Porter ready for next step in second Saints season

Written by Rene Nadeau | Thursday, 09 July 2009 23:26 | Saints News

Tracy Porter is quickly growing into a solid NFL cornerback, but early in his athletic career the Port Allen, La., native preferred a ball of a different shape. "Michael Jordan was my guy,"he smiled.

Porter was good enough to earn a spot on the Baton Rouge-based AAU basketball team that included Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Tasmin Mitchell, Early Doucet and Garrett Temple. "We were good," Porter stated confidently.

But it soon became obvious that Tracy would have a future on the gridiron. He was selected All State, All Metro and All District during his junior and senior seasons at Port Allen High School as a punt return specialist and cornerback. He recording 11 interceptions during his senior campaign and also averaged an astounding 47 yards per kickoff return and 28 yards per punt return. Porter also played quarterback and wide receiver on offense.

A host of colleges came calling. "Indiana, LSU, Oklahoma State, McNeese State, UL-Monroe, ULL, Nicholls State and Southern offered,"he said. LSU and Oklahoma State didn't have total confidence is Porter's abilities. "LSU told me that they would look at me, and Oklahoma State wanted me to grayshirt."

Former LSU head coach Gerry DiNardo was the head coach at Indiana. Porter felt comfortable with Dinardo and saw the midwest as a good fit. "I wanted a change of scenery. I'd lose focus if I stayed in state."Porter was off to Bloomington, Indiana.

The Hoosiers were sprinkled with some talent like current Saints wideout and return specialist Courtney Roby, former St. Augustine High School and current New England Patriots running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Bills wide reciver James Hardy and Texans running back Curtis Taylor.

But there wasn't an over abundance of Indiana talent on the defensive side of the ball, and Tracy had the skills to contribute immediately as a true freshman. "It put a lot of pressure on me and made me grow up faster."

Tracy's coming out party in college was one to remember. "In my very first game (Sept. 4, 2004) my freshman season, I had 2 picks, one for a 96 yard return for a touchdown against Central Michigan. I just went after the ball."

The defensive alignment employed by the Hoosier staff prepared Porter for life in the NFL as a cornerback. "My freshman season we played a lot of Cover 3 and more Quarters coverage. Quarters turned into more man coverage. I liked it more."

On Sept. 23, 2006 against UConn, Tracy had another memorable outing. "I had 2 interceptions, 3 passes broken up, blocked a field goal and downed 2 punts inside the 5 yard line." But the story had a bad ending. "We lost the game 14-7."

As Porter honed his skills, NFL scouts began to take notice. He became the only player in Indiana history to return a punt, an interception and a fumble recovery for touchdowns in his career. He had 16 interceptions in his 4-year career. Tracy started 43 games, 29 at right cornerback, 13 at left cornerback and one at strong safety. Porter's penchant for being in the right place served notice. He was in on 212 tackles and 24 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.

For his efforts, Porter was twice selected as an All Big Ten in 2006-07 and an All Big Ten Freshman choice in 2004.

His senior year is when the NFL started to look like a reality. "My cover skills and ball handling skills caught the eye of NFL scouts," Porter said.

The Buccaneers, Redskins, Cowboys and Saints brought the talented cornerback in for a visit, but New Orleans held a special spot with Tracy growing up as a Saints fan. "I went to the Saints games (at the Dome) as often as I could. I had Saints memorabilia on my walls at home," he remembered.

The Saints were on the clock with the 2nd pick (40th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft when Tracy's phone rang. The Saints were calling to say that he was now a member of their team. "I didn't think that I was coming here," he chuckled. "My family was going crazy. They were all watching the NFL draft on TV."

His introduction to the Saints and pro football was made easier by the familiarity with the concept and scheme of the defense. "We were running a base 4-3 (defense) with more Quarters (coverage), just like at Indiana. We played some man to man, a base cover 4, just like I played in college. It helped me with the transition to the NFL."

Porter found himself as the starting cornerback for opening day of the 2008 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Superdome. Visiting the Dome as a fan was one thing, but starting in an NFL game was a dream come true.

"Seeing 70,000 plus fans made me anxious," Tracy explained. "It made me want to play."His debut brought positive results against the Bucs with 3 passes broken up and 4 tackles.

He was just beginning to get comfortable when injury struck, curtailing his rookie season. The Minnesota Vikings were in town on Oct 6 to battle the Saints when a bad result on a pass play was much worse than the intial result for Porter and New Orleans.

"It was a 3rd and 20," Porter recalls. "We were in ' 0 ' coverage (blitz). The receivers ran a double post, the quarterback threw the ball up. Both receivers were close to one another. I tripped over Vikings wide receiver Bobby Wade and the receiver that I was covering (Bernard Berrian) was open. (Berrian) caught the pass in the endzone for a touchdown."

In the process, Porter dislocated his right wrist which would require surgery. His rookie season came to a screeching halt. "It took me awhile following surgery. One week later I could interact with the team," Porter recalled. "The mental portion, being around the team, helped me a lot."

Porter finished his shortened rookie campaign with 32 stops, 1 interception, 1 sack and 5 passes defended. The entire secondary - Mike McKenzie, Randall Gay, Jason David and Usama Young - helped him through the process.

On January 15, 2009, the Saints hired new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, a veteran of 19 seasons in the NFL who has overseen the top 10 defenses in five-of-the-past nine seasons, including 3 in the past 6 seasons with 3 different teams.

"(Williams) is high intensity," says Porter. "We'll run a variety of things. We could run as many as 26 different personnel packages this season. "Comparatively, the 2008 defense had about 12 different packages."

Playing in a Gregg Williams defense is challenging both physically and mentally. "To play this defense you have to be scheme and technique sound," the 2nd year cornerback said. "The defensive line relies on the linebackers, the linebackers rely on the secondary and vice versa. It's different from 2008. There is a lot more interacting with the linebackers in pass coverage."

Williams is demanding, but fair. "He expects a high work ethic. Guys are believing (in the defense) more and more each day. They have been knocking the secondary around here for the last 3-4 years."

Bringing in Williams, along with the new player acquisitions might be the ideal remedy." Coach Williams is demanding. His way has worked," noted Porter. "He sees something in a player that he expects. He will not yell at a player that doesn't possess skills."

Tracy has worked hard during the off-season under the watchful eye of Sonic Boom's Wyatt Harris. "I worked on my technique and running mechanics and got rid of wasted movements. One mistake can cost you in the NFL. It's a game of inches."

Jabari Greer, a six year veteran cornerback  arrived in New Orleans via free agency from the Buffalo Bills. "He brings experience and guidance to the younger guys," Tracy said. 

A pair of wily veteran safeties should upgrade that spot. "Darren Sharper has been around for 13 seasons. He knows how to read the quarterback, what are the route combination formations and what to look for. Pierson Prioleau is an 11 year guy. He knows the defense. He knows what to look for in formations and what are the quarterback tendencies."

Tracy's goal is to take his career to the next level, but another top priority is to avoid injury, if possible. "If I'm healthy I can be an asset to the secondary. I don't set numbers (for goals). Anytime the ball is in the air, I want to have a hand on it."

His ultimate goal is clear and simple."Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. That's why I'm here, to bring it all home."

Porter does seem to possess all of the ingredients to classify him as all-star quality. He has outstanding speed and explosive quickness and the ability to change direction effortlessly. His recovery skills are a must at the cornerback spot. Porter can mirror opposing receiver, find balls quickly in flight and make a play. Although run support was a question mark for Tracy, he comes up quickly to fill on running plays.

Porter will be looked at as a return specialist during training camp this year. Still, he wants to start in the secondary once again .

When asked about grabbing a starting role, Porter points out the uncertainty with Gregg Williams' meticulous attention to detail. "Everyday is an interview," he said with a smile.