CB Tracy Porter lifts weights during voluntary off-season workouts. Photo by Tony Gonzales
When CB Tracy Porter was first signed by the Raiders on April 3, 2013, he spoke with the media via conference call and talked about his long history with Head Coach Dennis Allen. "It almost seems like I'm following him because he went to New Orleans to Denver. I went from New Orleans to Denver," said Porter. "He went from Denver to Oakland. Now I'm going from Denver to Oakland. So it almost seems like he and I are simultaneously sticking together."
Porter is looking forward to the opportunity to play against his former team, the rival Denver Broncos. "With it being a rival, it can be a little difficult, but at the end of the day, still a business, still out there playing football," said Porter. "It makes it that much more exciting once you go against your former team. You're going to see those guys twice a year. I'm going to be pretty excited for that game and just can't wait to get out there."
Porter is glad the Raider Nation will be on his side when the Broncos come to town. "I think, especially playing here, it'll be a lot better playing in the Black Hole," said Porter. "This crowd has been a real enthusiastic crowd for a long time. They really support their team no matter what the situation may be. That's one thing that I admire about this organization and this town is how the people support their team no matter what. Playing in front of a large crowd like that, the way that those fans get, players feed off of that. I'm a player that feeds off of the crowd and I'm going to love to play in front of them."
Prior to playing at O.co Coliseum, however, Porter and his teammates have some work to do: getting to know their teammates and the playbook. "[The first few weeks have] gone pretty good, just starting to get to know the guys, get familiar with one another. Usama [Young] and I, we played in New Orleans together, but just like any other group, the DBs, we naturally click together, so we're just learning each other day-by-day."
But Porter is confident the guys in the defensive backs room, along with the rest of the team, can get that work done. "I'm a player that's going to come in here and give it 110 percent, that's not going to half-step on anything that I do," said Porter. "I'm going to do any and everything I can do to help the team win. They [the media] say we're in a rebuilding stage; we never look at it as rebuilding. We always say, 'We're reloading.' Didn't have an up year last year, but that's the past. That's the great thing about this season - we have the opportunity to change that and that's what I'm looking forward to doing."
Raider Nation, make sure to follow Tracy Porter on Twitter: @TracyPorter
