Joey Porter Sr. Names 3 Teammates Who Outline ‘What A Steeler Seems to be Like’

The Pittsburgh Steelers have built an identity around consistent principles, such that it’s not hard to identify who is “a Steeler.” Even today, we see players who we identify as “Steelers players” before they’re even on the team. DeShon Elliot, for example, is one player who always fit the Steelers’ model. Elandon Roberts is another. It took them most of their careers to wind up here, but neither wanted to leave.

Although the Steelers let Roberts walk this offseason, they replaced him with another “Steelers player” in Malik Harrison. On the other hand, they turned around and signed Elliot to a two-year extension this offseason.

But part of that is because the Steelers have had many players who exemplify and embody those ideals. Joey Porter Sr. was one of them, and recently in conversation with another, he named the three who represent that for him. Those three players, all his former teammates: Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu and Jerome Bettis.

“Hines [Ward], he’s gonna be a tone-setter. He’s gonna let you know, ‘It’s not dirty job that I won’t do,’” Porter said on Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast about the Steelers who embody the ideal. “He’s gonna wire somebody’s shit shut, and he’s gonna show up to practice every single day.”

While Hines Ward might never make the Hall of Fame, he personified Steelers football, which is impressive for a receiver. In a town in which defense rules, he played the position like a linebacker. But one defender stood out above everyone else.

“Troy [Polamalu], his aura of how he watched film and how he practiced and how he played, and the splash that he created — it’s not a young guy who don’t want to be around that,” Porter said.

He talked about how even at the Pro Bowl, the Steelers safety stood out, though he didn’t want to.

But perhaps foremost of all is The Bus, who was pretty much every Steelers fan’s favorite player. While Pittsburgh loves defense, the running back position is revered. At least among those who earn it, and Bettis just might be the last to do that fully.

“Jerome [Bettis], you’re gonna see what he goes through every day for the team,” Porter said of his former Steelers teammate. “You’re gonna see what the coach don’t practice him on Wednesday. Because when he gets on the training table, you’re gonna see the purple marks from the Baltimore Ravens games on his thighs, his arms. You’re gonna see why we practice him the way we do for him to be upright on Sunday.

“Just those three guys right there is gonna be the definition of what a Steeler looks like,” Porter concluded.

I think a lot of Steelers fans would agree with that list. You might include some older guys, of course, or a guy like James Harrison. Maybe you might throw an offensive lineman in there. Of course, Joe Greene tops basically any list that has anything to do with the Steelers.

But for the Steelers era in which Joey Porter Sr. played, these guys certainly fit the bill. He could have easily included himself on that list. After all, he took a bullet for the team.