The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been known for their fierce defenses, including the insanely talented linebackers they have a knack for finding. Back in the early 2000s, one of the linebackers that best embodied that Steel Curtain mentality from the 1970s was Joey Porter Sr. Porter recently recounted a story about the time his former Head Coach Bill Cowher poked him with a stick to rile him up and then set him loose on a Baltimore Ravens player.
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Former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher is as well known for his chin as he is for his great coaching.
Porter, who was drafted by the Steelers in the third round in 1999, recently joined a fellow Steeler for an interview. Arthur Moats, who was also a linebacker for the Steelers, now hosts a podcast. He recently interviewed Porter prior to the Steelers-Ravens Week 5 matchup.
During his time in Pittsburgh, Porter played for iconic Hall of Fame Head Coach Bill Cowher. Cowher is well known for taking the Steelers to two Super Bowls, winning one, which Porter was there for (Super Bowl XL). He is also known for his expressive face and his jutting chin. No one would ever accuse Cowher of having a poker face.
ROBERTO BOREA
Baltimore Ravens Head Coach Brian Billick, right, has a private word with free agent defensive tackle Sam Adams.
Porter said that Cowher had a knack for getting him all wound up before the game. He said neither one of them wanted to bend to intimidation from the other team and lose the game before it even started. He recounted, complete with facial expressions, how Cowher called him over during warm-ups before a Ravens game.
"He's like, 'Peezy [Porter's nickname], come here.' I'm like, 'What's up, coach?' He said, 'What's going on, look at that guy over there, he's trying to intimidate us.' I'm like, 'Who coach? Who?' He said, '[Sam] Adams' and I said, 'I got it now.' I ran my a** over there to Sam and now I'm like barking, like coach sent me on a mission."
Moats laughed and said that it was like Cowher put a battery in his back and cranked him up. Porter said that once he was wound up, he was wound up. He said he was yapping at Adams and Adams was looking around wondering who he was talking to. Porter told him he was talking to him.
"The energy is all the way up. I can't turn it back now. I get closer to him and like, d**n Sam Adams is big as h**l. But I can't go nowhere, I feel like I'm in a mob movie, now you can't leave. As I was talking, I turned around, I seen Big Hamp [Casey Hampton] and Pounce [Maurkice Pouncey] and then my s**t grew bigger."
He said as soon as he saw his crew behind him, he got all kinds of chippy with Adams. He said there was no way that particular Steelers unit was going to let any Ravens players intimidate them or any of their teammates prior to the game.
The Steelers-Ravens Rivalry Is One Of The Best In The NFL
The two bitter rivals have met a total of 59 times since the Ravens' inception. Currently, the Steelers own the record for wins at 34-25-0 and for the most recent win during Week 5 of the 2023 season. The games are always hard-fought defensive battles that end in strange scores.
In the past few years, the Steelers have been able to best the Ravens who frequently seem to be playing without their quarterback Lamar Jackson. During the Week 5 matchup, the Steelers won 17-10. It was an ugly win, with Baltimore dominating the first half of the game. The Steelers defense, despite showing some weaknesses in the secondary, was able to stop Baltimore from scoring again, while the Steelers offense was able to spark enough like to score 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
David J. Phillip Associated Press
Joey Porter celebrates a victory in Super Bowl XL with his two sons.
The Ravens, thanks to some questionable play calls and some on-field blunders, helped to hand Pittsburgh the game. Regardless, the Steelers got a much-needed win and put themselves on top of the AFC North heading into their bye week.
What has been your favorite Steelers-Ravens rivalry moment? Click to comment below.
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