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Sunday, November 11, 2001

It's the one matchup that will go a long way toward deciding the Steelers-Cleveland Browns game today.

Joey Porter, a Pro Bowl outside linebacker in the making, against Browns offensive tackle Roman Oben, who is -- how do we put this politely? -- no Wayne Gandy.

The Steelers think they have a big edge.

Then again, they always think they have an edge with Porter.

"A very dynamic pass-rusher," defensive coordinator Tim Lewis called him.

"He combines power, speed, strength and agility with a very nasty demeanor. He definitely has a temper out there."

Sounds like Greg Lloyd.

"A lot like Greg Lloyd," Lewis said.

That's high praise in this town, but it's deserved. Porter had two more sacks in the Steelers' 13-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday. That makes six in the past three games, seven for the season. That's more than any linebacker in the AFC and only one behind Ravens defensive end Michael McCrary, the conference leader.

A year ago, the Steelers' Jason Gildon led all NFL linebackers with 13 1/2 sacks and made the Pro Bowl. There's no reason to think Porter won't make it if he pulls the same trick this season.

It doesn't hurt a guy to have an AFC defensive player of the week honor or two when it comes time for the players and coaches to vote. Porter won the award after his four-sack day in a 17-10 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct. 21.

It also doesn't hurt to have a few highlight reel sacks. Porter got one against the Ravens when he overpowered fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo and pulled down quarterback Randall Cunningham from behind with one hand.

"I had a chance to get one like that the week before against Tennessee," Porter said. "I bull-rushed the offensive tackle and came real close to Steve McNair. I don't know if I would have been able to pull him down. He's a big, strong guy. But I didn't even reach for him. I wasn't going to make that mistake again."

The sack of Cunningham was a beauty. What followed was almost as entertaining.

"You mean The Boot?" Porter asked, grinning.

Yeah, The Boot.

Porter looked like he was kicking an imaginary football.

Kris Brown should have had such good form last week.

Porter does it after each big play he makes, which means he's doing it more and more frequently.

"It's my way of saying to the other team, 'Get that stuff out of here!'" Porter said.

We saw Porter kick up a storm on his monster day in Tampa. That was the game in which he kept gesturing to Lewis in the press box to call his blitzes, so confident was he of dominating rookie tackle Kenyatta Walker.

Porter also did a lot of kicking and screaming against the Ravens. There were the two sacks of Cunningham. There was the third-quarter play when he forced a fumble by wide receiver Brandon Stokley. And there was the fourth-quarter play when he beat a block by tackle Jonathan Ogden and tackled running back Jason Brookins for a 3-yard loss.

"I feel like I know what play they're going to run before they run it," Porter said. "The game has slowed down considerably for me. When I first got here, it seemed so fast because I was thinking instead of reacting. It was like I was always behind. Now, I feel like I'm ahead of the game.

"It's all experience. Guys like Jason and Lethon [Flowers] and Earl [Holmes], the games are like practice to them. A guy like Kimo [von Oelhoffen], he's been around so long he knows every offensive line's secret code for its checkoffs. I want to get to that point."

Lewis sees Porter making progress.

"When we first got him, there was a misconception he had trouble picking things up. But we probably ask him to do more things in our defense than any player out there."

Lewis estimated Porter drops into pass coverage 35 percent of the time.

If Porter finishes among the NFL sack leaders, he will have earned it.

If that's his goal, he isn't saying. He talks only of the team winning the championship and the defense leading the league.

So far, so good.

The Steelers are first in the AFC with a 5-2 record and can open a two-game lead over the Browns with a win today. Their defense ranks first in the NFL and has allowed the fewest points.

Porter has been huge in all of it. He gets the vote here as the team's defensive MVP.

Here's something to consider as you watch Porter battle Oben this afternoon:

If he ends up with more kicks than Brown, the Steelers will win easily.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.