Motormouth Porter silences his critics

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -Leaning back in a chair at his locker, All-Pro motormouth Joey Porter was in the midst of another monologue, bemoaning media spin, the robotic nature of NFL interviews and the copious baloney they produce.

Then Porter's cell phone rang.

"That's my wife," he said as he started toward the door. "I've got to go. We're meeting out front."

Which answers one question: Can anyone get Porter to stop talking?

His wife may be the only one. Even last season, when the Miami Dolphins went 1-15, their trash-talking, headline-making linebacker seldom shut up. New Dolphins football czar Bill Parcells has been known to jettison players he deems too chatty, but he has yet to muzzle Porter, who remains the loudest, brashest voice on a team in need of some swagger.

"I'm going to speak my mind," Porter said.

He did it two weeks ago, when he said the winless Dolphins would beat the undefeated Patriots, and disparaged Tom Brady's replacement, Matt Cassel.

"I just know he's not a Tom Brady," Porter said in 48-point type. "So if it's not Tom Brady, it shouldn't be that hard."

The widely circulated comments - they were even posted on Porter's Web site - were met with considerable derision, in part because the Dolphins had lost 20 of their previous 21 games.

As it turned out, Porter knew what he was talking about. He had four sacks, including one credited to him 10 days after the game, and Miami won 38-13.

"I made me look good," he said. "(The media) set me up for failure, but I reversed it and ended up looking good."

It doesn't always work out so well for Porter. Last year Miami was 0-3 when he guaranteed a victory against Oakland. The Dolphins lost 35-17 and soon found themselves in meltdown mode.

But his boasts and taunts went over well in Pittsburgh, where he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and helped the Steelers win a Super Bowl title.