Porter off to a good start
 

Saints' Porter off to a good start


By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
Published: Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 2:05 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 2:05 p.m.

Tracy Porter left Louisiana to play college football.
His success as a defensive back and punt returner at Indiana brought him back home to start his pro career.
Porter got his first taste of the NFL at the New Orleans Saints' rookie camp this weekend, where head coach Sean Payton liked what he saw in the Port Allen native.
"He has good ball skills," Payton said. "When a corner doesn't have good ball skills ... there's no downside to throwing in the direction of a corner who can't catch the ball real well. It's either going to be complete or incomplete.
"When a corner does have good ball skills, your location has to be a little bit more exact because of the fact that he's capable of picking off a bad throw. I'm encouraged with how he catches the ball."
Having run 40 yards in 4.37 seconds at the NFL combine, the 5-foot-1, 185-pound Porter has the speed the Saints are looking for in a defensive back along with his instincts for finding the ball in the air.
He also could emerge as a kick and punt returner for the Saints, having returned two of each for touchdowns in his senior year at Indiana.
Porter had six interceptions for the Hoosiers last season. His 16 career interceptions rank second all-time at Indiana.
"He gets his hands on a lot of balls and I think that he has good cover skills," Payton said Saturday, after the rookies had finished their third practice. "He's very comfortable in his backpedal and he has pretty good football awareness, which I think helps especially when you're playing in the secondary."
Porter got a relatively late start in football, beginning during his last two years at Port Allen High School.
His high school coach had sent game tapes to Indiana, which was looking for cornerbacks and pursued Porter aggressively. By the time LSU began to show interest in Porter, he had already settled on playing for the Hoosiers.
Porter said he was thrilled to return home to play for the Saints, his favorite team growing up. His selection by New Orleans in the second round of last month's NFL draft caused bedlam at the home where friends and family had gathered to watch draft coverage in Port Allen, he said.
So after finishing final exams and graduating from Indiana during the past couple weeks, Porter arrived in suburban New Orleans with a sense of unbridled optimism over the prospect of taking the field in black and gold.
Sometimes the rigor of rookie camp can be a rude awakening for players who've been understandably euphoric since being drafted. Porter, however, exhibited unshaken confidence as he talked about his first few Saints practices, which were closed to the public and media.
Saints coaches "liked how I played the game, they like how I grasp the game," Porter said. "I'm definitely loving the way they are coaching. They coach you each and every play on what you need to do on your technique to make you a better football player.
"I definitely believe I've grasped the schemes and plays. They throw a lot at you quickly, and I definitely believe I caught on to them quickly and I'm out there performing. It's been a great adjustment for me."
So far, Porter has practiced only against fellow rookies or a couple returning Saints players who were allowed to participate this weekend because they had yet to accrue a full season of NFL experience. When asked about competing for a starting job, he hedged.
"If that happens, it happens," Porter said. "For the most part, I'm coming in like any defensive back, like any other football player, trying to earn a spot, battling for it on the field."
As far as Payton was concerned, Porter was off to a good start, leaving coaches eager to see how he'd handle practicing against veterans when the full team arrives for minicamp at the end of this month. That's when Porter will see whether he can cover players like Marques Colston, David Patten and Devery Henderson.
"He's very comfortable right now in some of the things that we're asking him to do," Payton said. "We'll see once we get the pads on and these guys get a chance to get more work. ... When he gets a chance to work against some of the front-line receivers, he'll be challenged more than he has been."

Saints' Porter off to a good start | StarNewsOnline.com | Star-News | Wilmington, NC

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

Saints coaches "liked how I played the game, they like how I grasp the game," Porter said. "I'm definitely loving the way they are coaching. They coach you each and every play on what you need to do on your technique to make you a better football player.

I like this kid. Great read.

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

Yeah, this definitely makes me feel even better about the kid. I really liked this selection in the draft, and this is just confirming it.

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

Ya this is the same coaching staff that thought Jason David was a shutdown corner... Lets hope they threw out the selection critera they used when they paid David before we picked Porter. We sure need this kid to build on for the future.

Porter makes impression in first camp
 

Porter makes impression in first camp | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-Ledger

He has good ball skills," Payton said. "When a corner doesn't have good ball skills ... there's no downside to throwing in the direction of a corner who can't catch the ball real well. It's either going to be complete or incomplete.

"When a corner does have good ball skills, your location has to be a little bit more exact because of the fact that he's capable of picking off a bad throw. I'm encouraged with how he catches the ball."

Having run 40 yards in 4.37 seconds at the NFL combine, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Porter has the speed the Saints are looking for in a defensive back along with his instincts for finding the ball in the air.

He also could emerge as a kick and punt returner for the Saints, having returned two of each for touchdowns in his senior year at Indiana.

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

Correction. we have a new secondary coach. The old one was shown the door with the RB coach at the end of last year.

Dennis Allen was promoted by New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton to the position of secondary coach in January, 2008, after Allen had served as the team's assistant defensive line coach the past two seasons.

http://www.neworleanssaints.com/Team...s%20Allen.aspx

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

Tracy Porter was No# 22 ..... oh - No Fred .... LOL. I can wait for mini-camp at the end of this month.

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

lol im a little worried about his height at 5'1" lol

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

Yeah I noticed that typo too. He may be 5-1 but he has a 50" vertical

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

Hey hagan do you know what his real vert is? I wanna say it was in the high 30s. I'll try to find it. His jumping ability is just one more thing that I like about this guy. Sure he's raw but he has top notch ability. I love the raw guys who have crazy skills because they can make up for their lack of game knowledge by just letting their instincts and natural ability take over. Coaches love these kind of guys because they can coach them up to play exactly how they want them to. I can't wait for our coaches to sprinkle a little seasoning on Usama and Porter because in time I think that those two will form the best duo we've had in years.

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

Tracy Porter, Indiana, 5107, 186, 4.33, 18 reps, 34" vert

of the sub 4.4 guys with 34" + vert. heres how they went
Round 1
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee St., 6014, 184, 4.28, 17, 38.5
Mike Jenkins, South Florida, 5102, 197, 4.38, 18, 34
Round 2
Tracy Porter, Indiana, 5107, 186, 4.33, 18, 34
Terrence Wheatley, Colorado, 5095, 187, 4.39, 17, 36.5
Round 3
Antwaun Molden, Eastern Kentucky, 6007, 195, 4.40, 23, 37.5
Round 4
Justin King, Penn St., 5107, 192, 4.31, 14, 34
Orlando Scandrick Boise St. 5100, 192, 4.32, NA, 38.5

Yep saintsfan he has what you like:
Upside
Porter has been one of the most consistent corners over the last few years. He shows fantastic ability out in coverage, especially when playing man-to-man. An outstanding athlete that has fluid hips and is very agile with great hands. As a four year starter at Indiana, Porter proved to be a dynamic player on the defensive side of the ball. Porter is currently second among active NCAA players with 16 career interceptions (6 this season, with a 22.8 yard return average). with good height with long arms ( 32") the 5'11", 185 lbs. Porter has recorded 83 tackles this season (63 of them solo). Along with his lofty interception total, he has proven to have a knack for getting around the football. Porter has 24 career pass break ups, along with 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. To go along with his abilities on defense, Porter is one of the better return men in the country. As a junior he averaged 18.6 yards per punt return -- scoring on an 86 yarder -- while only sharing the duties. During the regular season, Porter returned all 23 punts for the Hoosiers, averaging 11 yards per return. A threat to score every time he touches the ball.
Downside
Doesn't have the bulk you look for and will have some trouble getting a jam at the line. Needs to hit the weight room. Marginal technique and footwork resulting in him giving a big cushion. He will give up some easy catches. Struggled against bigger wide receivers.
Conclusion
This guy is really the definition of a play maker in the secondary. Also a top punt returner and coverage team gunner. A talented, finesse corner with a great combination of size / speed.
IMO
I do not see a thing here that coaching can not correct. He has the natural hips already. Working on his footwork will only make him better. Thus reducing the cushion he gives and his play against taller WRs. The tackling bit is a big question mark. Some say he can blow up a play and other say he is weak. Maybe a year in the weight room will change that. But from what I saw he is a solid technique tackler. He raps up! Not to many of those knockout style hits. So maybe that is where it comes from.

I had him ranked up with Mike Jenkins, Antoine Cason. To me he is a mix of those two guys. Raw natural skills of Jenkins and the experience/production of Antoine Cason. To me he was the safest pick with this combination of the 3.

Re: Porter off to a good start
 

I think the only CB in the draft with more "upside" than Porter is DRC.

If Porter had attended USC, OSU, or an SEC team, he could possibly have been the 1st corner selected.

All that said, he's raw. If he learns quickly, he may see some playing time this season.