Staying grounded
Porter keeps level head after big plays last season
By SHELDON MICKLES Advocate sportswriter
METAIRIE — After the dream season he and the New Orleans Saints had in 2009, it would have been easy for cornerback Tracy Porter to walk around with his head in the clouds this offseason.
On top of winning Super Bowl XLIV, Porter came up with two plays that rank as two of the biggest in franchise history with interceptions of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
The first kept the Minnesota Vikings from winning the NFC title in regulation and the second, which Porter returned 74 yards for a touchdown, clinched the Saints’ 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl.
Those two wins were followed by a grand celebration in his hometown of Port Allen. It included a gala parade and ceremonies in which he had his high school jersey retired and a street named after him.
That would normally be pretty heady stuff for most third-year players, who would have soaked in the star treatment. But not Porter, who simply decided to enjoy the moment during a whirlwind 5‰ months since the Super Bowl.
“It comes with the territory,” the soft-spoken Porter said after the Saints opened training camp Friday morning. “When you make big plays on the big stage, a lot of people are going to notice you. A lot of people are going to become fans of you if they aren’t already and that was a blessing to me.
“I took it for what it’s worth, but this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league,” he said. “That’s all in the past. They want to see what you’re going to do in training camp and this season.”
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