FRISCO, Texas – Cowboys CB Joey Porter said Tuesday that he hasn't stopped smiling since being traded to Dallas last Wednesday.
In his debut on Sunday against the Texans, Porter played 24 total defensive snaps and did not allow a reception on one target in his direction.
"At the end of the day, I feel like I'm a ball player," Porter said. "With that, I feel like I can go anywhere and do what I do."
Despite having just a couple days to prepare for Week 4, especially having missed all of training camp in Pittsburgh and the first three games of the regular season, just being out on the field was important.
"I just got here not too long ago, so being able to get out there was the main goal and the main objective," Porter said. "So if that was just boundary work, then that's what it was going to be to get me out there."
Porter was matched up against Texans Pro Bowl WR Nico Collins five times, and was not targeted when covering him. Matching up against a team's number one receiving threat is a challenge that Porter relishes.
"Just being able to get that test," Porter said. "When a team gives you that ability to go out there and lock in on a number one guy, they really trust you out there. So whenever I get that call, that's an exciting task for me."
"I was excited for that call, that matchup, anytime I got to line up against him, just to show what I can do."
Before the game, Porter caught up with Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones on the sidelines for the first time in person since the trade.
"It was great finally talking to him in person. It was a great experience," Porter said. "He was just glad for me, he was just happy for me to be a Cowboy and finally put on a uniform. The main thing he just told me was 'be you and do what you do.' So I told him, 'I can definitely do that.'"
Someone who definitely knows he can do it? Porter's father, former Steelers Pro Bowler Joey Porter, who was in attendance in Houston and will be at Thursday's game in Arlington as well.
"He was the first person I was talking to," Porter said. "He was fired up for me, he was just glad that I was back out there playing football again. That's really all you can ask for in a father."
After playing on short notice last week, now Porter and the Cowboys head into a short week with a Thursday night game as well. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Porter will play a "little bit more" against Tampa Bay, and Porter's ready for whatever is put on his plate.
"I feel comfortable about that, but it's all really up to the coaches and what they have for me," Porter said when asked about his comfort playing a starter's number of snaps. "I just got here not too long ago, so I'm still trying to learn everything and get the grasp of how things are run here. So it's really up to them."
Porter will play in his first career game at AT&T Stadium on Thursday night, and is looking forward to the bright lights of primetime action on his new home turf.
"I think it's going to be amazing," Porter said. "I think it's going to be a great experience. It's Thursday night football; all eyes are on us. I think I'm ready for that type of spotlight, so it's going to be amazing."
