" Three years ago, after using a derogatory slur to describe former Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter eventually delivered one of the more strangely entertaining apologies of all time.

``I would just like to say it was a poor choice of words in the comment I made toward Winslow,'' said Porter, who then played for the Steelers. ``I didn't mean to offend anybody but Kellen Winslow.''

No doubt, based on comments like those, the individual rivalry between Porter and Winslow was once among the more publicly blatant in the NFL; one that led to on-field confrontations and verbal sparring all the way through their last meeting in 2007.

RIVALRY RENEWED?

So will the rivalry be reawakened this week when Porter and Winslow (now with Tampa Bay) meet again? At least for now, that's probably going to be up to Winslow to decide.

Porter, to no one's surprise, doesn't seem to be in much of a mood for his usual playfulness this week. In the wake of a zero-tackle performance after days of battering the Patriots with trash talk, the linebacker has steered clear of much chatter at all.

``Even me, I know that after you lose a game and you don't perform, at some point in time, you have to just take a step back,'' Porter said during a contractually obligated interview with the NFL Network on Thursday. ``We lost a tough one that we wanted to win that was going to put us in a better situation than we're in now.''

If anything, Porter seems mostly frustrated with himself. When he agreed to answer one question Thursday afternoon in the locker room, he made it clear where he stands about whether he needs to change his on-field approach or keep grinding away as usual.

``Nothing needs to be changed,'' Porter said. ``I've got a job to do. I'm not thinking about anything but trying to figure out what we need to do to win. We're 3-5 at the halfway point. We're not where we thought we'd be.''

It has been a tough first half of the season for Porter, who might not even have the chance to suit up against Winslow on Sunday after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday with a nagging knee injury.

He already dealt with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for one game and hampered him for nearly three others. And now, he hasn't had a full sack since Sept. 27."