Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has borrowed a page from Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco’s 2008 playbook, taking to the media during Super Bowl week his case for a trade out of Miami.
And the effort reached a fever pitch on Tuesday, when Porter was interviewed on WQAM radio by Curtis Stevenson, Anita Marks, and fellow Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder.
“The gloves is off,” Porter said. (The segment can be heard right here; Tim Graham of ESPN.com has transcribed some of it.)
As to his reduced playing time in 2009, Porter repeatedly said, “For who and for what?”
Porter said he wants to play for the 49ers, Chargers, or Cardinals.
The difference between Porter’s effort and Ochocinco’s “get me out of Cincinnati” tour from two years ago is that the Bengals had no desire to dump their Pro Bowl receiver. There have been strong indications that the Dolphins don’t plan to keep Porter; if he tries to force his way out, there’s a chance that they could keep him around simply in order to keep him from getting his way.
“If I don’t got it no more,” he said, “make it easy and cut me.”
Meanwhile, Crowder might have gotten himself into hot water of his own by seeming to take Porter’s side.
So it should be very interesting to see what the Dolphins do both with Porter and Crowder. With an uncapped year coming, both can be traded or cut with no cap consequences.