Throughout his rookie season, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has shown real flashes of promise. He’s taken on the No. 1 cornerback role for the Steelers with gusto and has performed very well overall.
But there’s one area of his game that continues to be a bit of a problem.
This season, Porter has been called for 11 penalties with four of them declined. All 11 penalties have occurred in the eight weeks since Porter stepped into the starting lineup in Week Eight against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s had just one game — Week 14 against New England — without a penalty.
That’s concerning.
Those penalties remain a major problem for Porter as a rookie, which is something the team continues to work with him on.
But even with the uptick in penalties and the adjustment to the NFL game compared to college, Porter remains confident in himself and his technique and abilities. He told reporters Thursday that he’s not going to let the flags alter his game because he’s not doing anything different from other defensive backs around the NFL.
“I feel like [officials] find their guys and then you’re kind of targeted. But I don’t feel like I’m not doing anything different than any other DB in the league right now. I’m not gonna let that alter my game,” Porter said, according to video via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on YouTube. “I know what I got going on. I feel like I’m doing a good job, and once you start second guessing your ability, you start playing bad and I’m not gonna let that happen.
“So if I get a flag, it’s whatever, next play and we’re gonna keep working.”
Porter has the right mindset to not dwell on the mistakes and just move onto the next play. That’s how a cornerback has to live in the NFL. One can’t get too caught up in mistakes or ride the emotional rollercoaster. For the most part, Porter has done a very good job of that.
But he has to adjust his game some. He can’t get away with being as physical or as grab-happy as he was in college. The game is officiated differently at the NFL level, and some of the rules are different from college, too.
Like Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin stated Wednesday to reporters, eventually things are going to have to click for Porter. There is great confidence in the young player from the coaching staff led by Austin, who believes Porter can get those penalties out of his game moving forward.
He’s not the only young cornerback with his size and traits dealing with some penalty issues. Seattle cornerback Tariq Woolen, one of the best young corners in football, has nine penalties this season alone, and 17 in his first two seasons in the NFL. It’s an adjustment going from college to the NFL, that much is clear.
But Porter can do it. He has to.
