Miami Dolphins' Porter says he's ready

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/miami-dolphins/story/668277.html

Miami Dolphins' Porter says he's ready

BY DAVID J. NEAL
Miami Herald

Eight months of carrying a large chip on his shoulder about the catastrophic 2007 Dolphins season didn't cause the back problems that limited linebacker Joey Porter's practice and game time in preseason.

But with a new season offering an opportunity to get rid of that chip, don't expect Porter to let the back get in the way.

''My back's doing pretty well,'' Porter said. ``I'm just day-to-day. I'm feeling good though. Unless anything different happens, I'm practicing and I'm ready to play [Sunday against the Jets].''

BESS ON ROSTER

Although general manager Jeff Ireland chose sixth-round pick and starting right guard Donald Thomas as his most surprising training camp player, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano chose wide receiver Devon Bess.

That didn't mean Bess, a rookie free agent out of Hawaii, relaxed at all this weekend as final cuts were made Saturday.

''I was kind of nervous. I was tossing and turning,'' Bess said. ``I couldn't sleep the night before they made final cuts. You just don't know. It's a business and everybody knows it's a business. I'm just happy I made it.

``I didn't get a phone call [from the coaches] so that was my way of knowing I probably made it. You never know until it's settled.''

CROWDER KNOCKS UM

Linebacker Channing Crowder, a former University of Florida player, did some old-school University of Miami-style trash-talking concerning this weekend's UM-UF game up at The Swamp.

''[UM freshman quarterback] Jacory Harris, he was in P.E. class six months ago,'' Crowder said.

``Come on, now. This is like a warmup game for the Gators.''

Asked if he thought the University of Miami had absolutely no chance, Crowder replied, ``A blind squirrel can find a nut now and then, but a blind squirrel ain't eating that good.''

LINEBACKER ADDED

The Dolphins added linebacker Tyson Smith to the practice squad Monday.

Smith had been in camp with Dallas this year after spending last year on San Francisco's and Washington's practice squads.

He was on the Giants' practice squad for part of the 2006 season before being added to the active roster for the final nine games.

SPARANO EXCITED

Though he sometimes surprises with his answers, you could almost predict Sparano would say Sunday's game being in the national spotlight didn't enhance it for him.

''Just Game 1 in this league gets me excited about Sunday,'' Sparano said. ``So, as I said to my team, that's just the way it is. You wake up all of a sudden on Monday morning and it's week one and you should be like a kid at Christmas. That's where I am right now.

''It's just Game 1,'' he insisted.

``It's Game 1 to me. In this league, every Sunday is special. Game 1, Game 10, Game 15, they're all special in this league.''

[Bubba]

I like Sparano's attitude.  I watched the ESPN Dolphins Yearbook thing for this year, I love ti when he yells at the team "Put in your mouthpieces you "prima-donnas""!

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Good that Porter is ready.  He was probably testing his back in the preseason.