From childhoods in California through almost parallel collegiate careers at Colorado State to the NFL, Joey Porter and Clark Haggans have many similarities. Today the duo returns to Denver as starting outside linebackers on a Pittsburgh Steelers team hoping to beat the Broncos and earn a berth in Super Bowl XL. Late last week as the Steelers prepared for the AFC championship game, Porter, in his seventh year with the Steelers, and Haggans, in his sixth, took a few minutes to chat.
Anthony Cotton: Why Colorado State?
Clark Haggans: That was the only school that gave me a chance to play football, plain and simple. And I wanted to play.
AC: No one else? You played in high school and were a good player.
CH: They felt I was too light. Every other reason why I couldn’t play. They felt I wasn’t good enough.
AC: Is there any part of you that would love to call those other schools and say, “Hey, look at what you missed out on”?
CH: No, you can look at it like, “I wish I had gotten a scholarship here or there,” but I think it all worked out for the best, especially for me. I guess I was meant to go there.
AC: Do you keep in touch?
CH: All the time; I talk to (CSU) Coach (Sonny Lubick) periodically throughout the year, checking to see how the family is and everything. I talk with my coaches, including some who have moved on from Colorado State but who coached Joey and I.
AC: You’re always linked with Joey.
CH: Yeah, it’s a crazy thing. I don’t think that there are any teammates in the NFL that have that kind of connection and relationship – being in college and the pros and playing on opposite sides of the same position. I think we’re very fortunate that things have played out this way.
AC: When you see him going off about this or that, by now do you just chuckle?
CH: Yeah. That’s just how Joey is. He’s an emotional guy and very passionate about the game and about competition. That’s just a part of him. He’s always been an emotional guy and always wanted to be in the forefront and never stepping away from a challenge. But I don’t think he’s ever been disrespectful; it’s just how he is.
AC: You’re the quiet one. Is there a part of you that would want to be more like him?
CH: No. I’m me and he’s him; he doesn’t want to be me and I don’t want to be him. We get along just fine the way we are, just being ourselves.
AC: Clark says you’re kind of opposites. Would you agree?
Joey Porter: I would definitely say that. My people skills are better than Clark’s. We just come from two different backgrounds, but we’ve been together for so long. He’s great to play with, he’s great to be with, but we definitely have two different personalities.
AC: You were 2-for-2 last week, calling out the Colts before the game and then the referees afterward regarding Troy Polamalu’s interception. Do you feel any sort of vindication for that?
JP: I didn’t call out the Colts. I was just responding to a question. There’s no vindication, really; it’s old news. Now there’s a much bigger focus, the whole focus is toward Denver.
AC: Early in your career, did you pattern yourself after anyone?
JP: No, I’ve kind of been my own man. I’m 28 and married with four kids; I have to set an example for my kids. I can’t tell them to be like somebody else. I have to set my own foundation.
AC: How does (Pittsburgh) Coach (Bill) Cowher deal with your outspokenness?
JP: He deals with me like he does every other player. If I do something that’s out of character, something I’m not supposed to, I get disciplined just like everybody else. I just try to keep that to a minimum.
AC: How did Lubick handle you?
JP: I’m not the same person now that I was in college; I’ve grown a lot since then. Things were different then. I had a child in college, I didn’t do all the partying and the things that everybody else did. I was more the stay-at-home type. My whole world was me and my wife and my daughter and how things were going to be for us. I was living the grown man’s life at an early age.
AC: How appreciative are you for this opportunity?
JP: I’ve been in this game a few times now, but it’s different now. We’re playing pretty good right now, playing our best football. I felt in past AFC championship games we entered them playing sort of up and down. Now we’re playing our best in every aspect. Everyone is counting us out; we’re not even supposed to be here right now, so we can go out and just play free.
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
