Dolphins Notebook: Joey Porter banged up but 'good to go'

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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2008/09/01/0901dolphins_notes.html

Dolphins Notebook: Joey Porter banged up but 'good to go'

By EDGAR THOMPSON
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Monday, September 01, 2008

DAVIE — With a wrapped left ankle and an ice bag on his lower back, outside linebacker Joey Porter looked like any NFL veteran on a game week.

Just not on Week 1.

But Porter said his injury-plagued pre-season isn't going to turn into another disappointing regular season with the Dolphins.

"I'm good to go," Porter said Monday.

Porter, 31, missed the first three days of camp with a sprained left ankle, missed one day with a sore knee and missed several days, as well as a pre-season game, with a sore back.

Last season, Porter missed most of training camp after arthroscopic knee surgery, went without a sack during the first six games and never found his stride. The Dolphins owe Porter, who has four years remaining on a five-year deal, $16 million in guaranteed money.

Monday, coach Tony Sparano declined to discuss Porter's health because NFL rules don't require teams to submit an injury report until Wednesday.

"I'm not going to talk about any of those injuries right now," Sparano said.

A season after he lined up on the strong side of the defense, Porter is back on the weak side, where he played for eight seasons in Pittsburgh and had 60 sacks.

"That's my side," he said. "Last year was the first year I didn't play on that side, so I'm happy to get back to where I feel like I belong."

Sparano jacked for opening week: Santa Claus isn't coming to town. But Brett Favre will do.

Sparano said he woke up Monday feeling differently than he has in a long time.

"Game 1 in this league gets me excited," he said.

But this will be different. Sunday's nationally televised visit from the New York Jets will be Sparano's first as an NFL head coach.

With training camp, four pre-season games and roster cuts to deal with, this week sneaked up on Sparano.

"You wake up all of a sudden on Monday morning and it's Week One and you should be like a kid at Christmas," he said.

Pennington's experience of little value: You might think new quarterback Chad Pennington's eight seasons with the Jets might give him an edge against his old team this week.

Sparano doesn't buy it.

"I think it's overrated, I really do," Sparano said. "You can put way too much stock into that."

Because Pennington, who started 61 games in New York, knew the ins and outs of their scheme doesn't mean he'll be able to pick up what the Jets are doing with Favre.

"If you have a player from another team, and he's on your team now, well he's not on that team," Sparano said. "We're just going to go about our business and try to do our jobs here and get them to understand our information first."

Team adds linebacker to practice squad: The Dolphins tapped into their Dallas Cowboys pipeline for the team's latest addition.

Miami signed linebacker Tyson Smith to the practice squad Monday. Smith, 26,spent training camp with the Cowboys, the previous stop for Sparano, General Manager Jeff Ireland and Bill Parcells, the Dolphins' head of football operations.

Smith (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) was a member of the 2006 New York Giants for the final nine games. He split last season between the practice squads of San Francisco and Washington.

Bess surprises Sparano: On Sunday, Ireland said sixth-round pick Donald Thomas was the biggest surprise of training camp.

Thomas, who didn't play football until college, is the starting right guard.

Asked the same question Monday, Sparano singled out rookie wide receiver Davone Bess.

Bess (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) starred in Hawaii's high-octane passing offense but wasn't drafted last April. Signed by the Dolphins, he has been able to get open and rarely drops the ball.

Bess has lined up with the first-team offense in three-receiver sets.

"Coming from kind of where he came from, meaning the guy wasn't drafted, to see what he did," Sparano said. "He did a nice job in this pre-seasoncamp."

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-901tysonsmith,0,1728607.story

Dolphins add former Cowboys linebacker to practice squad

By Omar Kelly
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

3:51 PM EDT, September 1, 2008

DAVIE - The Dolphins signed inside linebacker Tyson Smith to the practice squad on Monday.

Smith, an Iowa State product who joins his sixth NFL team since 2005, spent a good portion of last season on the Cowboys practice squad.

Dolphins' defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, who coaches the Cowboys' linebackers last season, was familiar with Smith's body of work and apparently lobbied for the 6-foot-2, 250-pound linebacker to join the Dolphins.

During the exhibition season Smith, who is 26, contributed 14 tackles and one interception in the four games he played for Dallas.

"I thought I played well enough stay in Dallas but they went in another direction," said Smith, who picked the Dolphins over the Vikings because of his familiarity with the 3-4 scheme Pasqualoni is running. "I'm reunited with coach Pasqualoni so that made me really happy to become a Miami Dolphin."

In 2006 Smith played in three games with the Giants and contributed five tackles. He's bounced around the NFL since. He's also spent a season playing in NFL Europa with the Rhein Fire.

During his career as a four-year starter at Iowa State Smith contributed 225 tackles and 12 ½ sacks as a defensive end.

While he's not on the Dolphins 53-man roster, Smith will serve as the fourth inside linebacker this season, backing up starters Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele, and key reserve Reggie Torbor.

With Smith's signing the Dolphins now have two vacancies on the practice squad, which can only hold eight players. There's a possibility former AFL standout receiver Anthony Armstrong might return to the Dolphins as a practice squad member.

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-901joeyporter,0,4162626.story

Linebacker Joey Porter expects to play, and hopes to switch sides

By Omar Kelly
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

3:16 PM EDT, September 1, 2008

DAVIE - While coach Tony Sparano was extremely coy about linebacker Joey Porter's status for Sunday's game against the Jets, Porter announced his back is feeling good, and declared that he's ready to play in the regular-season opener.

Not only does Porter expect to return to the Dolphins' starting lineup against the Jets, but he's also optimistic he'll be returning to his more natural position, lining up across from the left tackle on the right side of the defense.

"That's my side. I've been playing on that side my whole career. I'm happy to get back to where I belong at," said Porter, who contributed 65 tackles, 5 ½ sacks and two interceptions last season, playing primarily on the left side of a 4-3 scheme.

Matt Roth's successful transition from defensive end to strong side linebacker in the Dolphins new 3-4 scheme frees Porter up to serve as Jason Taylor's replacement because Roth can hold his ground against the run on the left side.

Since Roth's move, which Sparano said was permanent on Monday, Porter has spent the majority of his practice and game-time on the right side when he's been healthy enough to participate.

Porter admitted the grind of training camp took a toll on his back, but getting into a regular routine, and changing the treatment the 31 year old was receiving has made the soreness manageable.

He participated without limitations during Monday's practice, and the bulk of his work came on the right side, where he made three Pro Bowl appearances playing for the Steelers in the first eight seasons of his career.

"I've lined up against the best tackle since I've been playing. We made the adjustment when Jason left," said Porter, who was limited to two exhibition games because of a sore back and knee. "You put your next best athlete over there and let him have that job. I welcome it. That's a challenge I welcome every Sunday."

While the move isn't definitive, it plays to the Dolphins' strengths, and will alleviate some of the pressure Charlie Anderson was under, rushing back from his hamstring injury he suffered in early August.

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http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2008/09/dolphins-wrap-.html

Dolphins Wrap - Sept. 1

Joey Porter's run-in with Cam Cameron has become infamous by now, so it's no secret that the Dolphins loud-mouth linebacker - among many other players from that 1-15 team- lost respect for the Dolphins former coaching staff last season.

Porter was one of the first to welcome the hiring of Bill Parcells, and the infusion of the Trifecta, even without knowing where he stood with the group. Porter still doesn't have a clue where he fits in, or stands with this front office, but he's digging the "on edge" vibe that they've worked hard to create with the players.

"The way he came in and cracked the whip, no one is walking around here like they feel safe. There is a sense of urgency about everything you do. I can honestly say we lost that last year," Porter said. "This year you can just see it. To see the way guys hustle and the things we're doing on offense, defense and special teams. Everyone just stepped it up and he made you feel like if you didn't you wouldn't be here.

"As long as you keep that fire up under everybody you'll get the best effort and that's all you can ask for on Sundays."

As for Porter's best effort, he's crossing his fingers that the Dolphins will be lining him up full-time on the right side, returning the three time Pro Bowler to the spot he played his entire career with the Steelers before sliding over to the left to make way for Jason Taylor.

I've seen this move coming for a long time now because it's wise to line your best pass rushing threat up against the left tackle. But complicating matters was finding a player to fill in on the strong side, which is where offenses primarily run. For that spot you need someone who is stout enough to hold their ground.

Now that Matt Roth is growing into his new position it has freed Porter up to swap sides, and as a result the Dolphins pass rush now becomes more dangerous if Porter stays healthy and becomes effective.

Since we're talking about linebacker, I figured this was a good time to introduce the Mob to the Dolphins newest inside linebacker, Tyson Smith.

Smith has bounced around a lot trying to make an NFL roster. What's interesting is that he's a college defensive end who is being asked to make the transition to inside linebacker. Usually those college ends become outside linebacker at the next level.

What will help his transition is that he's familiar with this defensive scheme.

> Posted by Omar Kelly at 3:17:49 PM