This is a bit surprising, but it comes from ESPN's Chris Mortensen - who has a great reputation and has a pipeline to the Dolphins through his relationship with Bill Parcells. Mortensen reported on Monday Night Countdown that Dolphins LB Joey Porter will not play on Thursday against the Panthers. Mort added that Porter might not play "anytime soon."
If this is indeed the case, you have to wonder what exactly is going on - or what occurred - between Porter and the coaching staff. Yes, Charlie Anderson and Cameron Wake played very well on Sunday against the Buccaneers when replacing Porter. But shouldn't Joey at least be part of the rotation?
Or perhaps the Dolphins approached Joey and told him he would be part of a rotation and Porter refused to accept that role. At this point, it's anyone's guess.
But what I do know is that I'm beginning to think that benching Porter isn't necessarily a downgrade in terms of production. Then again, it was just one game against the Bucs. After all, maybe Joey also would have had a good game if he had played.
It should be interesting to see how this unfolds between now and Thursday.