NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Joey Porter’s complaining has finally paid off, as on Friday the Dolphins granted the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker his release. He started to campaign last week to be waived, saying in broadcast interviews he was frustrated about his reduced role in 2009 and doubted his relationship with coach Tony Sparano could be repaired.

As his role continued to be lessened, Porter said he talked with Sparano only on Sundays and stopped speaking with general manager Jeff Ireland and Bill Parcells. Porter said he was the Dolphins' best outside linebacker and unhappy about being replaced by pass-rush specialist Cameron Wake in some situations. He said he wanted to go to a team where he could play every down.

Porter said he saw less playing time after Sparano held him out of a midseason game at Tampa Bay because he "went out to get something to eat" two nights before the game. The defense deteriorated at the end of the season, and Miami failed to make the playoffs, finishing 7-9.

After Porter vented publicly, his departure was considered inevitable. By releasing him before March 4, the Dolphins save a $1 million roster bonus they would have owed him. He joined the Dolphins in March 2007, signing a five-year deal for $32 million, with $20 million guaranteed.

The team announced the move in a three-paragraph news release without comment from Sparano or Ireland.

An 11-year pro, Porter led the AFC in 2008 with 17 1/2 sacks. His sack total in 2009 fell to nine, still the Dolphins' high, and he was named to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 2000s in January.

His departure increases the likelihood the Dolphins will retain 35-year-old Jason Taylor at outside linebacker. He and Porter were often ineffective as a tandem, and it was expected at least one of them would not return in 2010.

From: AP

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been given a new five-year contract running until March 2015.

Goodell replaced Paul Tagliabue on Sept. 1, 2006, and his contract was due to expire this September. The NFL said Friday that owners voted to award the new contract when they met in December

"Commissioner Goodell and his staff have done an outstanding job and this is a statement of confidence in Roger's leadership," Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, chairman of the NFL's compensation committee, said in a statement. "NFL ownership recognizes his already significant list of accomplishments and is fully behind his strategic vision for the future of our league."

Goodell's new deal and the NFL's latest federal tax filing were first reported Friday by Sports Business Journal, and the league then released the information to The Associated Press.

While all terms of the new deal have not been completed. Blank said the annual compensation will be unchanged.

The NFL said a year ago that Goodell voluntarily took a cut of 20-25 percent, and that he and other league executives were freezing their salaries for 2009. That announcement was made at the same time the league said it cut 169 jobs through buyouts, layoffs and other staff reductions, a drop of just over 15 percent of a work force that had been 1,100.

As rumored yesterday, the Bengals signed WR Matt Jones today according to Chris Mortensen at ESPN. Mort claims the Bengals gave the former Jacksonville Jaguar first round pick a one-year deal worth roughly $700,000. Tennessee also had offered Jones a contract.

The PFT report can be read here.

Hobson confirms that the Bengals did work him out yesterday, along with fomer OSU Buckeye QB Todd Boeckman and (gulp) DB Adam “Pacman” Jones. Apparently Boeckman and Pacman left Cincy without a deal….yet. The Hobson article also gives a good review of Matt’s past transgressions, and how his stats compare to that of the late Chris Henry.

So looks like Mike Brown has his latest reclamation project.

What do you think about this move? PFT seems to think it’s a good one for the Bengals, and was very complimentary of his performance in 2008. I’m on the fence. Give us your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Ron Jaworski thinks that Bears OT Orlando Pace has seen better days, and the tackle who was at one point the first overall pick of the Rams, should simply retire:

Bears OT Orlando Pace should retire, so says pro football analyst Ron Jaworski. Pace, 34, was benched late in the season in favor of Chris Williams and likely will be released by the Bears soon.

“I know what Orlando was,” Jaworski told the Chicago Sun-Times. “He was an All-Pro, Hall of Fame tackle. But he's not that now. The guy's a warrior, and you can say all this stuff. But there's nothing left.

“Throughout the season, watching the Bears, I thought they were inconsistent in the offensive line.”

Williams, who played right tackle when Pace was in the lineup, performed well in limited duty on the left side. Williams, the No. 14-overall pick of the '08 draft, figures to be the long-term solution at left tackle. Frank Omiyale could be a candidate to take over at right tackle, or the club could hit the free-agent market.