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Porter in Dolphins

Joey Porter wore a new Miami Dolphins visor, plus had an aqua-and-orange pin on his shirt.

Clearly, the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker is already trying to fit in with his new team.

Porter passed his physical and signed a five-year, $32 million contract Wednesday with the Dolphins, making the former Pittsburgh star the first marquee name to join the club during the free-agent period.

“I came here to Miami to help this team get to a championship,” said Porter, who helped the Steelers win the Super Bowl two seasons ago. “I felt this would be a good situation for me, so it didn’t take a lot of convincing.”

New Dolphins coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller flew to California on Monday to see Porter at his home, and their sales pitch worked. Porter — whom the Steelers released last week in a salary-cap move — agreed late that night to a deal, one that guarantees him $20 million.

Jets sign sign DE Coleman, re-sign DE Hamilton

The New York Jets added depth at defensive end Tuesday, signing free agent Kenyon Coleman and re-signing Bobby Hamilton.

Financial terms of both deals were not disclosed.

Coleman, 27, spent his previous four seasons with Dallas. The 6-5, 295-pounder recorded 31 tackles and a career-high four sacks while playing all 16 games last season.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to play for coach (Eric) Mangini and help the team in any way I can,” Coleman said.

Originally a 2002 second-round pick of Oakland, Coleman has 68 tackles and 6 1/2 sacks in 57 career games.

“Kenyon Coleman is a physical defensive lineman and we like his size and strength up front,” Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. “He has experience playing the 3-4 defense, and we’re looking forward to him being a part of our organization.”

A 13-year veteran, Hamilton, 35, rejoins the Jets just five days after he was released. He recorded 30 tackles as a backup last season.

The Atlanta Falcons kept up their offseason purge Monday, releasing offensive guard Matt Lehr.

The Atlanta Falcons kept up their offseason purge Monday, releasing offensive guard Matt Lehr.

Lehr started 26 games at left guard in two years with the Falcons. He served a four-game suspension this past season for a violation of the NFL’s steroids policy.

The 6-foot-2, 304-pound Lehr was part of an offensive line that relied heavily on zone blocking schemes to create holes for the league’s most productive running game. But new coach Bobby Petrino has made it clear he wants a bulkier line and better protection for quarterback Michael Vick.

The Falcons also released tight end Gavin Tarquinio, who was on injured reserve during his rookie season with a shoulder injury. He played at Georgia Tech and signed with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent.

Linebacker Adalius Thomas signed New England Patriots

Linebacker Adalius Thomas, one of the most sought-after free agents, signed Saturday with the New England Patriots, giving the three-time Super Bowl winners a player in the mold of the departed Willie McGinest.

The 29-year-old Pro Bowler, one of the keys to the Baltimore’s defense last season, can play several positions, including outside linebacker and defensive end — as McGinest did until he left last season for Cleveland.

Thomas, at 6-foot-2-inches and 270 pounds, said he even lined up at cornerback in a defensive package designed to handle Pittsburgh’s physical receivers, matching wideouts stride-for-stride.

“I’m a football player. I don’t play a position. Whatever is needed for me to do here, I’m going to do,” he said. “That’s why the Patriots have been so successful here because they don’t look at it as position. They look at it as football.”

The Patriots also announced the signings of two other veterans: tight end Kyle Brady from Jacksonville and back up running back Sammy Morris from division-rival Miami.

The Saints Destroy Cowboys

The Saints are on a wild trip this NFL season. Many expected them to cool off after their impressive start, but they keep on rolling. The New Orleans saints are now 9-4 on the season and the playoffs look imminent for them.

There’s just three games left on the schedule and it looks like 9-7 will get you a ticket into the NFC playoff dance. Even if the Saints lose their last three games, it looks like they will be in the playoffs. Their next game is against the Washington Redskins, so they have a super shot at being at least 10-6 this season.

I don’t think anyone predicted the blowout that we all witnessed on Sunday. Are the Cowbows too confident? Are there real problems just now starting to surface? Romo didn’t look all that impressive yesterday. But, the problem was the Dallas Defense. They just couldn’t stop anyone.

The game sure didn’t turn out to be a great NFC playoff preview—if it was, the Cowboys are in serious trouble. The Saints destroyed them 42-17. The 2nd and 3rd quarters were crucial to the game. In those two quarters, the Saints put up all 42 points—21 per quarter. The Cowboys defense was lifeless.

Reggie Bush, who should have been the #1 draft pick by Houston, rushed for 125 yards and a TD. He added 37 yards receiving. While he didn’t score 4 TDs this game, he did factor into it.

Speaking of good games, Drew Brees had a whale of a game. He tossed the ball around for 384 yards and racked up 5 TD passes. It looks like the New Orleans offense has quite a package built up. They are fun to watch this season.

As mentioned, the Saints battle the Redskins next week. Meanwhile, the Cowboys face another team in the Falcons who are looking to keep their NFC playoff hopes alive. They better work that defense hard this week in practice.

You love sports and so do we. Here are three great sports articles you might be interested in: [ Kansas State ] [ LSU ] [ Miami Heat ].

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