Is there anyone who plays the game with as much vigor and as much intensity as Dolphins LB Joey Porter? Porter is the king of trash talk, and he always seems to turn it up a notch when he faces the Patriots.

Why? Because Porter hates New England. It’s a hatred that runs deep, dating back to his Pittsburgh days. And yet despite Porter’s abhorrence for the Patriots, Boston Globe columnist Christopher L. Gasper writes that New England fans shouldn’t hate Porter back:

You don’t have to like him. You can shower him with boos, but don’t hate him. …

If Porter were a Patriot, fans here would love him — love him — the same way they loved Rodney Harrison, who also had a penchant for talking smack, getting under the opponents’ skin, and ending up on the Sports Illustrated NFL player poll of the league’s dirtiest players, just like Porter.

No one is ripping Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo for his trash-talking and opponent-baiting because he is wearing the uniform of the hometown team. We applaud Rondo’s moxie for not backing down from Chris Paul or Kobe Bryant. He plays with an edge.

So does Porter.

Porter and the Dolphins take on the Patriots this Sunday in a key AFC East matchup.

Other stories from around the Web on Thursday:

• Former first-round picks Vince Young and Alex Smith, who square off Sunday when the 49ers meet the Titans, are getting second chances to thrive as starting QBs.

• Coach Tom Coughlin says the Giants are playing a one-game season.

• The Falcons’ version of “Saving Private Ryan” is protecting their quarterback.

• Bengals WR Andre Caldwell is just taking it all in.

• Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner is sticking to his plan and won’t scale back.

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