Post by TheShadow on Nov 28, 2003 19:16:27 GMT -5
www.sfgate.com
By Nancy G a y
With 11 players languishing on injured reserve and an almost daily dose of
distractions shattering the routine, the 3-8 Raiders' locker room is a
somber place these days. Even Jerry Porter has learned to tone it down.
This requires a tremendous amount of restraint on his part. He's stylish and
gregarious and an unabashed motormouth, with a bigger-than-life personality
that matches a big-play persona on the field. This was supposed to be
Porter's breakout year, when his speed and skill would produce Pro Bowl
caliber stats.
He predicted it all in San Diego. "Jerry Rice has a history of killing
people in the Super Bowl; at the same time, I'm kind of on a roll. Pick your
poison, and don't forget Tim Brown, too,'' Porter, the Raiders' touchdown
leader in 2002 with nine, proclaimed prior to Super Bowl XXXVII.
Of course, it didn't go down that way. Tampa Bay and Porter's former
nemesis, coach Jon Gruden, smothered the Raiders' high-flying offense,
forcing five turnovers. Porter made headlines afterward by taking verbal
shots at the Bucs' defensive backs. Then he quietly made plans to become
Rich Gannon's No. 1 target in 2003.
"Didn't turn out that way,'' Porter said this week, with a shrug. "But it
wasn't a lost year. No way.''
It once seemed that Porter's success would be defined by gaudy receiving
numbers and double-digit trips to the end zone. But this season, that big,
sculpted body failed him. When the nagging pain in Porter's abdomen during
the preseason finally was diagnosed as multiple hernia tears, surgery and
the ensuing recovery period kept him on the sideline for five games.
While he was on the mend, the Raiders dissolved into an underachieving,
injury riddled mess. Porter returned in Week 7 against Kansas City and
caught four passes for 69 yards. Each grab, plant, block and tackle
generated searing pain in his midsection.
Even now, five weeks later, the discomfort remains. "I'm nowhere near 100
percent; I'm more like 70 percent during the week, 80 on game day because of
the adrenaline,'' Porter admitted. "It just hurts, man. That's the only way
I can describe it.''
And those big numbers everyone anticipated haven't materialized -- Porter's
22 catches for 289 yards have produced only one TD. But something else has
emerged.
As an observer, a role player and now a sparkplug for a Raiders offense that
is sputtering back to life, Porter has learned all about patience, and the
value of experience.
"Through all of this I've just watched and seen things develop, learned from
my mistakes and just picked up on all techniques of different guys,'' Porter
said. "Next year, I'll be able to put it all together into what I really
want to do. I'm just filing all this away right now.''
In the evolving Raiders' attack, now an almost equal blend of run and pass,
Porter has become a favorite target of quarterback Rick Mirer. The two
hooked up seven times for 89 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss at Kansas City.
"We just found something that was working and we kept it going,'' said
Porter, who said he is a huge fan of Mirer.
The quarterback returned the respect. "He's real easy to throw to usually,
so you can have a lot of confidence in him being in the right place and
doing the right thing,'' Mirer said. "The guy's a good player. It's fun to
have guys like that around.''
Briefly: The Raiders and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves will be accepting
donations for the 2003 Toys for Tots campaign prior to Sunday's 1:15 p.m.
game against the Broncos at the Coliseum. Fans are encouraged to donate new,
unwrapped toys to the drop-off sites outside Gates A, B, C and D. Monetary
donations also will be accepted. For more information: www.raiders.com. ...
The deadline for lifting the television blackout is today at 1:15 p.m. As of
Wednesday, the Raiders were nearly 7,000 tickets shy of a sellout.
By Nancy G a y
With 11 players languishing on injured reserve and an almost daily dose of
distractions shattering the routine, the 3-8 Raiders' locker room is a
somber place these days. Even Jerry Porter has learned to tone it down.
This requires a tremendous amount of restraint on his part. He's stylish and
gregarious and an unabashed motormouth, with a bigger-than-life personality
that matches a big-play persona on the field. This was supposed to be
Porter's breakout year, when his speed and skill would produce Pro Bowl
caliber stats.
He predicted it all in San Diego. "Jerry Rice has a history of killing
people in the Super Bowl; at the same time, I'm kind of on a roll. Pick your
poison, and don't forget Tim Brown, too,'' Porter, the Raiders' touchdown
leader in 2002 with nine, proclaimed prior to Super Bowl XXXVII.
Of course, it didn't go down that way. Tampa Bay and Porter's former
nemesis, coach Jon Gruden, smothered the Raiders' high-flying offense,
forcing five turnovers. Porter made headlines afterward by taking verbal
shots at the Bucs' defensive backs. Then he quietly made plans to become
Rich Gannon's No. 1 target in 2003.
"Didn't turn out that way,'' Porter said this week, with a shrug. "But it
wasn't a lost year. No way.''
It once seemed that Porter's success would be defined by gaudy receiving
numbers and double-digit trips to the end zone. But this season, that big,
sculpted body failed him. When the nagging pain in Porter's abdomen during
the preseason finally was diagnosed as multiple hernia tears, surgery and
the ensuing recovery period kept him on the sideline for five games.
While he was on the mend, the Raiders dissolved into an underachieving,
injury riddled mess. Porter returned in Week 7 against Kansas City and
caught four passes for 69 yards. Each grab, plant, block and tackle
generated searing pain in his midsection.
Even now, five weeks later, the discomfort remains. "I'm nowhere near 100
percent; I'm more like 70 percent during the week, 80 on game day because of
the adrenaline,'' Porter admitted. "It just hurts, man. That's the only way
I can describe it.''
And those big numbers everyone anticipated haven't materialized -- Porter's
22 catches for 289 yards have produced only one TD. But something else has
emerged.
As an observer, a role player and now a sparkplug for a Raiders offense that
is sputtering back to life, Porter has learned all about patience, and the
value of experience.
"Through all of this I've just watched and seen things develop, learned from
my mistakes and just picked up on all techniques of different guys,'' Porter
said. "Next year, I'll be able to put it all together into what I really
want to do. I'm just filing all this away right now.''
In the evolving Raiders' attack, now an almost equal blend of run and pass,
Porter has become a favorite target of quarterback Rick Mirer. The two
hooked up seven times for 89 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss at Kansas City.
"We just found something that was working and we kept it going,'' said
Porter, who said he is a huge fan of Mirer.
The quarterback returned the respect. "He's real easy to throw to usually,
so you can have a lot of confidence in him being in the right place and
doing the right thing,'' Mirer said. "The guy's a good player. It's fun to
have guys like that around.''
Briefly: The Raiders and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves will be accepting
donations for the 2003 Toys for Tots campaign prior to Sunday's 1:15 p.m.
game against the Broncos at the Coliseum. Fans are encouraged to donate new,
unwrapped toys to the drop-off sites outside Gates A, B, C and D. Monetary
donations also will be accepted. For more information: www.raiders.com. ...
The deadline for lifting the television blackout is today at 1:15 p.m. As of
Wednesday, the Raiders were nearly 7,000 tickets shy of a sellout.