Joey Porter to the Redskins Is the Jason Taylor Blunder All Over Again

Joey Porter will be visiting with the Washington Redskins this week in hopes of finding his new team after being released from the Miami Dolphins. 

The Redskins need help at linebacker, with London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh the only solid veterans on the unit.

Washington will be implementing a 3-4 defensive scheme for next season, which bodes well for Brian Orakpo. He should thrive as an outside linebacker in the new system. But there's still a hole to be filled, and for some reason general manager Bruce Allen and head coach Mike Shanahan seem to think Porter is the answer.

The question is why?

This may be a new regime, but you'd think they would have learned from their predecessors' mistakes. Does Washington really need another disgruntled former Dolphins' linebacker on their hands?

Lets face it, at 33-years-old, Porter's best years are a ways back in the rear-view mirror. He's slowed down significantly, to the point the Dolphins tried to pull him off the field for long stretches last season when he wasn't producing. 

Miami's coaching staff wasn't able to get him to actually come to the sidelines on most occasions; Porter just simply refused to come out of games. It caused a lot of problems and seriously messed with the chain of command. 

After the season, Porter went on the radio and blasted the coaching staff and franchise for the way they "mishandled" him. Some may say that led to his March 5 release, but the Dolphins would tell you otherwise. 

Porter had 41 tackles, nine sacks, and one forced fumble last season; significantly down from the 17.5 sacks and four forced fumbles he recorded in 2008. He struggled with nagging injuries all season and it was obvious he wasn't giving it his all.

He was benched for a reason—the same reason he was cut. Porter just doesn't seem to have it in him, physically or mentally. At this point in his career, he's a distraction in the locker room and a liability on the field. 

He struggles against the run and in pass coverage. And as a pass-rusher, he'll almost assuredly never reach his All-Pro numbers from two seasons ago.

So what exactly do the Redskins see here that the Dolphins don't? There's talk of converting him to inside linebacker, but history shows Porter struggles when played out of position. In his first year in Miami, the Dolphins had him playing strong side linebacker and he flopped his way to only 5.5 sacks. 

Porter blamed the system.

Doesn't any of this seem familiar?

When Washington traded for Jason Taylor he put up the worst numbers of his career before being released after just one season. He was put out of position as well, and as a result he bombed.

Trying to turn Porter into something he's not is the same mistake. Miami made it in 2007, Washington made it with Taylor in 2008. 

The fact is, Porter may still have a little left in the tank as a pass-rushing specialist, but he refuses to play a secondary role. That's one of the reasons he was booted out of South Florida. 

So while he might bring a decent level of production to the table, his character issues heavily outweigh any good he puts on the table. 

Have Allen and Shanahan forgotten about Porter's history with offensive tackle Levi Jones? These two have a history of on-field hatred dating back to their days with the Bengals and Steelers. They outright admit how much they dislike each other. 

They even had a very public run in outside a Las Vegas casino. Porter and a group of friends got into a brawl with Levi, and allegedly robbed him of his jewelry. The dispute began with a confrontation at a poker table earlier in the day. 

These two cannot peacefully co-exist, you can bet on that. Bring in Porter and that's an issue this coaching staff will have issues with all season. Shanahan may be a pro at what he does, and he may command the attention of his players, but he's not going to quell this intense rivalry; at least not for long. 

There's nothing that makes sense about this potential signing. The only thing that can come from it is a headache. Didn't this team learn their lesson about old, disgruntled former Dolphins last time?

Redskins fans better hope so, or it will be a long ride on the Porter express. 

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