Dolphins' Porter has no excuses

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http://www.miamiherald.com/616/story/570724.html

Dolphins' Porter has no excuses

By BARRY JACKSON
Miami Herald

Chatter from the Dolphins' off season program that ended Thursday, and other notes:

• Coach Tony Sparano said he's ''very proud'' of Joey Porter on several levels, and Porter makes one thing clear: There's no excuse if he doesn't deliver.

''I'll have a chance to silence them,'' Porter, 31, said Thursday of his critics. 'They will say, `What will be his excuse now? He cried about the defense last year.' I'm telling you, I'm honestly happy with the defense now. If I don't do what I'm supposed to, then you fire up the pistol and beat me up in the media.

``But what are they going to say when I put up numbers and have the year that I know I'm going to, that I can, have? A football person will say, `OK, it wasn't Joey [after all]. He still has gas in the tank.''

Thrilled he's returning to the role he had in Pittsburgh (outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense), Porter wants double digits in sacks -- something he has achieved twice in nine years. After missing last preseason (knee), he had 5 ½ sacks in 2007 -- all in the final 10 games.

Porter bulked up slightly to 260, and he's ''a little bit more explosive,'' Sparano said. 'Physically, I've seen him come an awful long way [this offseason]. He wasn't afraid to say, `Coach me and tell me how to get better.' I like where he is.''

Porter said he and Bill Parcells have ''a great relationship.'' Porter said he is on his best behavior: ``You want to make sure you don't rub anybody the wrong way.''

• Feedback from a few players is that Josh McCown was the sharpest of the quarterbacks the past month and appears the most ready to play, and strong-armed Chad Henne flashed impressive skills but needs seasoning. Sparano would love for a starter to emerge from among McCown, Henne and John Beck by the third preseason game, ``but I'm not sure that happens.''

• One lineman said the most cohesive offensive line in drills had Trey Darilek at right guard. But the Dolphins aren't convinced they have a starter at the guard spot opposite Justin Smiley (among Darilek, Shawn Murphy, Steve McKinney and others). They have expressed interest in former All-Pro LeCharles Bentley, cut by Cleveland on Wednesday . . .

The Dolphins are among several teams that have called about Pedro Sosa, a tackle/guard from Rutgers whom draftnik Russ Lande said might have been a second- or third-rounder if he had not had a knee injury.

• Who excelled in on-field work? Though May/June performance shouldn't be overstated, Dolphins players and officials cited these names: Yeremiah Bell (the new regime loves him); Derek Hagan (was the best of the receivers the past month, one team official asserted) and Ricky Williams (''back in rare form -- 1,000 yards easy'' this season, Bell said).

Others mentioned include Will Allen, Andre' Goodman (hoping he's back to '06 form after January shoulder surgery) and Charlie Anderson (two veterans mentioned him first, and another, Boomer Grigsby, said he's the linebacker who's hardest ``to get around'').