Porter Jr. and Herbig had a plan and executed it after the big play
by Bo Marchionte
Published August 19th, 10:23 PM EDT
Pittsburgh – It was a family affair at Acrisure Stadium after rookie defensive back Joey Porter Jr. captured his first interception of the preseason. A trot into the north end zone of the stadium for the now vogue defensive team photo op.
Porter Jr. trotted off the field and the ball didn’t go to the equipment manager. “The Duke” the NFL football found its way into the waiting arm of two-time first team All-Pro and the guy he knows as dad in Joey Porter who was seated first row near the 50-yard line.
“It was unreal because me and Little Herb, Nick (Herbig) were talking about if he gets a sack or I get a pick,” Porter Jr. said bare chested after the game. “We are going to run down at the end of the field and celebrate. Right after that I got my pick and he was like, ‘Cmon we got to do what we said.”
It marked a memorable preseason game for the Steelers who won 27-15 over the Bills.
It was a night of a lot of celebrations and big plays but this one might have stolen the show from Jaylen Warren’s 62-yard touchdown run or Calvin Austin’s 54-yard punt return that set up a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett to Pat Freiermuth.
“That’s crazy,” Herbig said. “That’s my dog. Literally right before the play he was like get me a sack and I was like get me a pick. We both pointed to the touchdown. The first one to do it we are running over there.”
Porter Jr. slid underneath route on receiver Khalil Shakir and forced quarterback Matt Barkley into one of his three interceptions on the night. Greeted by a posse of teammates, Porter and company b-lined their way towards the end zone.
“That was the main thing and get them to the sidelines,” Porter Jr. said regarding the detail’s coverage. “Get them to the sidelines. That’s what my coach wanted, and I tried to do what my coach asked me to do. That’s how it played out, it went perfect.
“It’s a big part of my game. My size and length and everything. They didn’t give me these arms for no reason. I got used to them.”
Porter Jr. is the highest defensive back selected by Pittsburgh since Artie Burns was taken 25th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Taken 32nd overall, Porter Jr. found himself waiting until the second night of the draft due to the Miami Dolphins being stripped of the pick due to league tampering violations. Under normal draft conditions he would have been a day one draft prospect.
The competitor in Porter Jr. and being prideful of his own capabilities since four other players who play the same position heard their name called during the first-round, Porter Jr. had to return on day two to the stage in Kansas City to embrace his opportunity to walk across the stage in front of a pack crowd, after the Steelers selected the former Nittany Lion out of Penn State.
The first pick of the second round (32nd overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft, Porter Jr. hasn’t gotten the nod to be the starting defensive back opposite of eight-time Pro Bowler (2011-18) Patrick Peterson. Porter Jr. has had his shares of both ups and down throughout rookie camp through training camp.
It was the pinnacle of his rookie season thus far, climaxing around his first career interception. With one preseason game remaining it is likely Porter Jr. will reside mostly on the sidelines and not at left defensive back flanking receivers in coverage.
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
