Joey Porter Sr. told you exactly what was on his mind. In fact, if Hard Knocks is any indication, the same holds true today. So when the upstart Houston Texans’ offensive line couldn’t protect QB David Carr, Porter let them know about it right there on the field.
Legendary Texans WR and Hall of Famers Andre Johnson was The Pivot’s latest guest and remembered the story of Porter talking plenty of smack to Houston’s front five.
“There wasn’t nothing there when we first got there,” Johnson told hosts Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder. “I remember people used to laugh at us. I remember Pittsburgh coming here. And Joey Porter was like, ‘Y’all should be ashamed of y’all fucking self.’ He was telling our o-line this. At the time, the year before I got here, they gave up the most sacks in the history of the NFL.”
Presumably, this occurred in the 2005 season, the Steelers’ first matchup against the Texans once Johnson became part of the team. By that point, hopeful franchise quarterback David Carr had become a punching bag. As a rookie in 2002, he was sacked a league-high 76 times. Things got better in 2003 before quickly regressing in 2004, again the most-sacked quarterback after being dropped 49 times. The line didn’t improve in 2005. For the third time in four year, Carr topped the charts and was sacked a league-high 68 times that season.
Pittsburgh helped run up the score. In their Week 2 meeting, the Steelers took him down eight times in a 27-7 win. Porter was responsible for one of them while S Troy Polamalu was a menace, ending the game with three sacks as Pittsburgh’s secondary racked up five Carr takedowns. Dick LeBeau’s Fire Zone was at its most effective, confusing and confounding an overmatched Texans’ team.
Here’s just one of the team’s eight and one of Polamalu’s three, a great example of the “Coffee House” stunt still used by the Steelers today of faking coverage before blitzing, creating a free lane to the quarterback.
Carr finished the day with just 167 yards through the air as the Texans were held to 228-yards of total offense. Carr would go on to be sacked seven times in each of his next two games. Taking 22 sacks in a three-game span is tied for the most since 1990, equaling Jon Kitna in 2007 and Kevin Kolb in 2012.
Of course, it’s a category no quarterback wants to lead in. Carr’s future in a better environment is anyone’s guess but there’s no question it hindered his career, turning him into a bust of a first-round choice who won just 23 games in five seasons with the Texans.
Johnson referenced a commercial made during that time featuring Carr without an offensive line. The description is vague but we found the clip. Carr himself referenced it in a 2022 podcast, irked by how it portrayed him as a teammate. It was an ESPN draft promo showing Carr walking to the line with no one to protect him.
Other commercials around that time were friendlier.
Starting a franchise from scratch isn’t easy but other teams have had far more immediate success. Founding in 1995, the Jacksonville Jaguars made the AFC Title Game in their second NFL season and won double-digit games from 1997-1999. At the same time, the Carolina Panthers found early traction, going 7-9 in their first year and 12-4 the next, also making it to the NFC Championship Game. Expansion alone wasn’t an excuse for failure.
No matter the reasons, Houston showed a model of what not to do for a franchise. The number one goal is protecting investments, and teams who drafted a first round quarterback behind a bad offensive line are doomed to fail. Of course, the NFL hasn’t shown they’ve solved those problems in the modern day. First overall pick Caleb Williams has been sacked a league-high 56 times this year, 15 more than anybody else. At least Joey Porter Jr. won’t be as likely to chirp the Bears if he ever gets the chance.
