Talking About Joey Porter, Hate, and Maybe Football:
“My feelings toward New England go back further,” Porter said. “It goes back to my Pittsburgh days. I felt a certain way, after some things came out, way back when I was in Pittsburgh, some AFC championships I lost to them, couple times. Come to figure out a few months later why we lost. So yeah, I have a natural hate for them. Period. And that’s just gonna be with me forever.”
Porter was critical of the Patriots in the wake of Spygate two years ago, and after some tap-dancing around it, he was asked directly: Do you feel like it cost you rings?
“We do this every year around this time when I do this conference call,” Porter said. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. And they know exactly what I’m talking about. And that’s not gonna change.”
The funny thing here is that I have hated Joey Porter for probably longer than he’s hated the Patriots. Me and my friend Mark O’Brien still talk about it all time. He once said that “Joey Porter was his most hated player in NFL history that didn’t wear a Jets uniform”. The fact that Porter has to go and bring up the videotaping incident is absurd. That was over two years ago; and in that same interview Joey actually said that every year is a new year and some nonsense about the Fins being the AFC East champions and division going through them this year. So what happened to that beautiful theory two questions later? Why are reporters even bringing this stuff up anymore? Does Joey Porter remember how Kordell and Roethlisberger combined for 6 interceptions in those games and how that relates in anyway to defensive signals? Cost him rings? Don’t make me laugh! Get over it… just sayin’
The boredom of the bye week drove me close to insanity. I just can’t stand watching every other team go along and play ball while I have to listen to analysts and “experts” talk about if the Patriots really are back to form or whether Adalius Thomas is in the doghouse, etc… I’m ready to see the boys take the field and kick some Dolphin tail.
The Post-Bye Comeback Weekly Match-ups:
* The Patriots vs. The Wildcat – We all remember 9/21/08 right? For those who don’t: that would be the day the Patriots became the guinea pigs for Miami’s infamous “Wildcat” offensive formation. New England got smoked in that one 38-13. With some big-bodied defense, Ron Brace, 3W, Thomas, and Woods should be able to contain Miami to around 100 yards on the ground. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown have been doing work this season, 423 yards with 5 scores / 518 yards with 7 respectively; but not necessarily out of the wildcat. Teams all around the league have taken measures to reduce the amount of yards allowed on wildcat plays and have succeeded for the most part. Good tackling and penetration at the line will be a must if we want to make Chad Henne throw and keep a comfy lead in the east. If any coach in this league can stop the Fins and hit them where it hurts it’s Bill Belichick… and the four coaches they already faced this year.
* The Golden Boy vs. The Sharks In The Water – The passing attack has been there the past two week, but all of Patriot Nation is anxious to see what Tom Brady does against a team with wins. Will Allen is out and that is a check in our box, but Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, and Gibril Wilson still look pretty decent. That being said, without Allen, those 3 have combined for one pick this season. If Tom gets time in the pocket I expect him to shred this defense armed with two rookie cornerbacks. We all remember the pass where Moss blew threw a triple team (!) and connected with Brady for a score… Well, that might not be the case on Sunday but something close is highly probable. I mean, these rooks don’t even know what they’re up against. This isn’t Marques Colston, Braylon Edwards, or Vincent Jackson. It’s Randy Moss!!
* Laurence Maroney vs. Fantasy Owners Who Have Him On The Bench – Channing Crowder was limited in practice this week with a shoulder injury, so even if he plays his tackling wont be 100%. Trash-Talk-First-Porter only has 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks, that’s not much comparing it to what he thinks he can do. Fast Freddy and Old Sammy are still out this week with injuries too. Therefore, expect Maroney to be able to get a good push from the left side of the line and collect something like 60-70 yards and a touchdown. That right there is potentially 13 points you won’t have this weekend in fantasy. ESPN.com agrees with me 100%. Sorry, guys.
* The #3 WR spot vs. A Question Mark – Although, in my opinion, Wes Welker is the most important receiver this weekend, the question mark at the number 3 spot makes me a little shaky. If we can get some good production from that position, Miami will be like a fish out of water against the pass. Brandon Tate is potentially a burner like Stallworth was in ’07 (his spin move absolutely broke Miami’s ankles that year). Yet, Sam Aiken showed more than special teams potential against the Bucs when he shed a tackle and kicked in second gear for a 54-yard touchdown. Hopefully they will split time, compete for that position, and combine for some good yardage.
* Who Are Those Guys? vs. The New England Corners – Who are the Dolphin’s starting receivers, you ask? On November 5th it looked like Devonne Bess and Brian Hartline/Greg Camarillo. Apparently Greg feels that “as a group [they] have four starters… that can produce when called upon”. Produce meaning drop passes in Fin-language, of course.To anyone else it sounds like no one individual wide-receiver is good enough to play a starting position. Ted Ginn was stripped on his starting role due to Cleveland-Braylon Syndrome and Devonne Bess looks like he may be coming down with that too. Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden should be able to do the job alone, but if needed, my pro-bowl safety vote, Brandon Meriweather is always hanging around looking to snatch some passes.
* The Chad vs. The Patriots Defense – The Patriots pass rush looks a little better as of late, but we all know that was against some terrible teams. They’re going to have to dominate the line of scrimmage, stop the RR Wildcat Express, and force Chad Henne to the air. Chad is barely boasting a 66.4 passer rating over the past two weeks with 323 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs. I just don’t believe Henne has what it takes to put up numbers on the Pats D, I mean, the Dolphins only mustered up 104 yards from scrimmage in their win against the Jets and that had nothing to do with him. The wildcat is their only hope and everytime we force a punt, their dreams of a W slip further away.
* Shimmy-Shake Teddy Ginn vs. Special Teams Nationwide – Did anyone see the moves Ginn Jr. put on the Jets!? Oh my, that was some footwork. Special Teams captain Sam Aiken spoke earlier this week about staying in the lane and making good, intelligent tackles. If the Patriots special teams get caught up in a cluster trying to get to Ginn, he’s subject to blast down the field and torch the bystanders. I refuse to let Ted Ginn Jr., the wide-receiver failure, beat us single-handedly. He might be fast, but I don’t care. Let’s shut these boys down!
Bill Belichick spoke this week about how the Dolphins are are typical Bill Parcells team (good) big, physical, and strong. These Dolphins always seem to give us a hard time, even in their 0-16 season. We’ll have to put them away early and get them to try and pass their way out of their misery. Bill will be going against Tony Sporano (not to be confused with James Ga
ndolfini) who has already almost cost the Fins approximately two games with poor game/clock management.
So here’s to an exciting game, chock-full of long TD passes, trash talk, hard tackling, and haymakers!
-B.DelaBarrera
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