Ben Roethlisberger offer Simple Solution to steelers against Coach and player
Ben Roethlisberger Has Simple Solution for Joey Porter Jr.
In this story:
![Pittsburgh Steelers](https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Ch_20%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_20/MTcwNzkzMDQ4MDY0ODYxNDQ2/pittsburgh-steelers-logo.png)
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Joey Porter Jr. has been playing at an elite level since he officially took over as a starter midway through the 2023 season. That said, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger feels there’s still room for him to grow.
But the critique Roethlisberger has for the Steelers’ young, emerging star in the defensive backfield really has little to do with his technique or play on the field, and more to do with his gameday attire.
“He’s a physical football player. He gets his hands on people. And so I love that they just let him play,” Roethlisberger said on a new episode of his podcast, Footbahlin. “He’s playing as well as any rookie, not just corner, but rookie in this league. … He’s playing really well, should get some definite consideration for Rookie of the Year…. But he should put the same-colored gloves on as the opposing jersey. He wore those bright yellow gloves, and it just sticks out like a sore thumb.”
Porter has worn gloves that stick out from his game uniform for most of the season and against the Bengals last weekend, his bright yellow ones were visible to everyone in Acrisure Stadium against his black jersey and the white one Tee Higgins, Porter’s primary assignment, wore.
Porter was flagged for his 12th penalty while guarding Higgins in the Steelers’ 34-11 win over the Bengals in Week 16, making him the second-most penalized defensive player in the league this season and the fourth-most penalized overall.
He’s been called for four pass interference and three holding penalties and Roethlisberger believes at least some of those might not have been called if he had found a different-colored accessory to wear when he takes the field on gameday.
Make sure you bookmark All Steelers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Ben Roethlisberger retires from NFL after 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers
![Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 9, 2022, in Baltimore.](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2022-01/220127-ben-roethlisberger-jm-1054-41d59d.jpg)
PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger’s NFL career is over.
The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback announced his retirement on Thursday, saying it was “time to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats” after 18 years, two Super Bowls, countless team records and a spot in the Hall of Fame all but secure.
“I don’t know how to put into words what the game of football has meant to me and what a blessing it has been,” Roethlisberger, 39, said in a video message. “But I know with confidence I have given my all to the game, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for what it has given me.”
The much-anticipated decision came less than two weeks after Pittsburgh’s lopsided loss to Kansas City in the first round of the postseason, the 12th time in Roethlisberger’s career the Steelers reached the playoffs.
He hinted before his final game at Heinz Field that it was time for him to move on and spend more time with his wife, Ashley, and their three children and made it a point to embrace the moment following a Monday night win over the Browns on Jan. 3, doing a victory lap of sorts before disappearing down the tunnel surrounded by his family.
Roethlisberger called the journey from a kid growing up in Ohio to the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft to a likely future Hall of Famer “exhilarating,” but he added he is retiring “a truly grateful man.”
One who leaves behind a legacy of winning. The Steelers never endured a losing season during Roethlisberger’s tenure and captured Super Bowls 40 and 46 — the latter coming on a now-iconic touchdown pass over the outstretched hands of three Arizona defenders to Santonio Holmes in the back corner of the end zone.