In his preseason action, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. came up with a key interception in the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s 27-15 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills last Saturday night. CB Patrick Peterson has been working closely with Porter all offseason, and on his All Things Covered Podcast, he talked about his excitement for Porter.
“I’m extremely happy for Joey,” Peterson said. “Before the game, I just told him, you don’t have to go out there and do anything spectacular. Just go out there, be who you’re supposed to be and protect your leverage, and the plays will come to you. And that play came exactly to him.”
Peterson talked about how important it is for younger guys to have early success, and said he hopes Porter keeps having that hunger for success.
“I’m extremely happy that he was able to taste some success early, because I feel like that’s very, very huge. Not saying that it’s make or break, but when young guys get a taste of that success early, they get starving for more. And I want him to always have that hunger.”
It was an impressive play by Porter, protecting his leverage, as Peterson told him to do, and forcing Bills WR Khalil Shakir to the sideline. Barkley floated a pass to right to Porter, and he was able to pick it off and give the Steelers good field position. That set up a touchdown right before the half to extend the Steelers lead to 21-0.
For Porter, who coming out of Penn State was criticized for not having the best hands, it was a good sign for him to get an interception on the board early. While it’s not “official,” it’s one that he’ll always remember, especially because he was able to find his dad, Steelers legend Joey Porter, and give him the ball when he got back to the sidelines.
And, like Peterson said, now he’s always going to have that taste of success. He’s going to want to build on it and continue to prove that he can make plays. Porter’s already talked about the lofty goals he has for himself, and getting his first interception, official or not, out of the way is certainly a heck of a start to his career.
The Steelers might have themselves a really good cornerback in Porter. Being mentored by Peterson certainly helps, but he seems to have a great work ethic and he’s already very familiar with the Steelers’ ethos and what it means to play for the team. While it’s only been one game, he was impressive. If he continues to play the way he did against Buffalo, he could have a really nice rookie year.
Check out the full podcast below.
