NFL Jerry Porter becomes Raiders' top receiver

He faced a lot of experienced competition on the team, but bided his time.
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- When Jerry Porter joined the Oakland Raiders, the team had Tim Brown and Andre Rison. Later, Jerry Rice came aboard.
Porter patiently waited for his chance, a difficult task for a confident and sometimes brash receiver well aware of his big potential.
Still, he decided to learn all he could from the great in front of him, knowing that many never get the chance to play alongside one, not to mention two, of the best ever at their position.
"Did I have a choice?" said Porter, Oakland's second-round draft pick in 2000 out of West Virginia. "You control what you can control.
"When I came in, I think Tim Brown was in his 14th year, Andre Rison was like in his 13th, and the next year they bring in Jerry Rice, and he was like in his 16th year. It was always said, 'They can't play forever.' Now's my time."
Porter is the Raiders' new No. 1 option at wide-out.
Sooner than expected
The opportunity actually came sooner than the 26-year-old Porter expected. The Raiders released Brown, the franchise's longest-tenured member, during training camp when he wouldn't accept a drastically reduced role.
Brown quickly landed with former Raiders coach Jon Gruden and ex-Oakland general manager Bruce Allen in Tampa Bay, and Porter embraced his upgraded role.
"Tim was still here, Jerry was still here. I didn't expect to be starting this year," Porter said. "I really didn't think they could do it. Tim Brown is Mr. Raider. He's a lifer."
Porter still talks to Brown a couple days a week, either by cell phone or via text message.
This preseason, Porter caught seven passes for 100 yards, totals that ranked him third behind Doug Gabriel and Alvis Whitted. But the numbers are misleading because the first-team offense plays fewer snaps during the exhibition schedule.
Porter is 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, and possesses the kind of athleticism that makes him a viable deep-threat option -- just the kind of receiver owner Al Davis loves.
Versatile
In college, Porter was a free safety, filled in as an emergency quarterback, and played flanker. He even returned kicks. He also was a sprinter for the West Virginia track team.
"Jerry Porter is a talented guy, a guy that has played," Brown said. "The only question about him in my mind is can he play every down? He hasn't played the whole game as a starter before, so can he play the amount of plays that he's going to have to play?
"Physically and talent-wise, he's obviously as good as they come. He can be one of the best in the league if he dedicates himself to the game and does the things that he's capable of doing."
Porter is finally healthy, which could be a major factor in his durability.
His painful stomach limited his every move last season. It was worse than most people knew, in part because he forced himself to play through it whenever possible.
Had surgery
He underwent what the team called multiple hernia surgery last Sept. 12, and he believes he was rushed back -- partly by his own doing.
"I put the blame on 50-50 me and the organization," he said.
Porter played at about 50 percent all season, aggravating the problem and needing another procedure in January, essentially to repair the wall of his lower abdomen area. It turned out not to be a hernia.
Porter appeared in nine games with one start, finishing with 28 catches for 361 yards and one touchdown.
"I think people knew that I was hurt," Porter said. "They just didn't know the severity of it. I didn't know the severity of it, but I knew it was more than what was being let on. I never felt 100 percent at any point in time in the preseason. It was tough. It was tough to get out there and know that a healthy me could dominate the guy across from me, but I'm playing in a shell of myself."
Supporting cast
The Raiders are eager to see what he can do now as their top receiver. Porter will have quite the supporting cast, too. Oakland kept seven receivers and four tight ends on its 53-man roster, including the 41-year-old Rice and talented rookie receivers Carlos Francis and Johnnie Morant.
That hasn't affected Porter's lofty goals.
"I want 2,000 yards," he said with a smile. "I set my goals really high. If I don't hit them at least I aim pretty high."