can make that up on the turn with your speed and with your length”.
“I’m telling you this because I care about you, and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t say a word to you”.
The Steelers selected Joey Porter Jr. at the top of the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He has obvious talent, but has waxed and waned with certain areas of his game. The penalties are one, but his tackling has been a bit of a seesaw as well. Still, at his best, he is a quality cornerback who can help shut down receivers. He’s done it in the past, but everybody is going to lose reps to the likes of Tee Higgins.
Porter did nab his first interception of the season against the Colts as well, the third of his career. He already has nine passes defensed in just five games, having missed three due to injury. One off his career high, he should easily pass that number by the end of the month. Porter also recorded his first career “sack” against the Colts, though if you saw it, you would know why that’s in scare quotes.
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