This offseason, the Dolphins' big splash in free agency was the signing of OLB Joey Porter. Miami loved Porter because he would fill a void at OLB opposite of Jason Taylor in the 3-4 while providing a nastiness that a Miami defense hasn't had since Bryan Cox was down here in south beach. However, the mainstream media has been pretty relentless in calling the Porter signing by Miami a "bad move." Of course, up in New England, they signed a player named Adalius Thomas and the media is singing their praises and kissing their asses. In fact, I think ESPN still has a little brown stuff on their noses. They might want to wash that off.
Anyway, what I wanted to do was compare the two players to see if the media really does have a right to rip Miami's move while praising New England's move. So, first we look at age. Both players will be 30 years old once September rolls around. Porter has missed just 6 games over his career while Thomas has missed just 3. Porter was an intrical part of his team winning the Super Bowl while Thomas also has a ring. However, Thomas only played in 3 games that year and didn't record a single tackle.
Next, let's review the numbers of each player over the past 4 years:
| Year | Total Tackles | Solo | Sacks | Ints | FFs | FRs | TDs | PDs |
| 2003 | 43 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2004 | 72 | 55 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2005 | 84 | 69 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 2006 | 83 | 64 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 4-year Total | 282 | 228 | 32 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 19 |
| Year | Total Tackles | Solo | Sacks | Ints | FFs | FRs | TDs | PDs |
| 2003 | 65 | 50 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2004 | 53 | 36 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2005 | 56 | 39 | 10.5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2006 | 55 | 40 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 year Total | 229 | 165 | 29.5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
So as you can see, Thomas's numbers are better. But before I really looked at the numbers, I assumed Thomas's would be better. What actually surprised me is how close they are.
Now, also consider the contract contracts of each player. Thomas signed a 5 year/$35 million contract with $20 million guaranteed. Porter signed a 5 year/$32 million contract with $20 million guaranteed. So, if the Thomas signing was so great, how the hell can the Porter signing be so bad? It doesn't make sense. The only thing I could say would be that maybe Porter shouldn't have gotten as much as Thomas got guaranteed. 20 million is a little much to guarantee, but in no way should the guaranteed money be the reason why the Porter signing was terrible.
And one more thing. Yes, Thomas has the edge in numbers. But there are a few things that the "experts" seem to be overlooking. One is the attitude and leadership he brings to the team. The other is how perfect of a fit Porter is for Dom Capers's defense and how dynamic his arrival will make this unit. Porter has never had a player as great as Jason Taylor playing on the opposite side of him. This signing makes Miami's front 7 so much more dynamic and, quite possibly, dominant.
So, please, all you "experts" out there, get off of the Dolphins' case. You can't say you love the Adalius Thomas signing but hate the Joey Porter one. It just doesn't make sense and only shows how ignorant you are. Either like them both or dislike them boith because, in reality, they are quite similar.