It's the time of year when honors are handed out at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and that was the case when rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Patrick Peterson were both honored by the Pittsburgh Chapter of Pro Football Writers of America.
Porter won the Joe Greene Great Performance Award while Peterson is the winner of 'The Chief' Award.
The Joe Greene Great Performance Award was established in 1984 and named after the legendary Hall of Famer and presented each year to the Steelers' top rookie.
Porter is the third Steelers cornerback to win the award, joining Delton Hall, who won it in 1987 and Chad Scott, who won the honor in 1997.
Porter was drafted by the Steelers in the second-round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the 32nd overall pick, out of Penn State. Porter made a name for himself with his aggressive style of play for the Nittany Lions. He brought that same aggressive style to the Steelers.
Porter's playing time gradually grew through the first six games of the season, and by Week 8 he earned a starting role when the team played the Jacksonville Jaguars and never looked back.
"I think about that often," said Porter. "If I played Week 1, I don't know how my body would feel right now. I am glad they slowed the process down for me and I am feeling hot right now.
"I am feeling great. It is definitely a long season. Around this time last year, I was getting ready for bowl prep already and hanging out with the family. But we have more games left. With that aspect, it's mentally and physically draining. But this is what I signed up for. I am not complaining. I get to do what I love to do every day."
Through 16 games, and with Saturday's regular season finale against the Ravens still on deck, Porter has 42 tackles, 32 of them solo stops, and one tackle for a loss. He also has 10 passes defensed and one interception, which occurred in the team's first meeting against the Ravens.
Porter said there are areas he still wants to focus on in his game, while at the same time knowing he has grown as the season has progressed.
"I feel like there are a lot of areas that I need to work on, and I am still working on," said Porter. "Overall, I have grown as a player. I am happy where I am and there is still work to do."
Joe Greene Great Performance Award Recipients
1984 - Louis Lipps, WR
1985 - Harry Newsome, P
1986 - Anthony Henton, LB
1987 - Delton Hall, CB
1988 - Warren Williams, RB
1989 - Carnell Lake, S
1990 - Eric Green, TE
1991 - Adrian Cooper, TE
1992 - Darren Perry, FS
1993 - Chad Brown, LB
1994 - Bam Morris, RB
1995 - Kordell Stewart, QB
1996 - Jon Witman, FB
1997 - Chad Scott, CB
1998 - Alan Faneca, OG
1999 - Troy Edwards, WR
2000 - Dan Kreider, FB
2001 - Kendrell Bell, LB
2002 - Kendall Simmons, OG
2003 - Troy Polamalu, S
2004 - Ben Roethlisberger, QB
2005 - Heath Miller, TE
2006 - Santonio Holmes, WR
2007 - Daniel Sepulveda, P
2008 - Patrick Bailey, LB
2009 - Mike Wallace, WR
2010 - Maurkice Pouncey, C
2011 - Marcus Gilbert, OT
2012 - Mike Adams, OT
2013 - Le'Veon Bell, RB
2014 - Martavis Bryant, WR
2015 - Bud Dupree, LB
2016 - Sean Davis, S
2017 - JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
2018 - Terrell Edmunds, S
2019 - Devin Bush, LB
2020 - Chase Claypool, WR
2021 - Najee Harris, RB
2022 - Kenny Pickett, QB
2023 - Joey Porter Jr., CB
'The Chief' Award, which was established in 1988 in honor of Steelers' founder, Arthur J. Rooney, Sr., is presented annually to a member of the Steelers' organization that best exemplifies the spirit of cooperation with the media that he embodied.
Peterson, who is in his 13th NFL season, signed a two-year contract with the Steelers this offseason.
From his arrival and throughout the entire season, Peterson has made himself available to the media, in wins and losses.
And Peterson didn't just make himself available, but always provides insightful, in-depth answers to the media's questions.
It doesn't come as a surprise as he has his own podcast, All Things Covered along with Bryant McFadden. He even announced his intention to sign with the Steelers in free agency via his podcast.
Peterson has been an incredibly valuable addition to the Steelers defense in 2023. He has started 15 of 16 games, including the last two at safety due to injuries at the position.
"I feel pretty comfortable back there," said Peterson. "The visual is a little bit different. The more reps I get the more comfortable I'll be."
While the move has been deemed a temporary one for now with the injuries, it's one that has truly impressed his teammates.
"It's awesome," said linebacker T.J. Watt. "For a guy like that to just jump into the role and have no complaints about it, that's a true team player. A guy that's going to be a Hall of Famer at corner, moved back to safety, is being a team player."
'The Chief' Award Recipients
1988 - Dan Rooney
1989 - Dwayne Woodruff
1990 - Merril Hoge
1991 - Gerald Williams
1992 - Tunch Ilkin
1993 - D.J. Johnson
1994 - Rod Woodson
1995 - Levon Kirkland
1996 - Chad Brown
1997 - Darren Perry
1998 - Jerome Bettis
1999 - Lee Flowers
2000 - Jerome Bettis & Deshea Townsend
2001 - Lee Flowers
2002 - Hines Ward
2003 - Mike Logan
2004 - Jerome Bettis
2005 - Alan Faneca
2006 - Brett Keisel & Deshea Townsend
2007 - Alan Faneca
2008 - Ryan Clark
2009 - James Farrior
2010 - Ben Roethlisberger
2011 - James Farrior
2012 - Casey Hampton
2013 - Ike Taylor
2014 - Cameron Heyward
2015 - Ramon Foster
2016 - Arthur Moats
2017 - David DeCastro
2018 - Joe Haden
2019 - Cameron Heyward
2020 - Ben Roethlisberger
2021 - Cameron Heyward
2022 - Mason Cole
2023 - Patrick Peterson
