As folks around the league try to make sense of the sudden decision from Dolphins coach Tony Sparano to deactivate linebacker Joey Porter, the theory that makes the most sense is that the team was willing to tolerate his propensity for popping off only when he was producing at a high level.
The thinking in some circles is that Porter's misguided decision to stir up the Patriots (quarterback Tom Brady has said that the veteran defender's verbal ramblings added extra motivation in their Week Nine game) was the last straw, and that Porter will remain on ice unless and until the rotation of Jason Taylor, Matt Roth, and Cameron Wake doesn't work.
As one league source pointed out, the end of the road could have come sooner for Porter. Last year, the Redskins swooped in and offered a second-round draft pick for Taylor after undergoing a rash of injuries at defensive end in the early days of training camp. If the Dolphins hadn't gotten a strong offer for Taylor, Porter could have been the odd man out in 2008.
The deeper issue is that the Bill Parcells/Tony Sparano approach frowns on players who like to stand out from the pack. Indeed, veteran kicker Jay Feely was jettisoned before last season in favor of a rookie -- and many believed at the time that the move resulted from Feely's reluctance to be seen and not heard.
Porter's DNA compels him to be heard. Parcells and Sparano were willing to deal with it as long as Porter played at a high level. Now that he's declining, they simply won't put up with it.
Porter's piehole has finally overcome his production
Posted by Mike Florio on November 14, 2009 9:58 PM ET
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Latest stories in: Latest News and Rumors, Miami Dolphins, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Rumors, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Top Stories
Latest stories in: Latest News and Rumors, Miami Dolphins, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Rumors, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Top Stories
I have an alternate theory. The Dolphins took a look at the Bucs and decided the game would probably be well in hand and the looked at Porter and decided that he wasn't going to get back to dominating as a pass rusher until his hamstring really had a chance to heal up. So they give him the week off and get him ready for the rest of the season which they will need to win a lot of their remaining games to get in.
Now if Wake or Roth tear it up then yeah he might get Wally Pipped. But I would bet he is back starting next week.
I am glad Sparano is finally taking a hardline approach with the players, benching Wilson improved Miami's secondary, there was little improvement from the Ginn benching but it allowed him to return kicks which has been a huge plus and we will see what happens with Porter riding the pine.
Finally, this dude has run his mouth for way to long now.
"I have an alternate theory. The Dolphins took a look at the Bucs and decided the game would probably be well in hand and the looked at Porter and decided that he wasn't going to get back to dominating as a pass rusher until his hamstring really had a chance to heal up."
Yeah, cuz he he did so well with a good hammy against New England, right?
Porter was never going anywhere in 2008. They still owed him $6.8 million in guaranteed salary between 2008 and 2009.
"Porter's DNA compels him to be heard."
Yea...........Like prehistoric times.
probly some sense to this. i have in the past posted that he basically only does well when his teams play really crappy opponents, or already scored 5 TDs due to the wildcat.
he hasnt done s@#$ in like 5 years. overpaid as a descriptor of joey doesnt do enough justice.
jason can still bring it. wake is for real. let mr. pitbull ride the pine.
J. Peezy has made his 20+ mil ... time to move on or shut it down. We love ya Joey ... you'll be a Steeler forever.
Here's another theory....
I call it "Losts' Inevitability principle..."
Sparano at Friday's press conference:
"There’s a lot of things that people say about Joey that are not always favorable, but one of the good things about Joey is the guy’s a pretty good pro. He sees it, he knows. When he sees it, and he knows, he takes it personally. The guy cares, and I think that’s a hell of a quality to have when you’ve played the game for as many years as Joey ..."
On Friday, Sparano thought Joey's mouth-running was a sign of caring and a "hell of a quality" but the "theory that makes the most sense" 24 hours later is that Joey's "piehole has finally overcome his production."
Uh-huh. If Porter were operating at full-strength, Parcels and Sparano would "put up with" him jogging naked on South Beach while beating his chest and calling out Goodell.
Or maybe, Miami is doing what New England did with Adalius Thomas. A healthy scratch to get Porter to step up and back up the garbage he spews. I am a Dolphins fan but I am a bit sick of his trash talk, even the few times he has backed it up, which so far this year he hasn't.
Porter is a piece of crap. What is that guy going to do when he's 50 yrs old sitting at home playing parcheezi??? you can't talk crap to other old men!!! Hey Joey, here's an idea, GROW UP!!!
Hello Dan Snyder.
Another class act coming to the Washington circus
Porter was and is to good for the Dolphins any damn way.. Joey has always ran his mouth and backed it up.. thats a fact,but hes not Superman..cant do it alone. At least the Dolphins have an excuse for this loss.. what about the rest of them?
Joey didnt say anything more than what everyone else was saying.. Brady is the refs precious pretty boy...
I truly hope Cameron Wake has an opportunity to show his stuff in "Game Reps."
I have a feeling this kid can be a great story.
Miami just cut J.D. Folsom who they just brought up from the practice squad and liked a lot because of weakness in the middle when Crowder was down. He gets dropped because now they're thin at blocking TE. (Did I miss J.D. popping off, or are the Dolphins doing they're formula churning and playing with the rotation of young players?) Charlie Anderson, Matt Roth, and Cam Wake are the better option than an injured but reportedly healthy (right, Florio?) Porter. Particularly with Walden a lock for consistent ST play.
And Feely was released for a younger, cheaper, more consistent, and better kicker. Plain and simple. He's an idiot, but if he was as good and as cheap as Carpenter, he wouldn't have been let go.
Sparano/Parcells may not like talkers, but this is just a sensible decision by Sparano. It's good news and a healthy sign for a Dolphins team getting ground down by the first half of the schedule.
Bagging on Porter is too easy.
Who knew?! This is a individual who's words speak louder than his actions.
It's been that way for quite a while now.
It even took him four of his friends to take down Levi Jones in Vegas, a few years back, and he wasn't much of a factor in that one either. But is was the first time Levi got beat by something involving Joey Porter.
"The thinking in some circles.." Technically, could that include your dog barking at you, Florio?
Yeah, cuz he he did so well with a good hammy against New England, right?
if I'm wrong and you're not a pats fan then excuse me for accusing you of blatant ignorant homerism. Porter has had a bad hamstring ALL SEASON and actually missed one or two entire games because of it...but you think that for the NE game it was all of a sudden 100 percent and that their backup LT was just that dominant. I have zero doubt that he had anything but a GOOD hammy against NE. I doubt the words "good" and "hamstring" have even been used in the same sentence regarding Porter since preseason...but keep up the snarky uninformed statements...they're really working for you.
richman2256.....
Umm.... you're a little slow aren't ya pal.
Porter's been playing with a sore hamstring for the past few weeks.
So football isn't your strong point. It's ok, I'm sure you do just fantastic mopping the floor at Wendy's!
Joey Porter was, at the peak of his career, one of the best LBs in the game. He can still have those brilliant moments but he is on the decline like most players his age. I hope he gets another ring in his career or short of that goes out with dignity.
Porter had 17.5 sacks last year, and was in discussions for defensive MPV of the NFL. This is either because of his hamstrings, or because they want this move to motivate him like the new regime did with Ronnie Brown.
Roth, Wake, and Taylor are well suited to handle the Bucs.
Vinny Cerrato has his agent on speed dial. Look for Joey in Washington next year. Danny will give him $90,000,000 to up the hype and "sell" those corporate boxes.
"Steeler-lady says:
Joey didnt say anything more than what everyone else was saying.. Brady is the refs precious pretty boy... "
He may be the ref's precious pretty boy, Steeler Lady, but at least he isn't a rapist. Go ahead. I look forward to a woman defending a rapist because he's the quarterback of her team.
@Shadenfreuder ...
There's nothing quite so disgusting as a man mouthing off to women about rape just because he doesn't like her football team. Most women have either experienced sexual assault firsthand or comforted friends and relatives who've been assaulted. For you to throw it up to Steeler-Lady because she's defending Joey Porter is revolting. Clearly you have no knowledge of the Roethlisberger case and no interest in learning anything about it. But since you've opened that Pandora's Box, I'll enlighten you.
As I've posted before, I've spent time with dozens of victims of all ages. My first inclination is ALWAYS to believe the woman. I don't care WHO Ben plays for, if I thought he'd raped someone, I'd want him to pay for it.
But I've read every word of her complaint and gone over it with a practicing criminal attorney who's represented both victims and defendants in similar cases. From a victim's perspective and a logistical perspective there are BIG problems with her story. The defense has produced witness affidavits plus HER text messages and e-mails showing that she talked in advance about wanting to have sex with Roethlisberger, that her account and timeline of events that night doesn't match, and that she bragged afterward about hoping she was pregnant with a Little Ben. She waited a year after their one-night stand, when she had financial debts from psychiatric treatment related to another matter, and filed a civil suit against Ben and several Harrah's employees asking $490,000 in actual damages, $1.5 mil for emotional distress, and $1 mil for damage to her reputation.
She never approached police and they've stated they have no evidence a crime ever took place. Since she's filed no criminal complaint, no criminal charges will ever be pursued. From the beginning, this case has been solely about money.
A woman who makes a false rape claim to bilk an innocent man out of $3 mil is no better than a man who victimizes women. And a man who throws rape in a woman's face to make a "yo mama" point about her football team is an ass.
Yeah, all you Porter fans are whining that he's had a bad hamstring all year. I know that, he's been whining about it too, since about week three, I believe. Handy excuse, wouldn't you say?
Let me ask you one question: was his hammy listed on the injury report for week 8 going against New England?
You can STFU now. Oh, and a customer slipped on some ketchup by the soda dispenser, fartface; get on it would you?
"Deb says:
November 15, 2009 11:40 AM
@Shadenfreuder ...
There's nothing quite so disgusting as a man mouthing off to women about rape just because he doesn't like her football team. Most women have either experienced sexual assault firsthand or comforted friends and relatives who've been assaulted. For you to throw it up to Steeler-Lady because she's defending Joey Porter is revolting. Clearly you have no knowledge of the Roethlisberger case and no interest in learning anything about it. But since you've opened that Pandora's Box, I'll enlighten you.
As I've posted before, I've spent time with dozens of victims of all ages. My first inclination is ALWAYS to believe the woman. I don't care WHO Ben plays for, if I thought he'd raped someone, I'd want him to pay for it."
I don't believe you Deb. I believe that you are just another Pittsburgh sycophant. Thanks for the enlightening comments. Also, thanks for saving us all the trouble of waiting for the court case. Of course, "Ben" will probably just pull a Kobe and get the plausible deniability that you female Steeler fans all dream of. Oh yeah, to reiterate-Tom Brady, non-rapist, ref protected pretty boy, Ben Roethlisburger, non-helmet wearing while motorcycle riding, questionable off-field decision making, REF PROTECTED, rape suspect. Go cook some brownies Deb.
@Shadenfreuder ...
Wow, you don't believe me? What a shock! You threw a rape suit you knew nothing about into a football discussion because you thought it made you sound like a BIG MAN. And when--much to your surprise--a woman was able to answer you with the facts of the case, you fired off a rant about pretty boys, Tom Brady, ref protected QBs, and the dreams of female Steeler fans (like you would understand the dreams of any woman). Then of course, being such a BIG MAN, you finished with the tired old sexist line all BIG MEN pull out when they've been shown up by a woman: "Go cook some brownies."
Like I said, you're an ass, BIG MAN. Everybody gets that. You don't have to keep proving it. LOL
"Deb says:
November 15, 2009 6:17 PM
@Shadenfreuder ...
And when--much to your surprise--a woman was able to answer you with the facts of the case, you fired off a rant about pretty boys, Tom Brady, ref protected QBs, and the dreams of female Steeler fans (like you would understand the dreams of any woman). Then of course, being such a BIG MAN, you finished with the tired old sexist line all BIG MEN pull out when they've been shown up by a woman: "Go cook some brownies."
I think I understand your dreams Deb. You dream that you were born with a penis so that you could have played football. But you weren't. Sorry Deb. You have a vagina, therefore you were not able to play a man's game. But you get to compensate by coming on a football website and pretending you're more man than the next guy-even if it means defending a rapist (which a real man would never do.) It's ok Deb. Have fun tilting at windmills. Just remember, you can't win. We don't have to be politically correct here. You're a woman. Football is a man's sport. You lose. Now, please, bake some cookies.
@Shadenfreuder ...
ROTFL Guess I was wrong. You do have to keep proving you're an ass.
Sorry to disappoint, but I'm quite happy with the equipment God gave me. And since I'm very good at being a girl, I'm not threatened by others who share my interests the way you are. As for football, I expect I've spent as much time playing pro ball as you have. If either of us has dreamed of being BIG MAN in the huddle, it wasn't me. LOL
Oh yes, football is a man's sport--that's one reason I watch. I love men. You, however, clearly have problems with women ... which is why you are so bothered by them understanding football and legal matters and why you want to banish them to the kitchen when they talk back to you. (I'm a fabulous cook, by the way.)
Seriously, though, rape isn't a joke and it shouldn't be fodder for football catcalls. This was a discussion about JOEY PORTER. You didn't bring up the Roethlisberger case to Steeler-Lady and you're not railing about it to me for any noble reason. You know it. I know it. Florio knows it. Anyone reading this thread knows it. You're making holier-than-thou statements about rape while making vulgar, sexist comments to a woman just because you're pissed someone stood up to you. That's just your character--or lack thereof. I mean, your screen name identifies you as someone who takes pleasure in the misery of others. Is that humorous ... or truth disguised as humor?
No doubt you'll have another inane, sexist, STFU-and-get-into-the-kitchen comeback. But
I not going to continue wasting time on someone with your issues, so from now on you'll have to prove you're an ass without me.