| Dolphins' Porter frustrated to finish game on sideline |
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| Written by Admin |
| Monday, 10 September 2007 13:11 |
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DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -Linebacker Joey Porter disliked the way his first game for the Miami Dolphins ended - with him on the sideline, watching Washington drive for the winning score. ``I feel like you ought to have your best players on the field at all times,'' Porter said Monday. ``It was a different situation for me; obviously I'm going to be frustrated. The game is on the line, and I feel like I can't help my team from the sideline.'' Porter said he understood the coaches' logic: They wanted to limit his playing time in the season opener because he missed all four exhibition games recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. Still, the approach left the $32 million free-agent acquisition idle during critical plays in overtime. Washington took the kickoff and drove 58 yards in 10 plays for a field goal to win 16-13. Always outspoken in eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Porter made it clear he hasn't changed. ``I've never been in a situation since I've been playing professional football where a game is on the line and I'm watching it from the sideline,'' he said. The plan was to use Porter only in certain packages, coach Cam Cameron said. In overtime, with Dolphins coaches expecting the Redskins to throw, Porter wasn't on the field much. ``Going into the game they told me, 'We're not going to give you the whole workload,''' Porter said. ``I was fine with that going into the game. I was like, 'This is probably the smartest thing to do.' ``But in the heat of the moment, when you're playing and you actually have to come out, that great idea doesn't sound so great anymore when you're watching with the game on the line.'' The issue contributed to a sour start for new coach Cameron, but he said he understood Porter's frustration. ``What good football player wouldn't want to be on the field all the time?'' Cameron said. ``We knew exactly what the plan was with Joey, given the time that he had missed. We feel good about the plan that we had. It didn't work the way we wanted it to, and we'll own up to that.'' |
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