The lobbying began as soon as the Dolphins' win seemed secure.
Linebacker Joey Porter, his enthusiasm on the sideline as unwavering as it had been on the field, sought out coach Tony Sparano before the final play of Sunday's 25-16 win against the Buffalo Bills at Dolphin Stadium and attempted to talk the boss into fulfilling a request.
''I tried to go out there and play running back,'' Porter said. ``He wouldn't let me go.''
No need for that, Joey. Your work here, at least for this day, was already done.
On another day in which Porter's prowess continues to rival any defensive player in the NFL this season, the feisty linebacker made a literal impact on this win with two sacks and two forced fumbles -- one he recovered and one that turned into a safety.
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"I told you, 'If you really watch football and know football you would understand it,' " Porter said Sunday. "But y'all just pen pushers. So all y'all see is 'Joey, 5 1/2 [sacks], that's not good enough.' Now you're understanding the defense and what we're doing out there.
"I told you, you get me in a 3-4 defense, 10 sacks is a given for a good outside linebacker. If you want to consider yourself good, nine or 10 is just what you're supposed to get. It's not even a big deal."
Porter's 10.5 sacks match his career-high set in 2002 and equaled in 2005 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been to three Pro Bowls and named All Pro once, but you wouldn't have known it by watching him last year.
"I've never really been in a system to where a lot of the defense I'm featured," Porter said. "They put me in position to make some plays. They put me in position to make plays a lot, and I put that on myself to go out and make the plays.
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