From Jmac.
Thanks HB that was a breath of fresh air.
Jerry Porter sounded as if he didn't want to delve into the Art Shell nightmare. Lane Kiffin's advice is to look ahead.
But in a 25-minute interview on Sirius Satellite Radio, the new Jerry Porter talked about the past, present and future of his association with the Raiders on "The Afternoon Blitz" with hosts Adam Schein and Solomon Wilcots.
Let's get the skepticism and cynacism out of the way first before Porter has his say. In case you were wondering, nothing was his fault, or at least that's the way Porter made it sound.
He came in ready to go and all these bad things just happened to him, essentially wasting a prime year of his career.
The reality is that Porter is, and has always been, an extremely moody guy.
He would be so sullen as a rookie, eating by himself in the dining area of the Napa Marriott, that Jon Gruden, pouring on the sarcasm, would pull up a chair next to Porter and say softly, "That's OK, Jerry. I'll be your friend today." I would have launched milk through my nose
Porter, however, can also be an insightful, intelligent and clever interview subject. That was the Porter who went on the air Wednesday.
Below are some excerpts from Porter's first public comments since Shell was fired, Lane Kiffin was hired and Porter changed his number to 81.
– On Kiffin:
"He said, `We just want you to come in and work hard.' From my very first year in the league, I never knoew anything else but to work hard. We had Gruden chewing us out in them middle of practice, running along with us, trying to play defensive back, that created a mentality of working hard in practice to gie the quarterback a feel of what you're going to do on game day.
"That's all he asked of me _ to work hard and be accountable. It's time. I basically had my football taken away from me last year and I'm trying to get back."
– Playing defense on the scout team and his eventual suspension:
"We stopped the offense three or four times in a row, and somebody said something like, `C'mon man, (stop it) so we can get off the field. And I said, `What the hell? We're going to be out here three hours anyway.' And that got me thrown off the field. I didn't even get a chance to curse. That was the most expensive trash I ever talked."
(Note: At the time of Porter's insuborndination suspension, Shell said it was an accumulation of events and witnesses said Porter was profane.)
– His budding relationship with Al Davis, with whom he did not speak last year.
"I didn't know that he was as approachable as he is. I mean, this year I sat down and talked to him three times already. And it's a shock to me. Had I known that, I may have done something different last year."
– His trade request:
"Before I asked to be traded, I went up and talked to coach Shell twice and coach Walsh once. It was at that point I reallized I didn't want to be a part of it. But they gave me too much money to just let me go or trade me without giving money back . . . It didn't feel like it could be a successful offense. It would take Hall of Famers across the board to do the things possible and necessary (to make it work). It just wasn't to be."
– Quarterback Andrew Walter:
"I'm not sure that Andrew Walter can't get the job done. He showed me a lot of promise. He's got a quick release, he's very smart in the pocket, but it waqs tough last year because we had a lot of deep drops and before he cold even get to the top of his drop, he had to avoid two or three guys at least on one play."
– The quarterback position in general:
"I'd hae made a hard push for Jeff Garcia because he's worked with coach (Greg) Knapp in San Francisco and that wold have been ideal for Andrew and the organization. It would have given Andrew a chance to grow osme more, Jeff could have played some more."
– Wide receiver Randy Moss:
"We've had convesations, and that's between us. I think if Randy just gets the chance to sit down with Lane and coach Knapp and get a feel for what this offense can do, we'll be fine."
–The offensive line:
"We had five guys doing five different things instead of five guys doing one thing in unison. Keep in mind I haven't blocked a D-tackle or a 3-technique ever, so I can't say exactly what the probem was, but that's what I feel the problem was . . . Robert Gallery didn't come to the NFL and forget how to block, and neither did Jake Grove. But if you tell Robert to do one thing, and Jake to do something different . . . there are going to be some holes."
– His thoughts JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn:
"I could see JaMarcus Russell as a Donovan McNabb-type quarterback that scrambles to throw instead of scrambling to run and get yards. If that's the case, he's going to be a great NFL guy. If Brady Quinn is the intelligent, knowledgable quarterback they say he is, I don't want to say he could be the next Peyton Manning, but he could be a great quarterback, too."
– The possibility of taking a receiver, Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech, with the first pick:
"Hey, if he can help us, I don't care . . . he had a great workout from what I've read, he's 6-5, 239, runs a 4.35 40-yard dash, has a 46-inch vertical. You can't teach that. If you can get that right now, you need to get it."
– On the Raiders prospects in 2007:
"Honestly, and I really believe this when I say it, if we can get the defense 14 points (per game), we're a playoff team."
– Wearing No. 81:
"Me and Tim, we clashed my first year becuase I was a headstrong, know-it-all rookie. After that, we talked just about every day. I could learn from. When he left the Raiders it was ugly and left a sour taste in my mouth. When Randy came I was expecting him to want 84 and I was going to give him 84 and I'd take 81. But Randy didn't want 84, so I stuck it out, and tiven the events of last year, I just felt it was time for a change."
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