NFL notes: Rejuvenated Porter wants all the honors

Joey Porter wants it all.

The Defensive Player of the Year award. The return trip to the Pro Bowl. The silence of his critics — or, as he calls them, "Pen Pushers" — and yes, he wants that single-season sacks record, too.

"I got nine more games to go out and do something that hasn't been done before," Porter said Wednesday.

A year ago, the outspoken Miami Dolphins linebacker was considered one of the worst free-agent signings in NFL history. Now, he's leading the league with 10 1/2 sacks, on pace to topple Michael Strahan's single-season record and an early contender for just about every defensive award.

Porter already has matched his career high with nine games left and is on pace to get 24 sacks. That would break Strahan's record of 22 1/2 with the New York Giants during the 2001 season and provide even more fuel for the constant Miami motormouth.

"At the pace he's going right now, how could he not?" Dolphins cornerback Will Allen asked.

Porter was perhaps the biggest disappointment on last year's 1-15 Dolphins. After signing a five-year contract with $20 million guaranteed, he had only 2 1/2 sacks through the first 13 games — all losses for Miami — and finished with 5 1/2 sacks.

Even then, the trash-talking, headline-making linebacker seldom kept quiet. He often complained that then-coach Cam Cameron's 4-3 defense was inept and unsuited for his style, and that his sore right knee was the reason he didn't produce.

Then again, maybe he had a point.

At age 31, Porter has been rejuvenated by the Bill Parcells regime, playing as a pass-rushing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense similar to what earned him Pro Bowl status with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He still remains the loudest, most vulgar voice on a young Miami team trying to find its swagger.

"I'm talking, but at the same time I'm working," Porter said. "At the same time, I'm still talking though."

KIFFIN FILES GRIEVANCE: Former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin filed a grievance with the NFL on Wednesday to claim the lost salary he maintains he is still owed by the team.

Kiffin was fired late last month for cause because of what owner Al Davis described as acts of insubordination and lying by his second-year coach.