Any successful NFL corner has to have a short-term memory. CB Joey Porter Jr. will happily put Sunday’s six-penalty performance against the Cincinnati Bengals behind him. While acknowledging the need to clean up his technique, Porter’s confidence is unshaken.
“I still feel confident in how I’m playing. I mean, I watch the tape,” he told reporters Wednesday via the team’s website. “There’s not guys that’s really beating me that’s getting a lot of separation. It just calls that I need to work on myself. And know that I just gotta get better.”
Porter’s been flagged 14 total times this year. The penalties have come in bunches. A whopping 12 of those infractions have come in three games: three against Denver in Week 2, three against Washington in Week 10, and six against Cincinnati on Sunday.
No matter how you spin it, that’s a problem. But Porter isn’t completely wrong in his evaluation. Often, he’s had good positioning on these plays but either panicked or gotten too grabby at the catch point. For a player of his length and size, being physical is important. But there’s a line he keeps crossing.
“At the end of the day, I’m trying to be great. I know to do that, I gotta clean up with the stuff I’ve been doing. So I just face it and just keep working.”
He’ll face a Cleveland Browns team with an emerging passing offense. QB Jameis Winston threw for nearly 500 yards and four touchdowns in Monday night’s loss to the Denver Broncos. Nearly half those yards went to WR Jerry Jeudy, the passing game’s focal point, after trading away WR Amari Cooper. Jeudy finished with 235 yards facing his old team. He’ll look for an encore performance Sunday against Pittsburgh.
Porter won’t just be competing against Browns’ receivers. Referee Land Clark and crew will officiate the game. A relatively flag-happy squad when it comes to pass interferences, Porter has been called for DPI in the last two games Clark has refereed. Porter’s reputation could be creating a target, though he’s not trying to focus on that.
“If they call it or don’t, it doesn’t matter. I just gotta keep playing my game.”
Porter pointed out that playing corner is a “hard position,” and facing top-flight talent each week brings bumps in the road. But for Porter to become the top-tier corner he’s capable of, he’ll need to reduce the amount of yellow thrown against him.
