There were a few times on the TV broadcast of yesterday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals where you could see Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. and Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase chirping at each other. Trash talk, especially between wide receivers and defensive backs, is natural throughout the game, and happens on probably every down. For some players, it can become a distraction, but for Porter, he relishes it. He told reporters after the game how much he enjoys that aspect of football.
“Oh yeah, that’s what I look for. That’s what’s entertaining to me. That’s what get me going. It’s football
at the end of the day,” Porter said after Sunday’s win via transcript provided by the team.
On the field, players are looking for any little edge they can get. Every player on the field is a world-class athlete for their position, and when it comes to receivers and cornerbacks, they’re often left on islands, and it becomes a 1-on-1 matchup. In those matchups, guys need any edge necessary to hit another gear or something to fire them up to win their matchup.
For Porter, that edge seems to come when guys are chirping at him. If it works, it works, and the numbers show that Porter has been a standout at the position for Pittsburgh. That was no different yesterday, with him following Chase. Chase got most of his yards off fluky deflected balls that he was able to come back and get, something that Porter respected.
“Yeah, how did he catch those? He’s catching tipped passes I don’t even think wide receivers would go for. It was cool, though. It was good,” Porter said after the game.
But with Porter lined up in man, Chase was taken out of the game as much as you can take out such a dynamic threat at receiver. As a rookie, Porter is proving to be one of Pittsburgh’s most important defenders and top cornerbacks, and he’s going to have to continue his level of performance for Pittsburgh to become a legitimate contender in the second half of the season.
Having a guy who can neutralize other team’s No. 1 receivers is something that the Steelers haven’t had for years, but now it seems like Porter could be that guy. Hopefully, his matchups continue to chirp and talk trash to him so he can find that other gear and keep playing like one of the best corners in the NFL.
