Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Joey Porter works on his conditioning Sunday at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Click photo for larger image.

It wasn't just that Joey Porter, despite missing most of training camp with arthroscopic knee surgery, led all NFL linebackers in sacks last season with 10 1/2, a career high. By the end of the season, and during the team's improbable run to the Super Bowl, Porter might have been the most dominating defensive player in the league.

To be sure, Porter wasn't planning on trying to replicate what happened last season, at least, not the part about missing training camp with a knee injury.

But there he is, standing on the sideline in T-shirt and workout shorts, watching his teammates practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe while he rehabilitates his other knee. The only frustration for Porter, a Pro Bowl linebacker, is that his absence from camp could have been avoided if his injury were detected earlier.

As it was, Porter had surgery on his right knee in May, shortly after reporting for the team's offseason coaching sessions. An MRI detected some loose particles in his knee, which was bothering him during his offseason workouts.

"If I would have known earlier, everything would have been handled earlier," Porter said yesterday after practice. "I wouldn't have waited till then. I would have had surgery in February and hopefully be ready in April or May."

Actually, Porter said he injured his right knee during the Sept. 25 game against New England, but it never bothered him enough during the remainder of the season to keep him from playing.

Porter started all 16 regular-season games and four playoff games, including the Super Bowl, despite missing nearly all of training camp after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He added three more sacks in the playoffs and was the most disruptive defensive player in the postseason. Just ask Peyton Manning.

"I played through it so well through the playoffs that nobody thought [the knee] was as bad as it was," Porter said. "It was hurting, but nothing where I couldn't play through it. At that point, it swelled up, I iced it, I took the necessary precautions. But, at the same time, I never knew there were some loose particles in there and wondered why it kept showing up in the offseason when I'm working out.

"So, when I got back to minicamp, I let them know about it."

The timing of the surgery took everyone, Porter included, by surprise. Still, it was the necessary solution to a lingering problem, and it gives Porter enough time to get ready for the start of the regular season, even if he misses the first couple weeks of camp.

Coach Bill Cowher said yesterday that Porter is "starting to look very comfortable" and the team will assess his progress next week, an optimistic prognosis. Porter, though, would not divulge his timetable, citing his coach's mandate to not discuss injuries with the media.

"Last year I had four weeks to get ready [after surgery]," Porter said. "Now I've had almost two months. I've had enough time to get it strong, enough that when I do go out there I'm not playing like I did in the first few games [last year]. I've been down this road before.

"I've been playing through pain. I can play through pain. It's a situation where if they really, really need me, I can practice. But it's not strong enough to go out and set myself back."

Indeed, after missing all of training camp because of his left knee, Porter returned to start at right outside linebacker in the season opener against Tennessee and even registered a sack. But, in other games, he would miss tackles in the backfield he would usually make, unable to make that quick adjustment or sudden burst to which he is accustomed.

As the knee improved, Porter returned to his old form, and then some. He finished with a career-high in sacks, even though defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was often using Porter to drop into coverage as part of expanded defensive packages. When the Steelers got into the playoffs, Porter began looking like Lawrence Taylor, especially in the playoff victory against the Colts in which he sacked Manning twice on back-to-back plays.

Then, in the AFC title game against the Broncos, Porter sacked Jake Plummer on a big third-down play that forced the Broncos to settle for a Jason Elam field goal, then forced a Plummer fumble near the end of the first half that resulted in a Hines Ward touchdown.

"I don't have to prove anything to anybody here," Porter said. "I played the whole year last year and didn't miss a game.

I know it's going to work out. It just takes time and some precaution. There's no rush. It's day four of training camp. It's a long training camp."