Mike Tomlin tells hilarious story about his first memory of Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr.
This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers used their first round draft pick on Joey Porter Jr. Coincidentally, Porter Jr. is the son of Joey Porter, who played and coached for the Steelers. That includes time as an assistant coach under current head coach Mike Tomlin.
Because of that relationship, Tomlin knew plenty about Porter Jr. before the draft. That goes back to knowing him as a child when he competed with Tomlin’s child. That led to a hilarious story that Tomlin shared on the Rich Eisen Show, about a track meet that Tomlin’s son competed with Porter Jr. in.
“I think he was eight or nine,” Mike Tomlin laughed. “He and my son were in a track meet in Sacramento, California, met at a national track meet, and they were in a prelim together and they were in the same heat.”
Naturally, the two competitive parents couldn’t let the opportunity to brag about their son go by without a bet on the race.
“Me and his old man may have wanted to bet on the race, as some dads would do. That’s probably the first time, but it is funny. It’s really dating me. It’s making me realize how long I’ve been at it.”
Mike Tomlin didn’t share who won the race. However, seeing as Joey Porter Jr. ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, it wouldn’t be surprising if he took home the top spot.
Still, more than anything, it’s stories like that which make Tomlin feel his age. That’s age that he has started to notice, mentioning earlier this season that he’s, “probably have seen more days than I’m gonna see.” While Mike Tomlin didn’t announce any plans for retirement, he did also make it clear that at 51, he doesn’t want to coach well past social security retirement age.
Joey Porter Jr. on his first interception
For Joey Porter Jr., his first NFL interception came in a preseason game against Buffalo. Naturally, he had to show some love for his father by giving him the ball in a touching father-son moment.
After the game, Porter Jr. broke down what happened on that first interception.
“I was talking to my coach right before I went out on that series,” Joey Porter Jr. said. “He was talking about getting our hands on our receivers in Cover-2. He’s like, ‘Once you get your hands on him, push him out of bounds and look for the ball, because it’s gonna be there.’ And exactly like that, it happened.”
Steelers fans hope that interception is going to be the first of many to come for Porter Jr.