Published: July 19, 2008 09:12 pm      

Torn tendon sidelines Jerry Porter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jerry Porter, a former West Virginia Mountaineer, had surgery Friday to repair a torn hamstring tendon and the Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver will miss at least the entire preseason.

It was a significant setback for a team with Super Bowl expectations.

Porter signed a six-year, $30 million contract with Jacksonville in February and was supposed to give the team its first go-to receiver since Jimmy Smith retired. But he missed most of minicamp and organized team activities with hamstring problems.

Team doctors thought the injury would heal before training camp, but they decided Friday that surgery would be the best option to ensure Porter would be healthy during the season.

The Jaguars said Porter would be out six to eight weeks, with hopes that he could be ready for the Sept. 7 season opener at Tennessee.

When Porter was on the field during offseason drills, he was clearly the team’s best receiver. He got by defenders, made nifty catches and looked like he would be well worth the $10 million guaranteed the Jaguars paid him in free agency.

Without him, the Jaguars will open camp with a somewhat lackluster receiving corps featuring Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt, Troy Williamson, Mike Walker and Matt Jones.

Williams and Northcutt faded in the playoffs last season. Williamson looked great in offseason workouts, but he is still trying to start over after a disappointing, drop-filled three years in Minnesota.

Walker, a third-round draft pick in 2007, missed his rookie season while recovering from a knee injury. Jones is facing a felony drug charge in Arkansas after police allegedly found him inside a car cutting up cocaine with a credit card last week.

Jacksonville was hoping Porter would pick up the slack.

He caught 44 passes for 705 yards and six touchdowns last season in Oakland, and had 24 TD receptions between 2002-05. He had just one reception in 2006, the season he demanded a trade in training camp, was suspended two weeks for conduct detrimental to the team and was inactive for nine games.

He was hoping for a new start in Jacksonville.

“I have heard so many things that I did and supposedly did and had no idea I did, like I was a me-first player,” Porter said. “Most of my time there I had been taking a back seat to somebody else. I don’t even deal with it. I have never had a real coach have a problem with me.”