Forget anything you may have heard last year about the diminishing skills of Miami linebacker Joey Porter.
The former Colorado State star is proving that his 5 1/2-sack performance in 2007 was the result of playing in a different scheme, not a sign he had lost a step.
With the Dolphins playing in a 3-4 alignment instead of the 4-3 they used in 2007, Porter has an NFL-best 10 1/2 sacks, 1 1/2 more than any other player. His sack total equals his career high in 2000 and 2005 when he played with Pittsburgh.
Porter, who was cut by the Steelers in March 2007 and signed a five-year, $32 million contract with Miami a week later, had two sacks, forced a fumble for a safety and recovered another fumble in the Dolphins’ 25-16 victory against Buffalo last week.
“They put me in a position to go make plays, I’m going to make plays,” Porter said.
Most impressive about Porter’s sack total, Miami coach Tony Sparano said, is that he has done much of his work against double teams. No other Dolphin has more than two sacks.
“To be able to keep fighting and find your way through and still find your way to the ball, that’s a credit, certainly, to Joe,” Sparano said. “That’s not something that coaches can take credit for or any of those things. The guy’s motor is pretty good when he’s out there, and regardless of the situation, he’s been able to be effective that way.”
Let that be a warning to a Denver offensive line that has allowed only five sacks this season.
“You have to keep your eye on that guy,” Denver quarterback Jay Cutler said, as he compared Porter with San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman.
Porter, 31, said Wednesday he is playing as well as he has at any point in his 10-year NFL career, his body refreshed by living in the tropical South Florida climate and his mind rejuvenated by the Dolphins’ turnaround.
“They got me in a real good position here now,” Porter said. “There’s no holding me back. They’re letting me go, letting me have a little bit of freedom to go out there and play football.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
