Since stepping into the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Steelers, rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has been a lockdown corner, one that consistently takes on the No. 1 assignment for the opposing offense.
He’s been quite good in that role — outside of the penalties.
Those penalties remain a major problem for Porter as a rookie, which is something the team continues to work with him on.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday ahead of the Week 16 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Steelers’ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin stated that, eventually, things will come around for Porter from a penalty standpoint, and that the Steelers just have to keep working with him to try and cut down on the issues.
“Yeah, it’s what you said: Just got to continue to work with him and educate him on what’s acceptable in this game or what’s not acceptable in this game that was acceptable in the college game. That’s always learning with a lot of defensive backs,” Austin said regarding Porter and the penalties that are piling up, according to the transcript provided by the team. “When you watch a college game, it’s officiated differently than our game. Things that he may not have got called for in college he’s going to get flagged here.
“So, we continue to work through that, educate it, and practice it. Eventually, it has to come around.”
Eventually, things have to click from Porter’s perspective when it comes to the physicality and what is and isn’t allowed in the NFL game compared to the college game. It’s certainly a difficult transition to make. Plenty of other cornerbacks before him have struggled to make the transition initially and dealt with a number of penalties.
Last season alone, rookie Defensive Player of the Year Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets had five penalties making the transition from the college game to the NFL. One of the top young corners in football, Tariq Woolen in Seattle, has 17 penalties over the last two seasons to date. Both are long, physical corners.
That’s a tough transition.
Like Austin said, eventually, things are going to have to click for Porter. The confidence in the young player is there from the coaching staff led by Austin, who believes Porter can get those penalties out of his game moving forward.
“If not, he’s going to be, I think, right now, probably the second-highest penalized DB in the league. If not, he’s going to continue to be up there, and that’s going to hurt his effectiveness,” Austin added regarding Porter. “He’s a good player. If we can get those things out of his game and work at him and educate him, he’ll be all right. And I think he will get those outside of his game.”
There is no reason Porter can’t get those things out of his game. Like Austin stated, things are officiated differently in college compared to the NFL. You’re allowed to be a bit more physical in college, whereas there is less contact allowed in the NFL. That’s something Porter has struggled to adjust to, but that comes with time and reps.
He had a pass interference penalty in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts that set up a touchdown late in the first half, so the penalties are certainly hurting. But based on his abilities in coverage, the penalties are something you live with and help him learn from, period.
