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By Anthony Carroll on February 2, 2007 12:15 AM
Jerry Porter may have sat out for an entire season, but in the end, his unyielding attitude got him all he wanted.
In 2006, the Oakland Raiders wideout gladly played no part in a forgettable 2-14 campaign, finishing the season with just a single Week 8 grab, good for 19 yards.
As the year rolled on, though, Porter's early-season doubts -- the same doubts that sent him to the bench in the first place -- began appearing more and more permissible. The offense was sputtering weekly, players were thoroughly unhappy and head coach Art Shell appeared nothing but dumbfounded on the sidelines.
Now six months after the fact, it's Porter who still remains with a job, and it's the 28-year-old's complaints -- namely, Shell and wide receivers coach Fred Biletnikoff -- who have suddenly disappeared.
On Wednesday, Biletnikoff, the assistant who sarcastically called Porter a "stud" last off-season, walked out the door. The aging coach, who gallantly served a 32-year term with the Raiders organization, retired fewer than two weeks after newly hired head coach Lane Kiffin was brought in.
In late July, the 63-year-old clashed with the discontented Porter while in a get-to-know-you meeting in Shell's office. The seven-year veteran recounted Biletnikoff cutting into the conversation, asking, "What's the matter, stud, you're not gonna stay here for the program?"
Shell, a longtime Raider himself, wasn't happy with Porter's sarcastic response to the rather sarcastic question.
The 60-year-old coach immediately responded with, "Who the f--- do you think you are?" followed by, "Who do you think you're talking to?"
At the time, Porter was talking with two coaches who held a combined tenure within the Raiders organization of 54 years. The pair's combined age: 123.
Porter wasn't buying into the old-school regime, and neither the unsettled wide receiver nor Shell was ready to mend the relationship. Early in the season, Shell opted to shut out Porter for as long as possible; in the end, the 6-foot-2 target was suspended for four games, but the NFL union appealed the request, calling it "far too excessive."
"People wonder why we're 0-4; that's why," one player said following the chaotic practice and suspension announcement. "It was a joke out there. Guys were pissed off."
Ultimately, a 2-14 campaign fraught with player controversy and poor personnel decisions led to Shell's demise.
Porter, though, still remains a crucial part of the team.
The young, open-minded Kiffin already has included both Porter and fellow teammate Randy Moss into his future plans. Up to this point, one (Porter) has accepted the offensive floor plan, while the other (Moss) has remained hard-headed.
"I will bring an explosive, powerful offense to this franchise," Kiffin promised in his post-hiring press conference. "We will utilize our skill players, our big-time players, in the best way. We will get them the football. They will play happy, and they will play hard."
While in his most 'happy' condition, the former second-round draft choice was a viable offensive threat for the Oakland offense. In 2004 and 2005, under then-head coach Norv Turner, the 220-pounder started in 30 games and caught 140 passes for 1,940 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Under Shell, though, Porter became a nonentity in '06.
"If we have somebody on this team that's here, whether he said he wants to be here or not, [and] if he's doing what he's supposed to do, then we'll go to work," Shell said prior to the season.
Luckily for Porter, Shell and Biletnikoff will no longer be the ones reporting to work.
Porter got everything he wanted, intended or not.
Now, he has no more excuses.
Did you know that RealFootball365.com is one of the few national football portals that churns out daily NFL and NCAA coverage during the offseason? Tell your friends about us.
Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
Jerry Porter may have sat out for an entire season, but in the end, his unyielding attitude got him all he wanted.
In 2006, the Oakland Raiders wideout gladly played no part in a forgettable 2-14 campaign, finishing the season with just a single Week 8 grab, good for 19 yards.
As the year rolled on, though, Porter's early-season doubts -- the same doubts that sent him to the bench in the first place -- began appearing more and more permissible. The offense was sputtering weekly, players were thoroughly unhappy and head coach Art Shell appeared nothing but dumbfounded on the sidelines.
Now six months after the fact, it's Porter who still remains with a job, and it's the 28-year-old's complaints -- namely, Shell and wide receivers coach Fred Biletnikoff -- who have suddenly disappeared.
On Wednesday, Biletnikoff, the assistant who sarcastically called Porter a "stud" last off-season, walked out the door. The aging coach, who gallantly served a 32-year term with the Raiders organization, retired fewer than two weeks after newly hired head coach Lane Kiffin was brought in.
In late July, the 63-year-old clashed with the discontented Porter while in a get-to-know-you meeting in Shell's office. The seven-year veteran recounted Biletnikoff cutting into the conversation, asking, "What's the matter, stud, you're not gonna stay here for the program?"
Shell, a longtime Raider himself, wasn't happy with Porter's sarcastic response to the rather sarcastic question.
The 60-year-old coach immediately responded with, "Who the f--- do you think you are?" followed by, "Who do you think you're talking to?"
At the time, Porter was talking with two coaches who held a combined tenure within the Raiders organization of 54 years. The pair's combined age: 123.
Porter wasn't buying into the old-school regime, and neither the unsettled wide receiver nor Shell was ready to mend the relationship. Early in the season, Shell opted to shut out Porter for as long as possible; in the end, the 6-foot-2 target was suspended for four games, but the NFL union appealed the request, calling it "far too excessive."
"People wonder why we're 0-4; that's why," one player said following the chaotic practice and suspension announcement. "It was a joke out there. Guys were pissed off."
Ultimately, a 2-14 campaign fraught with player controversy and poor personnel decisions led to Shell's demise.
Porter, though, still remains a crucial part of the team.
The young, open-minded Kiffin already has included both Porter and fellow teammate Randy Moss into his future plans. Up to this point, one (Porter) has accepted the offensive floor plan, while the other (Moss) has remained hard-headed.
"I will bring an explosive, powerful offense to this franchise," Kiffin promised in his post-hiring press conference. "We will utilize our skill players, our big-time players, in the best way. We will get them the football. They will play happy, and they will play hard."
While in his most 'happy' condition, the former second-round draft choice was a viable offensive threat for the Oakland offense. In 2004 and 2005, under then-head coach Norv Turner, the 220-pounder started in 30 games and caught 140 passes for 1,940 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Under Shell, though, Porter became a nonentity in '06.
"If we have somebody on this team that's here, whether he said he wants to be here or not, [and] if he's doing what he's supposed to do, then we'll go to work," Shell said prior to the season.
Luckily for Porter, Shell and Biletnikoff will no longer be the ones reporting to work.
Porter got everything he wanted, intended or not.
Now, he has no more excuses.
Did you know that RealFootball365.com is one of the few national football portals that churns out daily NFL and NCAA coverage during the offseason? Tell your friends about us.
Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
