Hey folks, The Mud Dobber is here to cast my Rookie of the Year vote.

After watching a succession of corners burned beyond recognition in recent years, the play of CB Tracy Porter has quietly become the single biggest development of 2008 for the New Orleans Saints.

"Big Sed" will assuredly get the "Big Pub"...Vilma the big numbers...And most would say the best acquisition in the secondary was Randall Gay or Aaron Glenn.

But if you watch the new No. 22, you'll see a guy playing the lost art of bump-and-run man coverage as good as anyone in league.

Sure, you may see a missed tackle here and there in run support, especially once the league finds out that throwing to the left side of the field is no longer a sure way to a huge play, but as undersized as he is physically, Porter has already shown he has the coverage skills it takes to be a starter.

This for a first-year player at arguably the most-demanding position on the field is no small feat.

Until he starts getting INTs, most people will rightfully overlook him for Rookie of the Year consideration, but when he does get his hands on the ball, he is going to be dynamite to watch, as anyone who saw him return picks at Indiana can verify.

Against the Tampa Bay receivers, he looked liked the conjoined twin of whoever he was covering, and he had a nice pass defense of a Jeff Garcia throw in the end zone which, had it taken place in prior years, would've been an easy six points for the Bucs.

On two occasions, the first in preseason and again last week, he was in better position to make a play on the ball than the receiver was, and he drew two offensive pass interference penalties, which for the Saints' secondary is about as rare as finding a sober college student walking down Bourbon Street at 4:00 AM.

So as time marches on, so do the Saints, into a new era...A Golden Age...A time of new possibilities, of renewed faith, and of a new No. 22...And he's coming soon to a home theater near you.