Joey Porter Recalls His Stunning Welcome to the NFL Moment

In his NFL playing days, Joey Porter hunted on the NFL field. As an impactful outside linebacker, Porter became a feared pass rusher throughout his career, including as one of the league’s most infamous trash talkers in Pittsburgh. However, a young Porter learned at the NFL level that trash talk can backfire on you quickly. Facing the Ravens and future Hall of Fame tackle Jonathan Ogden, Porter thought he could beat him with a speed rush to the outside and even talked plenty of smack to Ogden before the play. That would backfire on him.

“I was a rookie coming into this game, and I’m running my mouth to Jonathan Ogden,” Porter said to Arthur Moats. “Ogden just signed this huge contract, and I get to play third downs, so I’m looking at this dude; he’s like 6’8″ and got size 17s. I’m about to run around the corner on this dude. There’s no way he’s about to keep up with me. No way he can make them big-ass 17s backpedal faster than me. I get wide; I’m going to speed rush him, and boom! He rolled me, he threw me down, and belly-flopped on me. He landed on me; he knocked my whole soul to the sideline. I lost my air and everything. He made me feel all of it. As he got up, I stayed down, I’m tapping my helmet, I couldn’t get enough air, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, take your ass to the sideline.’ I said damn, these big people can move.”

Joey Porter Jr. celebrates with his dad, Joey Porter Sr | Steelers

Porter learned from that and became a player other teams feared. But it is interesting to hear how a guy like Ogden can put the fear into the heart of someone like Joey Porter, even a young version of him. Now, he is watching his son, Joey Porter Jr. go through the same NFL journey. The younger Porter has yet to have that welcome to the NFL moment, at least in coverage. But he did seem to inherit his dad’s trash-talking style.

On Sunday against the Ravens, Porter Jr nabbed his first interception. After the game, Porter was confident and felt like he should. But he got that interception against someone he grew up watching, Odell Beckham Jr. Now a veteran, Beckham is not what he once was after numerous injuries, but Porter’s perfect coverage drew rave reviews, regardless. In the spirit of his father, he took a dig at Beckham.

“I’m like go ahead, run that,” Porter said. “I already knew it was coming. I strapped his old ass, I told him.”

The elder Porter has seen it all, but when the time comes for his son’s welcome to the NFL moment, he has an experience with Ogden that will rival just about anything a young player can experience.