Porter stays on the offensive

The seven-year linebacker said it's time to get down to business.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

PONTIAC, Mich. — Joey Porter has no regrets that he broke his vow to not speak his mind during the week before the Super Bowl.

Wednesday, the Steelers linebacker ripped Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens for suggesting that the Jerome Bettis Homecoming story would have an unhappy ending on Sunday night.

He also criticized Stevens for not living up to his first-round draft status.

"I can play the game," Porter said Thursday. "If that is how you want to remember me for how I speak my mind instead of how I play on the football field, then that is up to you."

Steelers coach Bill Cowher backed his seven-year linebacker even though his spicing up a boring week has given the Seahawks bulletin board material.

"It's just Joey being Joey," Cowher said. "I was pretty proud that he lasted this long. He's an emotional leader for this football team."

In mounting his defense, Porter said, "I don't want the game to be cheated. I just want the game to be played how it's supposed to be played.

"And the best football that you're going to get is when it's a natural hate, when you don't like the other team.

"That's why it's going to be a good football game when people are going to try and kill each other. That's what you really want to see.

"You want to see people getting tattooed, you want to see big hits. When you don't like somebody, that's what you've got to do. This is perfect for me — I don't have to act, I can go out and tell you how I feel.

"I'm ready to go out there and play football. It's time to get down to business."

Others

So are his teammates.

When the Steelers line up on offense, second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will have at least two plays to choose from based on how the Seahawks lineup.

"If we're in a situation where it calls for a check, we can do that," Roethlisberger said.

Wide receiver Hines Ward said that's a luxury Roethlisberger did not have last year when the rookie played in the AFC Championship Game.

"We can only go with as much as he can handle," Ward said. "Last year, we didn't give him that responsibility because we didn't want to put too much food on his plate.

"But this year, you could see him start to grow as a quarterback. We started to give him a little more flexibility and a little more chance to do things.

"We've given him the option to call two plays in the huddle and leave it on Ben to see what he sees to get us into a good play."

It's working, Ward said.

"In the [AFC Championship game], the time that Jerome scored the touchdown but it got called back because me and the tight end weren't lined up [properly] — Ben checked to that play after something that he saw," Ward said.

Asked about his Saturday night plans, Ward said he intends to spend quiet time where he can "just envision making plays, going over the gameplan and running plays through my head.

"If you see yourself making plays, it's kind of like deja vu when they come on the field. I think I'm going to throw my phone away in the garbage because I don't want anybody to call me."

As Bettis' homecoming week winds down, the 13-year tailback expressed appreciation for Porter.

"Joey Porter has been getting criticism based on what he's said throughout the playoffs. It's not like things he said in the past weren't true," Bettis said. "The guy speaks off the cuff and tells you what he believes, what he thinks.

"Most of us when you ask us something, we skate around the truth, but when we tell you the truth we get criticized.

"He understands that and he's not afraid to accept that burden of responsibility. What Stevens said is what he believes. Their job is to make sure it's not a big block party after the game. Our job is to make sure that everyone gets a ticket."

Bettis also praised offensive linemen Kendall Simmons, Alan Faneca, Jeff Hartings, Marvel Smith and Max Starks "for being the engine in this car. With four [regular-season] games left, I think they really turned the corner.

"From then, I think that group has been playing probably the best of anybody on our team. They're definitely our backbone."

williams@vindy.com