Latest / Pittsburgh Sports Memories / REWIND: Things to Do in Denver When You've Been Shot: The Joey Porter Story
Transcript
- 0:00SPEAKER_04: Hello and welcome to another episode of Pittsburgh Sports Memories.
- 0:04SPEAKER_04: And uh this one will be uh things to do in Denver when you get shot, or you can just call it the Joey Porter story.
- 0:28SPEAKER_04: One of the more unique players to ever play for the Steelers, um, we're gonna look at all the twists and turns, and we're probably gonna get into some off-the-field stuff because you can't help to, and definitely some trash talking that went on.
- 0:40SPEAKER_04: And I think most times in Pittsburgh, like people aren't a fan of the trash talking, but I will say I think this guy backed it up for the most part.
- 0:48SPEAKER_04: So um we'll go through all that, should be fun.
- 0:51SPEAKER_04: But um we're gonna jump right in, Tim.
- 0:54SPEAKER_04: Uh, as usual, I'm joined with uh my co-host Tim Hannon.
- 0:58SPEAKER_04: Hey, everybody.
- 0:59SPEAKER_04: See, he's still there.
- 1:00SPEAKER_04: I wasn't pretending.
- 1:01SPEAKER_04: Yep, yep, Tim's really there.
- 1:04SPEAKER_04: Uh just a little background.
- 1:05SPEAKER_04: Uh Joey Porter grew up in Bakersfield, somewhere in California.
- 1:10SPEAKER_04: Is that at Los Angeles, Tim?
- 1:11SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
- 1:11SPEAKER_04: Do you know where Bakersfield is?
- 1:13SPEAKER_04: It's not Barst, though.
- 1:14SPEAKER_04: Well, it's somewhere in California.
- 1:17SPEAKER_04: Um he played football in high school.
- 1:20SPEAKER_04: He played running back and wide receiver.
- 1:23SPEAKER_04: Um, then he went to college at uh good old Colorado State.
- 1:26SPEAKER_04: I don't think California to Colorado State seems like a jump, but it happened.
- 1:31SPEAKER_04: Um he switched, he actually played like H-back tight end, and uh he switched to um defense his junior year, and when he did that, that's when he really uh became a you know a standout.
- 1:45SPEAKER_04: He uh finished uh what is it, third team All-American.
- 1:49SPEAKER_04: So he he really like he I guess he finally found his niche going from offense to defense.
- 1:56SPEAKER_04: Um he was obviously he was drafted by the Steelers in the third round, um, 73rd overall.
- 2:03SPEAKER_04: What year was it?
- 2:04SPEAKER_04: Was that 99, Tim?
- 2:05SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was 1999.
- 2:07SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 2:08SPEAKER_04: Um, and it it's kind of like one of those typical, like back then, like I don't know if the Steelers still I guess they still do, that they have TJ Watt, but like they like to go after like those tweener, like too big to be a safety, too small to be a true defensive end kind of guys, and it works well in that 3-4 scheme.
- 2:26SPEAKER_04: So that's really what he was.
- 2:28SPEAKER_04: At the time, uh they had Jason Gildon still, and Jason Gilden, I think, was fading, but he was still pretty a pretty decent player.
- 2:36SPEAKER_02: So do you remember Jilly Porter's first like training camp and preseason?
- 2:42SPEAKER_04: No, I do not, Tim.
- 2:44SPEAKER_02: So what I what what I remember about that was um there was uh there was a lot of hype, you know, every every year in preseason, not every year, but there's a lot of years where there's just this guy, one of the rookies, that just wows everybody.
- 2:58SPEAKER_02: And I remember that that year it was Joey Porter.
- 3:01SPEAKER_02: And they had originally given him the number 95.
- 3:04SPEAKER_04: Yes, and he switched to 55.
- 3:07SPEAKER_04: I had that in my notes somewhere, I guess.
- 3:09SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and that was that was interesting because Greg Lloyd had worn ninety-five, and Greg Lloyd was here for about a decade before before Joey Porter came.
- 3:19SPEAKER_02: And so a lot of people were comparing him to Lloyd, or some people were saying he shouldn't wear Lloyd's number.
- 3:24SPEAKER_02: And so that was I remember that he had to switch numbers.
- 3:28SPEAKER_02: I think he voluntarily did that because he just didn't want to.
- 3:31SPEAKER_02: He wanted to kind of have his own identity.
- 3:33SPEAKER_04: There was a note that said too he likes Junior Sayal.
- 3:37SPEAKER_04: Now I don't know.
- 3:38SPEAKER_04: You know, maybe he never said that in Pittsburgh because he didn't want to tick everybody off, but um but didn't he wasn't Junior Sayal still playing in like 2000?
- 3:48SPEAKER_02: He he would have been, but I mean you could still wear his number if you liked him.
- 3:51SPEAKER_02: And I and I think too, I mean you know, I know he was a third round pick, so it wasn't like he was a nobody rookie, but they could have assigned 55, could have been assigned to somebody else at first, and that guy ended up getting cut.
- 4:03SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
- 4:03SPEAKER_02: So maybe that's how he ended up with the number.
- 4:06SPEAKER_02: But I just remember him wearing ninety-five um was a little bit of a controversy, and it was a little bit of people kind of maybe putting him in a category that wasn't quite fair to him yet.
- 4:17SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 4:18SPEAKER_04: But but I think he had a great preseason.
- 4:21SPEAKER_04: He he made a lot of sacks and um and then uh in 2000 he did finish second behind Jason Gild and set a career high a sack with 10 and a half sacks, and him and Gilden tied a franchise record 24 sacks if you put them together.
- 4:39SPEAKER_04: So he had an interception too, so he had pretty good.
- 4:43SPEAKER_04: But the real fun, you know, this is kind of like how the legend of Joey Porter starts.
- 4:49SPEAKER_04: So um during a September 17th game against the Browns, Porter like tackled Kirst Dargaki real rough, and uh, it ended up Gardaki got like really pissed off and gave Bill Cower the finger.
- 5:01SPEAKER_04: Why he didn't give Joey uh maybe he's giving Joey Porter, but here we'll we'll we'll let you listen to the the fun on that.
- 5:12SPEAKER_01: I think he said hello to Porter.
- 5:16SPEAKER_01: I think he said the Browns are number one here heading into the half.
- 5:20SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know what?
- 5:22SPEAKER_01: Maybe take the shot at the punter one time during the game, just let them know you're out there.
- 5:26SPEAKER_01: But after the first time around, the Steelers don't need to do that.
- 5:29SPEAKER_01: They're they're they're a classifier team, Matt.
- 5:31SPEAKER_01: Joey Porter's too good of a player.
- 5:32SPEAKER_01: He's all over the field, uh, week one making tackles.
- 5:35SPEAKER_01: He doesn't need to do go after the punter.
- 5:37SPEAKER_01: He's too good of a player to have to shoot shots at the punter.
- 5:40SPEAKER_06: Well, should you not hit the punter?
- 5:41SPEAKER_06: Uh, you know, he's on the field.
- 5:43SPEAKER_01: Punters are defenseless kickers out on the field.
- 5:45SPEAKER_01: And they're not going after anybody.
- 5:47SPEAKER_01: They want to punt and get off.
- 5:48SPEAKER_01: And you know, it doesn't really have an impact on the play.
- 5:51SPEAKER_01: Now, if there's a return and you're running downfield and you're gonna block the punters, that's fine, that's legal.
- 5:55SPEAKER_01: But just have a guy standing there not even looking at you.
- 6:00SPEAKER_04: Wow, with the Pittsburgh Six chance on the team.
- 6:11SPEAKER_02: That was, and and that was that was you know after the Browns had been out of the league for a while.
- 6:16SPEAKER_02: And I remember that was the first game where it actually felt like it was a rivalry again.
- 6:20SPEAKER_09: Yeah.
- 6:21SPEAKER_02: And that definitely spurred it.
- 6:23SPEAKER_02: Chris Chris Kardaki a future steeler, right?
- 6:26SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 6:26SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he played for the Steelers from 2004 to 2006.
- 6:30SPEAKER_04: So Bill Coward didn't hold it against him that he flipped him off.
- 6:33SPEAKER_04: I think was Chris Kardaki the one that never had a punt blocked or only had one.
- 6:39SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that was like his big thing.
- 6:41SPEAKER_04: He never had a punt blocked.
- 6:42SPEAKER_04: So Yeah, yeah.
- 6:44SPEAKER_02: And I I remember, sorry, this is way off topic, but at one point he did get one blocked, but it still went forward.
- 6:49SPEAKER_02: So it didn't count.
- 6:50SPEAKER_04: So it didn't count.
- 6:51SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 6:52SPEAKER_02: And I was like, I was like, boy, I'm less impressed by that record now that I know that you know that that's what it means.
- 6:59SPEAKER_04: Um so yeah, Joey Porter is definitely um kind of a I mean, I don't know if that's troublemaker, at least it's on the field.
- 7:06SPEAKER_04: And they kind of and they were debating, like, I don't know who the color commentator, but that was definitely Gus Johnson on the and Gus Johnson made the point.
- 7:14SPEAKER_04: Like, if he's a punter and on the field, you know, shouldn't you block him?
- 7:19SPEAKER_04: But I think the other guy made a good point too, that like, you know, if it's not part of the play, just just let the guy alone.
- 7:25SPEAKER_04: Like it there's just no reason.
- 7:26SPEAKER_04: Like it it's not you're not making any type of football play, you're just hitting a guy to hit a guy.
- 7:32SPEAKER_04: And I think that was probably like a sign of like things that come, like that the league is kind of I think the l the NFL has kind of gotten rid of a lot of that.
- 7:40SPEAKER_04: Like, if a guy's making a return and you gotta block him, block him, and that's fine.
- 7:45SPEAKER_04: You know, if you block somebody, you block somebody.
- 7:47SPEAKER_04: But I think the league might be going too far the other way, where now just blocking someone in the course of a play has become, you know, you blocked them too hard.
- 7:55SPEAKER_04: It's like you're allowed to block people.
- 7:58SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
- 7:59SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I guess to your point about things to come, I think that was that was um not only a sign of things to come in the league, but definitely a th sign of things to come for Joey Porter.
- 8:08SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 8:09SPEAKER_02: Where there's like things he did always resulted in heavy discussions about huh, what do you think about that?
- 8:18SPEAKER_02: Should we be doing that, or maybe we shouldn't?
- 8:20SPEAKER_02: Or so that that's definitely a sign of things to come for him.
- 8:24SPEAKER_04: So uh another another thing that happened, and nobody ever remembers this play, and I remember this play distinctly, and there was the 2001 AFC Championship game, which maybe there's a reason people don't want to remember that game.
- 8:38SPEAKER_04: But uh I mean Joey Porter has a chance late in the game.
- 8:43SPEAKER_04: Like Drew Bledsoe just couldn't help himself and really tried to like pull it.
- 8:48SPEAKER_04: He like he likes to throw to Steelers defensive players, like he did it in like the Keevan Henry, and he almost did it again to Joey Porter.
- 8:56SPEAKER_04: It was late in the game, and I think the Steelers were down still, and it would have been a big turning point.
- 9:01SPEAKER_03: So Bledsoe throws this time almost been by Terry Porter.
- 9:09SPEAKER_03: It looked like it was going to be one of those replays from last week when David Patton makes a catch on his knees.
- 9:15SPEAKER_03: It never got that far.
- 9:16SPEAKER_04: I guess that's unfair.
- 9:17SPEAKER_04: Like he kind of if you watch the replay, he does make a nice play, but he kind of has it.
- 9:21SPEAKER_04: It would have had to been like almost like a one-handed interception, or he had to tip it back to himself.
- 9:26SPEAKER_04: But it was 24-17 with what just I think I saw six minutes.
- 9:31SPEAKER_04: If he catches that, that's probably a touchdown.
- 9:34SPEAKER_04: That's probably a tie game.
- 9:36SPEAKER_02: Oh man.
- 9:37SPEAKER_02: I I remember that happening.
- 9:38SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 9:39SPEAKER_02: And I remember that he was upset about it.
- 9:41SPEAKER_02: I I think even in the like the Super Bowl DVD years later, he that's like the first thing that they introduced when they introduced him, but I did not remember that it literally would have tied the game with minutes left in the fourth quarter.
- 9:53SPEAKER_02: I that part I actually did not remember.
- 9:56SPEAKER_02: So oof.
- 9:57SPEAKER_02: That kind of hurts even more seeing it.
- 9:58SPEAKER_02: And like you said, it wasn't like right in his chest, and he's a linebacker, so he would have had to make a kind of like tip it to himself with the one arm, but it was he had a clear path to the end zone.
- 10:08SPEAKER_04: And he had a decent, it wasn't like one of those ones where it just barely grazed his fingers, too.
- 10:12SPEAKER_04: It hit him squarely in the hand.
- 10:14SPEAKER_02: He could he could have got if that was a receiver, we'd say, oh man, he dropped it.
- 10:18SPEAKER_02: But again, he's a linebacker, and yeah, and that wouldn't have been the easiest catch.
- 10:22SPEAKER_02: But oh man.
- 10:23SPEAKER_02: I I again I forgot.
- 10:24SPEAKER_02: I forgot that that was like the this down in situation.
- 10:30SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it was definitely um I mean I I forgot.
- 10:34SPEAKER_04: Did he talk?
- 10:35SPEAKER_04: You said he did talk.
- 10:36SPEAKER_04: I don't remember him ever talking about that, but definitely a key moment in Joey Porter's career.
- 10:42SPEAKER_04: And that was kind of like those Steelers back then, they hadn't broken through to win a Super Bowl yet, so it was kind of like oh, you don't make the plays, you know, when you need to make it.
- 10:52SPEAKER_04: So yeah, so I guess now we're we're gonna go to some of the off the loot off the field stuff.
- 11:01SPEAKER_04: So fast forward to 2003.
- 11:04SPEAKER_04: Um Joey Porter recorded his lowest sack total of his career, and uh, this is from the internet.
- 11:10SPEAKER_04: It's a forced gump style gunshot wound.
- 11:13SPEAKER_04: I guess I was wounded in the botox.
- 11:18SPEAKER_04: So um it it was in aug it was in the offseason, August 31st, 2003.
- 11:23SPEAKER_04: That has to be pretty just right before the season started, too, huh, Tim?
- 11:26SPEAKER_09: Yeah.
- 11:27SPEAKER_04: So um outside of a Denver bar, he got shot.
- 11:30SPEAKER_04: He obviously was running away when he got shot.
- 11:33SPEAKER_04: Um and he he just he didn't have a great season because he was injured, obviously, from getting shot.
- 11:39SPEAKER_04: Um he did on October 26th, he did have a good game, some tass.
- 11:45SPEAKER_04: And um I think there was an incident too on the bus.
- 11:50SPEAKER_04: There were that you ever heard of the bus incident with him?
- 11:53SPEAKER_04: Like, and there's like kind of Chris Mortenson from ESPN said that Joey Porter had knocked on the Ravens team bus after the game to call Lewis out.
- 12:04SPEAKER_04: And it was said, why would I argue because like I think Ray Lewis came in and made like one tackle.
- 12:10SPEAKER_04: There's like a whole story.
- 12:12SPEAKER_04: Like he Ray Lewis made like one tackle or something like that in that game, and it was on Amos Airway, and he did like his whole like dance thing after he made like one tack.
- 12:21SPEAKER_04: And I I think the Steelers won that game pretty convincingly.
- 12:25SPEAKER_04: And like Joey Porter, who was not even playing in that game, was like, Oh, I found that kind of disrespectful, you didn't do anything.
- 12:32SPEAKER_04: And that was Ray Lewis's like, why would I argue with Joey Porter?
- 12:36SPEAKER_04: He's done nothing in this league.
- 12:38SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that was that was the opening game of that season, and they they kind of manhandled Baltimore in that game, uh, which was not a sign of things to come because Baltimore won the division that year and the Steelers went six and ten.
- 12:51SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, I I so so two things about that.
- 12:56SPEAKER_02: Number one, pretty ballsy for Joey Porter because you know, Ray Lewis has killed multiple people, and uh, you know, trying to mess with him, you know, you don't want to do that.
- 13:06SPEAKER_04: You know, well, they said Lewis came off the bus and David Modell.
- 13:10SPEAKER_04: I is that a relation to art?
- 13:12SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it is.
- 13:14SPEAKER_04: I had to separate them, like literally had to jump in and like, hey, could you imagine getting in between Joey Porter and Ray Lewis?
- 13:20SPEAKER_04: What kind of balls did David Modell have?
- 13:22SPEAKER_04: I mean, wow, talk about taking your life in your hands.
- 13:27SPEAKER_02: Very true, very true.
- 13:28SPEAKER_02: But but but it in all seriousness for for Lewis, one thing I will say about that is he he is one of the few smart people that didn't let like his response to that, he didn't let Joey Porter get in his head.
- 13:42SPEAKER_09: Yeah.
- 13:42SPEAKER_02: And and as we'll as we'll see later, I'm sure, with some of the things we cover, other guys were not that smart.
- 13:48SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, that's that's unfortunate.
- 13:51SPEAKER_04: Um in 2004, the Steelers have like the season for the ages we covered in another podcast.
- 13:56SPEAKER_04: They go 15 and 1, and Joey Porter had a really good season that year.
- 14:01SPEAKER_04: Um, one of the things was the 20, the the how game on Halloween where they broke the Patriots uh another Patriots highlight, but uh he he had a great sack of Brady to help end the winning streak.
- 14:15SPEAKER_05: And then they get the Brady.
- 14:19SPEAKER_05: Porter.
- 14:22SPEAKER_06: And the last four plays for the Patriots, two turnovers, a rush for a loss, and a snack.
- 14:27SPEAKER_06: Joey Porter, number fifty-five.
- 14:29SPEAKER_06: Jim, you and I talked last night, and we said, you know, we don't even talk about Joey Porter when we did the last dealer game.
- 14:36SPEAKER_06: It was Clark Hagan's, it was Chris Point.
- 14:41SPEAKER_04: So Joey Porter had a really good game.
- 14:44SPEAKER_02: Game I normally talk about Clark Hagan.
- 14:48SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 14:48SPEAKER_02: He was his Joey Porter fellow.
- 14:50SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
- 14:52SPEAKER_04: Smooth move by Phil Sims.
- 14:54SPEAKER_04: Thank God he's not on the not on the play-by-play anymore.
- 14:57SPEAKER_04: Though Tony Rumo is approaching Phil Sims territory.
- 15:01SPEAKER_02: I still like Tony Romo, but we'll debate that on another episode.
- 15:06SPEAKER_04: Our favorite national sportscasters.
- 15:09SPEAKER_04: Yes.
- 15:09SPEAKER_04: Um so also that season, I mean, he really did have a good year.
- 15:13SPEAKER_04: I I didn't look up his stats for the year, but he he did good.
- 15:16SPEAKER_04: Um so there was a fight before the Cleveland game.
- 15:19SPEAKER_04: Do you remember that, Tim?
- 15:20SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
- 15:21SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
- 15:22SPEAKER_04: And uh so we'll we'll go to that.
- 15:24SPEAKER_03: Welcome back live to the NFL today, everyone, where we have some breaking news for you coming out of Cleveland.
- 15:29SPEAKER_03: Let's take you right out to Dan Deerdorf.
- 15:31SPEAKER_03: Dan, what's going on?
- 15:32SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you, Greg.
- 15:33SPEAKER_00: You know, we mentioned earlier about Gerard Warren's comments and how emotions were running high.
- 15:38SPEAKER_00: Well, just a couple of moments ago, this is what happened down on the field when the two teams were out warming up.
- 15:43SPEAKER_00: Right in the middle there.
- 15:44SPEAKER_00: That is Joey Porter, number 55.
- 15:46SPEAKER_00: William Green, number 31, the running back for the Browns, and they are exchanging blows.
- 15:52SPEAKER_00: William Green told Armin Katayan that Joey Porter spit in his face right there, and that's what started the fight.
- 16:01SPEAKER_00: Bill Cower has no comment on what happened.
- 16:04SPEAKER_00: You can see William Green is bleeding.
- 16:06SPEAKER_00: These were big-time punches being thrown, and we are being told this video has already been forwarded to the NFL office in New York.
- 16:14SPEAKER_04: That's pretty uh that's pretty Joey Porter right there, huh?
- 16:17SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, and and then he ended up uh he and Green both got ejected, right?
- 16:23SPEAKER_02: Before the Yes.
- 16:25SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and it didn't matter because James Harrison was there, and I remember even saying that like with other fans, like that James Harrison was actually becoming better than Joey Porter at that point.
- 16:35SPEAKER_04: But it was nice to have both of them.
- 16:37SPEAKER_02: That that kind of opened the door for yeah, for James James Harrison's career to take off.
- 16:43SPEAKER_02: But I mean, have you ever seen that before or since?
- 16:47SPEAKER_02: A guy gets ejected before the game.
- 16:49SPEAKER_04: Well, William Green did.
- 16:50SPEAKER_04: Uh I don't think so.
- 16:53SPEAKER_04: I I'm gonna say not.
- 16:55SPEAKER_04: Um, I'm not sure what to make of like did he spit on him, didn't he?
- 17:00SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
- 17:01SPEAKER_04: I mean, like you said, you said there was a lot of people that let Joey Porter get in their heads, and um William Green is just the uh you know, the list of a lot of different people, and Ray Lewis managed to avoid that, but William Green not so much.
- 17:16SPEAKER_04: And it's like becoming a pattern of behavior with him, just like starting a lot of extracurricular stuff.
- 17:22SPEAKER_04: You know, we've gone hitting Chris Gardaki, like talking about Ray Lewis.
- 17:27SPEAKER_04: It's just I guess that's just kind of part of who he is, and um, you gotta take take it, you know, take the sacks and the great plays with that.
- 17:35SPEAKER_04: I mean, he does play with a lot of emotion, but part of life is controlling that emotion and keeping it between the lines, and some guys do probably a little better job of it than others.
- 17:46SPEAKER_04: I mean, at least this was on the field, technically, even though it was between the lines.
- 17:52SPEAKER_04: The game just hadn't started yet.
- 17:54SPEAKER_04: That was the problem.
- 17:56SPEAKER_04: And I don't understand fight, like, you know, you play he plays on it isn't like these are two defensive players that are never going to hit each other.
- 18:02SPEAKER_04: He's in the running back, you're the linebacker.
- 18:04SPEAKER_04: You know, if you just wait till the game starts, you guys can totally hit each other, and it'll be perfectly within the rules of the game.
- 18:11SPEAKER_02: So Yeah, yeah.
- 18:13SPEAKER_02: Like I said, just I don't I don't I've never seen that where it's like literally, I didn't even know you could do that.
- 18:18SPEAKER_02: Eject someone for something happened before the game.
- 18:21SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I think too, like I noticed like the NFL too, like now they're having what they can eject people.
- 18:27SPEAKER_04: Remember, they used to very rarely eject people during the game, and now I guess with the way they have the replay set up, like if like the command center sees something that they don't like, they can it call down to the ref and eject people.
- 18:40SPEAKER_02: So Yeah, and and William Green, I mean, he um he had a He did nothing.
- 18:46SPEAKER_04: He did nothing for the Browns.
- 18:48SPEAKER_02: I mean Well Well he had and he had a bunch of he had some substance abuse problems, he had gotten in some trouble off.
- 18:54SPEAKER_04: I didn't uh I didn't know that.
- 18:56SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so he he was he kind of had a troubled history.
- 18:59SPEAKER_02: Uh fun fact, he's actually an ordained minister now.
- 19:02SPEAKER_04: Oh, he must have turned things around now.
- 19:04SPEAKER_02: Sounds like he really turned his life around, so so kudos to him.
- 19:06SPEAKER_02: But yeah, back then I think he was he was the exact kind of guy that Joey Porter kind of feasted on, right?
- 19:13SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like I could I bet I can get in his head.
- 19:16SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
- 19:18SPEAKER_04: So once again, like that's a good point by you getting in people's head.
- 19:22SPEAKER_04: And um, so now before the um so the Steelers, I think that was 2005, yes.
- 19:28SPEAKER_04: Well, that was 2004, but then we're you know, they obviously they lose the championship game.
- 19:33SPEAKER_04: You know, I don't I didn't look up Porter's stats for that, but they they lose in a disappointing year, and everybody's real emotional, and Jerome Bettis comes back, and you know, 2005 season we went through, I yeah, we went through Super Bowl 40.
- 19:46SPEAKER_04: So it's like they go to Indianapolis and lose, and then they're gonna play this big playoff game.
- 19:53SPEAKER_04: After they beat Cincinnati, you know, that that's us like waking up, you know, you just gotta show up to win that game, right, Tim, beating Cincinnati in Cincinnati, but at least back then.
- 20:04SPEAKER_02: Do you remember too, Steve, that um the Patriots actually, when the Patriots beat the Steelers in the 2004 championship game, I think it was Teddy Bruskey came out and said that one of the things that really motivated them was um after they had after the Steelers had beaten them on Halloween that season, Porter had said some things about like we're the we're the dominant team in the AFC now, or something like that.
- 20:28SPEAKER_02: And I don't think it was something that Porter even said uh like in the media, but I thought it was maybe something like one of those NFL films clips or something.
- 20:37SPEAKER_02: But um Teddy Burski, if you if you watch the um uh the uh the the Patriots like 2004 America's game or whatever, you'll you'll see it in there.
- 20:48SPEAKER_02: Teddy Bruce, I believe it was Teddy Bersky talks about that, and he was like, they hadn't won anything.
- 20:53SPEAKER_02: You know, and so that really motivated them.
- 20:55SPEAKER_04: So even even the Patriots it motivated them to steal the signals, yeah.
- 21:00SPEAKER_04: Sure, sure, Teddy.
- 21:01SPEAKER_04: It's easy to play defense when you know what's coming.
- 21:04SPEAKER_04: I I have no respect for that.
- 21:06SPEAKER_04: I'm sorry, that guy's a joker.
- 21:08SPEAKER_04: I mean I I I remember him in the Super Bowl jumping on who was the running back from Carolina, like literally getting away on like like the flying elbow.
- 21:18SPEAKER_04: Like it would look like a WWE move for one of the running backs for Carolina in the Super Bowl, right on the guy's head, and they're like, eh, whatever.
- 21:27SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's just so whatever, dude.
- 21:30SPEAKER_02: Well, like you said, 2005 was finally the year that the Steelers you know had chance to erase that stigma of always losing to New England or being second banana to do New England.
- 21:40SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, so and and what happened was they had lost earlier in the season to Indianapolis.
- 21:46SPEAKER_04: And and like it on paper it looked like a blowout, but I've always said I thought that game was closer than it looked.
- 21:52SPEAKER_04: I didn't feel like the Steelers were not in Indianapolis's league.
- 21:56SPEAKER_04: I just thought they kind of got caught like with some.
- 22:00SPEAKER_04: Injuries, and then Ben uh Ike Taylor got caught on a play action pass.
- 22:06SPEAKER_04: And I thought if the Steelers play as good as they're capable, they can beat Indianapolis.
- 22:10SPEAKER_04: And it wouldn't be easy, but I know you could.
- 22:12SPEAKER_04: So before the game, Porter criticized the Colts for playing soft.
- 22:17SPEAKER_04: He said in their first meeting, he challenged them to play smash mouth football.
- 22:22SPEAKER_04: So and the Colts didn't really respond to it, like you said, but they're coached by Tony Dungey, so that's kind of how they're gonna roll.
- 22:29SPEAKER_04: They're not really gonna talk much, they're not gonna say anything, especially Peyton Manning.
- 22:33SPEAKER_04: Like maybe Vanderjack might have said something, but he's just a kicker, so I don't know how much pay anybody would have paid attention.
- 22:39SPEAKER_04: So he actually had two sacks in the game, and um, here's the this is probably the biggest sack of his career, I would say.
- 22:47SPEAKER_05: Here comes Pete, Polomalo.
- 22:50SPEAKER_05: And they get him at the two-yard line.
- 22:52SPEAKER_05: And the Steelers, the Jubilant sidelines, and Bill Cowers team came up with a big play again.
- 22:59SPEAKER_04: Now that's I'm not going to play the fumble part of that.
- 23:02SPEAKER_04: Where Joan Vettis's fumbles.
- 23:04SPEAKER_04: That's not good.
- 23:06SPEAKER_04: That was no good, huh?
- 23:07SPEAKER_04: Um, but that was a great play.
- 23:09SPEAKER_04: That was after the Paul Mallow interception that wasn't an interception, and you know, it was just you know, also, you know, there's some other comments he made that I kind of agreed with at the time.
- 23:24SPEAKER_04: As I've gotten older, maybe I think I still kind of like see his point.
- 23:28SPEAKER_04: And I mean, I think when you get a little older, you get a little more mature, but in the heat of the moment and the emotional emotional response, like you felt like that.
- 23:36SPEAKER_04: Was the Paul Miller caught it, rolled around on the ground, and they called then when he stood up, he he hit the ball off his knee, and they like, oh, that's not an interception, you know.
- 23:46SPEAKER_04: And it was just it was a ridiculous call.
- 23:49SPEAKER_04: And it was just I I still feel it was designed.
- 23:52SPEAKER_04: I guess I agree with Joey Porter still after all these years that this was it was designed to keep the Colts in the game.
- 23:58SPEAKER_04: But you know what?
- 23:59SPEAKER_04: We made a play after that, and that was that big play.
- 24:02SPEAKER_04: That's why that I think that that big fourth down sack is so huge.
- 24:05SPEAKER_04: That was fourth down.
- 24:06SPEAKER_04: They came right after him.
- 24:08SPEAKER_04: They they forgot to block him, if you watch.
- 24:10SPEAKER_04: Like the they had the offensive line for the Colts so befuddled.
- 24:14SPEAKER_04: You watch that play, he just comes totally free.
- 24:18SPEAKER_02: So well, Peyton Manning famously after that game said, obviously, we had some problem with the protection, which a lot of people were upset by because he kind of threw his lineman under the bus.
- 24:29SPEAKER_02: Uh but yeah, I mean that's the reason they honestly I know everybody remembers Vanderjack missing and but his fumbling.
- 24:35SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 24:35SPEAKER_02: And Ben played a great game in that game.
- 24:37SPEAKER_04: He actually um came up with the more the first half than the second half.
- 24:41SPEAKER_02: Right, but but they can't but they get them getting a lead was so key because then they they could ground things out in the second half.
- 24:47SPEAKER_02: But but I think what really won them that game was the physicality on defense, and and Porter was really the one leading that.
- 24:54SPEAKER_04: Yeah, him and Ferrier, and I think Paul Malu blitzed on there too.
- 24:58SPEAKER_04: Like, because you you can see once you get Peyton Manning moving, he's not very good at throwing like on the run like that.
- 25:06SPEAKER_04: That's definitely the weaker part of his game.
- 25:09SPEAKER_04: So after that, he he made some more comments.
- 25:13SPEAKER_04: Um, oh, here's the uh they shot me in Denver.
- 25:16SPEAKER_07: Every time we're coming to us, Daniel! It's only gonna be us.
- 25:21SPEAKER_07: We're coming here to fight every day.
- 25:24SPEAKER_07: Hey, first things first, guys.
- 25:26SPEAKER_07: Y'all backed up PZ.
- 25:27SPEAKER_07: PZ came in here.
- 25:28SPEAKER_07: PZ came in here and said they was a soft bunch.
- 25:31SPEAKER_07: We proved it.
- 25:32SPEAKER_07: Yeah.
- 25:33SPEAKER_07: We proved it.
- 25:34SPEAKER_07: That we were the tougher football team today.
- 25:37SPEAKER_07: It's all about us.
- 25:38SPEAKER_07: You be quiet this week though, PZ, please.
- 25:41SPEAKER_07: It's all about us and it's later.
- 25:43SPEAKER_07: I got that.
- 25:44SPEAKER_07: They shot me in Denver.
- 25:50SPEAKER_09: That's right on three.
- 25:51SPEAKER_09: One, two, three.
- 25:56SPEAKER_02: I love Camera, like can you just make it saying it's way too for the love of all things, all of this.
- 26:04SPEAKER_04: Yeah, because like the cults really didn't comment on it, and it was it was just funny.
- 26:10SPEAKER_04: And like, even after all that, Tim, like, you know, kind of get it out of your system.
- 26:13SPEAKER_04: And like it fired, it must have because you heard Bettis, like they played for him, like he was a team, you know.
- 26:19SPEAKER_04: It there obviously was something to him that kind of rallied the team around them, and that that's maybe what that team kind of needed.
- 26:26SPEAKER_04: They got this us against the world kind of mentality, you know, nobody wants us to be here.
- 26:31SPEAKER_04: You know, and I think Cowers teams always played better when they they had that mentality, like nobody wants us to be here, we're not supposed to be here, kind of thing.
- 26:41SPEAKER_04: And so after that, uh, he quoted an article.
- 26:44SPEAKER_04: I know they wanted Indy to win this game.
- 26:47SPEAKER_04: The whole world loves Peyton Manning, but come on, man, don't take the game away from us.
- 26:52SPEAKER_04: I felt they were cheating us when that interception happened.
- 26:55SPEAKER_04: Everybody in the world knew that was an interception, don't cheat us that bad.
- 26:58SPEAKER_04: When they did that, they really wanted Peyton Manning and these guys to win the Super Bowl.
- 27:02SPEAKER_04: They are just going to straight take it for them.
- 27:05SPEAKER_04: I felt that they were like, we don't care if you know we're cheating, we're cheating for them.
- 27:11SPEAKER_04: So um I an emotional guy, I I get it.
- 27:14SPEAKER_04: I felt the same way.
- 27:15SPEAKER_04: I I still do like when I watch that, it's just when I think about it, it's like, oh, that was such a blatant interception and such a like if that was the Colts doing that at that juncture of the game, that would have been called an interception.
- 27:28SPEAKER_02: So it's a terrible call.
- 27:31SPEAKER_02: I the only thing that I uh not made it better, but made it less I don't know, maybe shocking is that you know the the NFL really struggled for the next decade to understand what it captured.
- 27:46SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 27:46SPEAKER_04: It wasn't just us, yeah, the Dez Bryant thing and Calvin Johnson.
- 27:50SPEAKER_04: Calvin Johnson, yeah.
- 27:52SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 27:52SPEAKER_02: So I mean it wasn't like, you know, I mean, but to catch a football, you had to, you know, put it, get it in your arms, take 14 steps towards the end zone, uh, hold it up in the air, count the seven, hand it to the referee.
- 28:06SPEAKER_02: And if the referee dropped it, it's still not so I mean it wasn't it wasn't, you know, that was kind of the start of all that.
- 28:15SPEAKER_02: So that part I think I get.
- 28:17SPEAKER_02: But yeah, it was like it was just one of those things where um yeah, if you just see it in regular speed, it's just an obvious intercept.
- 28:27SPEAKER_02: So it's people that have been watching football for more than three seconds.
- 28:30SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that looks like Palomala caught the ball.
- 28:33SPEAKER_02: But yeah, they well, it's when we review it in 15 different angles, we put it in slow motion, and you know, then they just talk themselves out of the fact that he caught it.
- 28:41SPEAKER_02: So I don't know how intentional that was, or if it was just the stupidity of the league back then where they just didn't understand, they could not agree on what a catch was.
- 28:51SPEAKER_04: So um moving on, like that same season, Super Bowl 40.
- 28:55SPEAKER_04: Um Jeremy Stevens, you remember what Jeremy Stevens exactly said?
- 28:59SPEAKER_04: It was like it's a nice story, but it's gonna be sad when he loses or something like that.
- 29:04SPEAKER_02: It was it was very innocent.
- 29:06SPEAKER_02: That's what I remember.
- 29:07SPEAKER_02: It wasn't like Jeremy Stevens was getting up there with the intent to trash talk or or put the Steelers down.
- 29:15SPEAKER_02: I mean, I don't think you know, I don't think he meant anything by it.
- 29:20SPEAKER_02: But oh boy, did Joey Porter take it that way?
- 29:24SPEAKER_04: So in you know, Jeremy Porter, I guess some guys just need a reason to get fired up, gets fired up, and he says, I've been asleep all week, but now I got woke up, Porter said.
- 29:36SPEAKER_04: I've got my first taste of blood, and now I'm thirsty for more.
- 29:41SPEAKER_04: So he wants to drink blood?
- 29:42SPEAKER_04: Okay, what's he okay, count Porter?
- 29:48SPEAKER_04: Until now it was watch what I say, I can't say this, I can't say that, don't do anything silly, but I'm ready now.
- 29:55SPEAKER_04: You look for the guys that say something that aren't supposed to say nothing, and I feel like he was definitely out of pocket to say what he said.
- 30:02SPEAKER_04: I'm going to make sure he owns up to those words.
- 30:06SPEAKER_04: So that was on Jeremy Stevens.
- 30:08SPEAKER_04: He did have three tackles in the Super Bowl, so I don't remember.
- 30:12SPEAKER_04: Did he have that?
- 30:13SPEAKER_04: I he didn't know K, right?
- 30:14SPEAKER_04: He didn't have like great options.
- 30:15SPEAKER_02: Well, it was less about how good of a Super Bowl Joey Porter had, and more about how awful of a Super Bowl Jeremy Stevens.
- 30:21SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 30:22SPEAKER_04: Jeremy Stevens dropped a pass on fourth and one.
- 30:24SPEAKER_04: I remember that.
- 30:25SPEAKER_04: I think he got a call holding call too.
- 30:27SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 30:27SPEAKER_02: He he Jeremy Stevens had a terrible game.
- 30:30SPEAKER_02: He dropped several passes, key passes.
- 30:32SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
- 30:33SPEAKER_02: I think I think the one that that iced the game, like where the Steelers took over on Downs and took a knee.
- 30:38SPEAKER_09: Yeah.
- 30:38SPEAKER_02: I think that was a Jeremy Stevens drop.
- 30:40SPEAKER_02: So I you know, it it was funny because in the in the Super Bowl uh DVD thing that year, Cower Cow said that Porter came to him, he's like, I think you're gonna be mad at me.
- 30:52SPEAKER_02: And Cow no, what are you gonna do?
- 30:56SPEAKER_02: And and and I remember that at the time, I was just kind of shaking my head.
- 30:59SPEAKER_02: I'm like, oh man, we we just we're we're in the Super Bowl, we don't need a distraction.
- 31:03SPEAKER_02: This kind of stuff is stupid.
- 31:05SPEAKER_02: And then Jeremy Stevens goes out there and just totally uh lays a neck.
- 31:10SPEAKER_02: I mean, he was he was just awful.
- 31:11SPEAKER_02: And the Seahawks had the best offense in the league that year, and he was a good tight end.
- 31:16SPEAKER_02: And um, and so like it worked.
- 31:18SPEAKER_02: It was amazing to me that that worked, just like it worked on the Colts several weeks earlier.
- 31:23SPEAKER_02: Like, like that Joey Porter was he had the uncanny ability to do that.
- 31:27SPEAKER_02: Every every other player, you shake your head, you're like, Don't do that, don't get them motivation.
- 31:31SPEAKER_02: Remember like Anthony Smith with the Patriots.
- 31:33SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I yeah.
- 31:35SPEAKER_02: What are you doing?
- 31:35SPEAKER_02: Stop.
- 31:36SPEAKER_02: Just shut your mouth.
- 31:38SPEAKER_02: Uh but for some reason when Joey Porter did it, it got in people's heads, and sure enough, they win the Super Bowl and Jeremy Stevens stings.
- 31:48SPEAKER_04: So um I think it was that offseason.
- 31:51SPEAKER_04: This is where I have it.
- 31:52SPEAKER_04: Um Joey Porter's has a bunch of vicious pit bulls, and um apparently they got loose and went into a neighbor's yard or field that had some sort of horse that was only 29 inches high, and that these two pit bulls killed this small horse, which is kind of impressive.
- 32:12SPEAKER_04: I didn't think dogs could kill a horse, but I stand corrected.
- 32:16SPEAKER_04: Um uh it was bad for the horse, it was bad for Joey Porter.
- 32:21SPEAKER_04: I don't know what happened to the dogs.
- 32:22SPEAKER_04: I can't imagine it was a good day for them either.
- 32:25SPEAKER_04: And like I'd be kind of worried, like, if you just have like random, like if they're gonna do that, like I don't know.
- 32:32SPEAKER_04: I I I I know it's always dangerous to say, well, if they do this, they'll do that.
- 32:36SPEAKER_04: You never know, but he probably probably had to pay some fines and get rid of some dogs, is probably what happened.
- 32:44SPEAKER_04: I don't remember if they ever said what was the resolution of that case.
- 32:48SPEAKER_04: Do you remember Tim at all?
- 32:49SPEAKER_04: Oh that was all but it's an all another weird, and that's a weird it wasn't like he was Michael Vick where he was actually fighting the dogs, it's just yeah, dogs are really mean and got loose.
- 33:00SPEAKER_02: So so I miniature horses can be pretty small.
- 33:04SPEAKER_02: My um my daughter uh actually helps take care of a couple miniature horses uh at a farm near our house.
- 33:11SPEAKER_02: And and some of them some of them are real can be the size of like a large dog.
- 33:17SPEAKER_02: Oh wow so if it was twenty-nine inches high, yeah, it wasn't it wasn't a a huge you know, horses are normally twelve hundred pound animals, but miniature horses can be, like I said, the size of a a pretty big dog.
- 33:29SPEAKER_02: So the fact that they attacked and killed it means that they probably you know, if that was a another dog or some other domesticated animal, they probably would have done the same thing.
- 33:37SPEAKER_02: And I I don't remember if they said what happened if they had to euthanize the dogs or what, but um yeah, I I remember a lot of pe people obviously being upset about that because you know, an animal got senselessly kind of killed because and people playing Porter because if you're gonna have dogs that that are potentially violent like that, then you gotta keep them under control.
- 34:02SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it was uh not a good look for Joey Porter.
- 34:05SPEAKER_04: So um he goes on, I think the next year he actually has a really good year.
- 34:10SPEAKER_04: Like that, that's like one of the few people on the team that like Ben had a really bad year that year.
- 34:16SPEAKER_04: I think Porter, and he had I remember the first game back against the Dolphins, like he had a really good game, and I have an interception.
- 34:26SPEAKER_07: Dell Pepper back.
- 34:27SPEAKER_07: Throws the passage intercepted.
- 34:29SPEAKER_07: The Steelers have it.
- 34:30SPEAKER_07: They're running up the sideline.
- 34:31SPEAKER_07: Joey Porter.
- 34:32SPEAKER_07: He's at the five.
- 34:33SPEAKER_06: He's in the middle, and he hit this big thing! Joey Porter showed it to that knee surgery that he had in there, he sure has healed up because he had nothing but speed taking an ass to the mouth.
- 34:45SPEAKER_07: Joey Porter intercepts Dante Culpepper, two series in a row.
- 34:52SPEAKER_04: Joe Joey Porter kissed Bill Cower at the end of that game.
- 34:54SPEAKER_02: So Yeah, I uh so that was that was um what had happened was that offseason, like you heard in that clip there, he had surgery.
- 35:03SPEAKER_02: Uh he was there was some talk about him wanting a contract extension, I believe, and the Stewarters weren't ready to do that because they kind of thought he was on the tail end of his career.
- 35:15SPEAKER_02: And so when he made that play, it kind of felt like, oh, maybe this is the old Joey Porter.
- 35:19SPEAKER_02: And I think like you said, he had a decent enough season, but they were they were yeah, they also had James Harrison.
- 35:25SPEAKER_04: That's the bigger issue, is they they had they had a guy to replace him for Cheebur.
- 35:31SPEAKER_04: So unfortunately, Joey Porter gets cut by Mike Tomlin.
- 35:35SPEAKER_04: He didn't want to pay a roster bonus of one mil.
- 35:39SPEAKER_04: Um and he went to the Dolphins.
- 35:40SPEAKER_04: Actually, I had some really good years with the Dolphins.
- 35:43SPEAKER_04: He had five and a half sacks in the 2007 season, but then the next year he had 17 and a half sacks.
- 35:51SPEAKER_04: Um he really did play well, but then the Dolphins like sucked.
- 35:57SPEAKER_04: So they had one good year with him.
- 35:59SPEAKER_04: They went 11 and 5 one year.
- 36:01SPEAKER_02: That was ear Brady got hurt and they were running the Wildcat offense, so it was more of a um fluke, honestly, than anything.
- 36:10SPEAKER_04: Yeah, but Porter did make a Pro Bowl and was you know second team all pro.
- 36:18SPEAKER_04: Um I don't know.
- 36:19SPEAKER_04: He started at outside linebacker, tame captain.
- 36:23SPEAKER_04: He tie it one time he was voted second dirtiest defensive player in the league behind Albert Hainsworth.
- 36:30SPEAKER_04: Who was that was that the guy who stomped on somebody's head?
- 36:33SPEAKER_02: Yes.
- 36:33SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 36:34SPEAKER_04: So so I mean, it's you know, Heinz Ward did get voted the most dirty player in the league one year.
- 36:40SPEAKER_04: So Porter to keep from the calling out New England Patriots, Tom Brady.
- 36:46SPEAKER_04: I guess there were other times.
- 36:47SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he he called out Tom Brady and had no sacks, and Brady had like a great game, and they lost.
- 36:54SPEAKER_02: So yeah, the lesson the lesson learned for Joey Porter is you can get inside of everybody's head except the Patriots and Ray Lewis.
- 37:02SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 37:02SPEAKER_04: And like, you know, he actually got suspended by Tony Soprano for not getting the money from the uh you know Bada Bing Club.
- 37:11SPEAKER_04: Oh no, I'm sorry.
- 37:12SPEAKER_04: That's Tony Sperano.
- 37:16SPEAKER_04: Um for undisclosed reasons.
- 37:18SPEAKER_04: Who knows?
- 37:19SPEAKER_04: Maybe his dogs killed Tony Soprano's cat or soprano against Sperrano.
- 37:25SPEAKER_04: Whatever happened to Tony Sperano, I don't know.
- 37:28SPEAKER_02: Oh no.
- 37:29SPEAKER_04: Not not coaching football, that's for sure.
- 37:32SPEAKER_04: Um so so this is the end of Joey Porter's playing career, right?
- 37:37SPEAKER_04: So he'll probably go into a quiet retirement, right, Tim?
- 37:40SPEAKER_04: I'm not gonna hear too much from him, not gonna have any effect on playing on the field too much.
- 37:47SPEAKER_04: No, that's not the Joey Porter way.
- 37:50SPEAKER_04: So the best part, he ends up being a uh coach with the Steelers.
- 37:54SPEAKER_04: I think he coached at Colorado State for like a year, and then the Steelers hired him.
- 38:00SPEAKER_04: And um, yeah, he he he gets in, like Tim says, he gets in the Bengals' heads here.
- 38:05SPEAKER_04: And now there's a little flare-up again.
- 38:08SPEAKER_08: An official just got pushed.
- 38:11SPEAKER_08: And now this if this is just a penalty against Cincinnati, they're just gonna make this a chip-shot field goal and lose their season over.
- 38:17SPEAKER_08: Perfect thinks it might be against Pittsburgh.
- 38:23SPEAKER_08: Joey Porter, one of the assistants.
- 38:25SPEAKER_08: He's had uh, of course, back in his playing days scraped.
- 38:29SPEAKER_08: Then he got bumped.
- 38:31SPEAKER_08: Jim, this call is huge because it's gonna have everything to do with this field goal attempt.
- 38:35SPEAKER_06: Well, it's totally huge, but it's sad.
- 38:37SPEAKER_06: Personal foul, defense number 24, 15-yard penalty.
- 38:43SPEAKER_03: First down, Adam Jones.
- 38:45SPEAKER_04: Joey Porter was on the field and he gets bumped, and he starts, you know, all kinds of talking all trash on people.
- 38:52SPEAKER_04: Why is a coach, Jim?
- 38:55SPEAKER_02: It's unbelievable that I mean, Jeremy Stevens, that was unbelievable, and then and then here you have a full decade later, Porter's been retired for years.
- 39:05SPEAKER_02: And Pac-Man Jones.
- 39:07SPEAKER_02: Like, why and and and and the the punch he throws at Porter, I mean, he's like ten feet away from him.
- 39:13SPEAKER_02: He's he's he hits the referee instead because he's so like he just got so blinded by rage at Joey Porter, who's a coach.
- 39:20SPEAKER_04: Jerry Porter.
- 39:21SPEAKER_02: Or Jerry Porter Porter.
- 39:23SPEAKER_04: Who actually is a wide receiver of West Virginia, so maybe that's how he thought he was punching his old teammate from college.
- 39:29SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 39:30SPEAKER_02: But but literally, I mean, what and that and then the Bengals lose their whole season because he he lets Joey Porter get inside his head.
- 39:38SPEAKER_02: Again, just just like ten years earlier with Stevens, I I couldn't believe that someone would let Joey Porter mess with them that much.
- 39:46SPEAKER_02: But Pac-Man Jones, props to him for being that naive.
- 39:52SPEAKER_04: In 2016, the incident uh had made into a new NFL role called the Joey Porter role, which expressly prohibits a citizen coaches from entering the field of play.
- 40:03SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, there were some controversy.
- 40:05SPEAKER_02: He really he really should not have been out there.
- 40:09SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, yeah, I I know.
- 40:12SPEAKER_04: It it in the if he would if they would have thrown a flag on him too, which they should have, it would have offset the Berfect penalty, and that's really what should have happened.
- 40:22SPEAKER_04: But unfortunately, he he like got really ear got Jones the fall for it.
- 40:28SPEAKER_04: And it's just I've just never seen an assistant coach be out on the field like just starting trouble like that.
- 40:34SPEAKER_04: Has that ever happened before, Tim?
- 40:36SPEAKER_04: I can't remember.
- 40:37SPEAKER_02: Once again, Joey Porter's a pioneer of you know, I mean, earlier in that game, um um Munchak had Mike Munchak.
- 40:47SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, he he like got into it.
- 40:49SPEAKER_04: Like I thought you know, you see guys run into play the coach, normally they just kind of grab them and try and hold them up or slow them down, you know, or get out of the way.
- 40:57SPEAKER_04: But like I think that's what Munchak was trying to do, but then like the guy pushed him.
- 41:01SPEAKER_04: The guy from Cincinnati pushed him and he pushed him back.
- 41:04SPEAKER_02: But Munchak, I think, actually got penalized for that.
- 41:06SPEAKER_02: Like I've seen coaches get get penalized for doing things, yeah, but never on the field, yeah.
- 41:12SPEAKER_02: Normally it's never too never yet.
- 41:15SPEAKER_02: In the middle of the field, uh basically um coaxing someone into taking a penalty that would end their season.
- 41:24SPEAKER_02: I I I just that'll that'll go down in history.
- 41:26SPEAKER_02: Nothing's ever gonna top that in the Steelers Bengals rivalry, that they took two personal fouls to to lose their season because they couldn't control themselves.
- 41:37SPEAKER_04: So it all culminates what I was saying, I don't know.
- 41:42SPEAKER_04: It all comes to a head in 2017, right, Tim?
- 41:46SPEAKER_04: So there's an incident um down in the south side.
- 41:49SPEAKER_04: Why Joey Porter's down on the south side drinking?
- 41:52SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
- 41:53SPEAKER_04: I hate to be a parent here, but nothing good happens after 11 o'clock on the south side, right?
- 42:00SPEAKER_04: And that's what happens.
- 42:01SPEAKER_04: He he gets uh he gets arrested for um some sort of like, what was it, assault or something or just disorderly conduct.
- 42:09SPEAKER_04: And it it was pretty bad.
- 42:11SPEAKER_04: Um after the investigation, the district attorney actually dropped a more serious charge and left and just with the summary offenses, so I mean he he did resume his coaching duties, I think that season, but that was I think that's kind of like he became not worth the trouble that he was creating.
- 42:31SPEAKER_04: And after they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional playoff game, Porter was fired.
- 42:38SPEAKER_04: And that was pretty much it.
- 42:39SPEAKER_04: I don't think he's he's not in the NFL.
- 42:42SPEAKER_04: I know I saw him uh Heinz Ward hired him in the X.
- 42:45SPEAKER_04: Can you imagine having Heinz Ward and Joey Porter as your coaches?
- 42:49SPEAKER_04: Wow.
- 42:50SPEAKER_04: I I've seen a little bit of the XFL.
- 42:52SPEAKER_04: That's the San Antonio team, so um, yeah, that sounds sounds like that would be a fun time, huh, Tim?
- 42:59SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that would be a very interesting.
- 43:02SPEAKER_02: Um you'd have a lot of stories to tell, I bet, if you're on that roster.
- 43:06SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna say that probably did happen.
- 43:10SPEAKER_04: Um I don't think I have anything else.
- 43:13SPEAKER_04: Um is he one of the greatest all-time Steeler defenders, Tim?
- 43:17SPEAKER_04: I mean, do you put him up there with LC Greenwood at 78 sacks?
- 43:22SPEAKER_04: Uh Joey Porter had 60 sacks with the Steelers.
- 43:24SPEAKER_04: I think he finished with over 80 for his career.
- 43:28SPEAKER_04: James Harrison has the most with the Steelers at 80.
- 43:31SPEAKER_04: Um, I don't know.
- 43:33SPEAKER_04: I don't think he's as good as Joe Green, but I'll put him up there with Kevin Green, Greg Lloyd.
- 43:38SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I put him in that in that category.
- 43:40SPEAKER_02: I don't think he was as good as as good as James Harrison on honestly, either.
- 43:44SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I don't know where you put L C Greenwood.
- 43:46SPEAKER_04: So what what do you think?
- 43:47SPEAKER_04: If we're ranking him.
- 43:48SPEAKER_04: Harrison's definitely number one, and then what do you think again?
- 43:51SPEAKER_04: L C Greenway.
- 43:53SPEAKER_02: In terms of guys just that rush the passer or just linebackers?
- 43:56SPEAKER_04: I guess we'll just go with rush the passer, I guess.
- 43:59SPEAKER_04: Although he He played pretty good coverage too, which which would definitely give him a leg up on Greenwin.
- 44:05SPEAKER_04: I can't imagine LC Greenwin was covering anybody.
- 44:07SPEAKER_02: But he was a defensive lineman.
- 44:08SPEAKER_02: So it's it's hard to I mean, if you're just ranking linebackers, you also have to put Jack Hamm and Jack Lambert in there.
- 44:13SPEAKER_02: So so it's I I I would put him again like second tier.
- 44:17SPEAKER_02: I think that there's like your all-time greats, kind of your Hall of Famers or borderline hall of famers.
- 44:23SPEAKER_02: Like Hammer.
- 44:23SPEAKER_04: Yeah, because nobody's talking about Joey Porter for the Hall of Fame, and I don't think that'll ever happen.
- 44:28SPEAKER_02: Right.
- 44:28SPEAKER_02: But but I mean, also in terms of just um what he meant to the team and again some of the stories we told.
- 44:35SPEAKER_02: You know, do they win the Super Bowl that year without Joey Porter?
- 44:38SPEAKER_02: You could argue that they don't.
- 44:40SPEAKER_02: Do they do they make it past the first round of the playoffs uh in 2015 if he's not coaching?
- 44:47SPEAKER_02: I mean, so so he was a pretty significant figure in Steeler history and certainly a very memorable fan favorite.
- 44:54SPEAKER_02: I mean, people love Joey Porter around here, so um he he's always gonna have that.
- 45:00SPEAKER_04: Yeah, he definitely had some rough off-the-field stuff, but uh, I think for the most part, when he talked trash, he backed it up, at least here in Pittsburgh, except for that one time in Miami where he did he kind of pulled an Anthony Smith, like you know, talked some and then ran out of the building and didn't talk to you know the media.
- 45:18SPEAKER_04: So I don't know what he what are you gonna do?
- 45:22SPEAKER_04: Uh a good player, I think that kind of subs it up.
- 45:24SPEAKER_04: Like he he's definitely like probably one of the greats, but not quite in the category of like you said, like a Joe Green or a Jack, uh Jack Lambert or somebody like that.
- 45:35SPEAKER_02: But well, hang on, Steve.
- 45:37SPEAKER_02: Do you want to talk about uh his son at all?
- 45:40SPEAKER_04: Oh yeah, I mean I that's kind of new.
- 45:43SPEAKER_04: I mean, I don't know, like I hate to I there's no book written on his son.
- 45:46SPEAKER_04: Like his son's become a pretty good football player in his own right, and he got drafted by um the Steelers this year.
- 45:53SPEAKER_04: It was a second round, it was early second round, so definitely should be interesting.
- 45:57SPEAKER_04: Are they gonna let Joey Porter back on the sidelines?
- 46:00SPEAKER_04: Well, they have to make another rule.
- 46:02SPEAKER_04: I'm sorry.
- 46:03SPEAKER_04: Family members aren't allowed on the sidelines during the game because uh I could see like he's gonna probably be fun to you know sit sit on the sideline, uh, sit in the stands with at least.
- 46:13SPEAKER_04: Do you imagine watching a game with Joey Porter?
- 46:15SPEAKER_04: That must have been interesting at Penn State.
- 46:19SPEAKER_02: Yeah, anything that gets Joey Porter back in a SEO game, I think is never a bad thing.
- 46:25SPEAKER_02: So hopefully he'll he'll show up for a lot of his son's games.
- 46:28SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and hopefully his son, I I mean, you never know how these draft fakes turn out.
- 46:32SPEAKER_04: So, like I said, I I'll rate the this draft three years from now.
- 46:36SPEAKER_02: So But going back to the point about Porter being a fan favorite, I think that a lot of people really wanted the Steelers to draft his kid, which which of course, like you said, they did this year, uh just because his name's Dewey Porter, right?
- 46:49SPEAKER_02: If that was Well, I know.
- 46:51SPEAKER_04: I th I I mean I think the fans are, but I I don't think the team was that.
- 46:55SPEAKER_02: No, no, I'm just saying that you hope not to be a fan favorite here that that fans lose.
- 47:00SPEAKER_04: Maybe there'll be unrealistic expectations of his son.
- 47:03SPEAKER_04: I I feel bad about that.
- 47:04SPEAKER_02: Pro probably.
- 47:05SPEAKER_02: But if that if that was cornerback Bob Smith from Penn State, you would not have had the same level of people really interested and really hoping that that's who the Steelers would draft.
- 47:17SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, there's something to that.
- 47:20SPEAKER_04: I mean it I just hope it's not like an Anthony Dorset thing.
- 47:24SPEAKER_04: Like like he wasn't a bad player in the NFL.
- 47:27SPEAKER_04: He did get burned in that Super Bowl for that touchdown by Isaac Bruce.
- 47:32SPEAKER_04: And that that's not good, but he was a decent player.
- 47:36SPEAKER_04: He was like a very solid NFL player, and maybe that's what's gonna happen with Joey Porter Jr.
- 47:43SPEAKER_04: Or maybe he's gonna be better than his dad.
- 47:45SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
- 47:46SPEAKER_04: I mean, like I said, you just I I I I don't like when people get all hyped up about the draft, I I don't know.
- 47:52SPEAKER_04: I just don't like the same thing with incoming freshmen in college.
- 47:55SPEAKER_04: It's such a jump from high school to college, and then it's an even bigger jump from college to the pros that you just I just think you I mean sometimes there's can't miss guys and those guys come around once every ten years or so.
- 48:10SPEAKER_04: Like I don't know, for every Darrell Revis and Larry Fitzgerald I've seen, I've seen enough Jermaine Stevens to know that you know it's not it's not always, and then there's you know everybody in between guys that are good, but they're just not great, and that's you know, yeah, good point.
- 48:28SPEAKER_02: It'll be interesting to see what what Porter Jr.
- 48:31SPEAKER_02: does in the NFL for sure.
- 48:32SPEAKER_04: But I hope it's I for I mean as a Steeler fan, I would hope it's good.
- 48:36SPEAKER_04: I mean, that's only gonna be good for the team, right?
- 48:38SPEAKER_02: So yeah, but the Joey Porter legacy lives on.
- 48:42SPEAKER_04: Lives on.
- 48:42SPEAKER_04: I I don't know if this I don't know anything.
- 48:45SPEAKER_04: I didn't I don't watch Penn State football, so I don't know if the if he talks a lot of trash or if he just keeps his mouth shut or I guess we'll find out, huh?
- 48:53SPEAKER_04: We will.
- 48:54SPEAKER_04: We will.
- 48:55SPEAKER_04: Well, thank you for tuning in, and uh if you enjoy our podcast, keep on listening.
- 48:59SPEAKER_04: Uh check us out on all the podcast uh carriers and uh check us out on Facebook and uh at the Twitter, and um we'll uh talk to you next time.