Now this is what I'm talking about. As a coach, after draft day, and the news is all good and promising. I guess that's why it's fantasy football. An escape from real life.

By Darren Sabedra, Mercury News

On the day Tim Brown decided to leave the Raiders, he turned to Jerry Porter before the receivers huddled on a Napa practice field and said, "It's all yours, baby, go do it."

It was an emotional time for Porter.

While Brown's departure last month opened the door for the fifth-year player to finally become a No. 1 receiver, Porter also knew he was losing a mentor.

"It's kind of like he's releasing us into the wild," Porter now says. "It's time to go show what we learned."

Porter will get an opportunity when the Raiders open the season Sunday in Pittsburgh.

After a forgettable 2003 season, one in which he missed seven games because of injuries and was far from 100 percent when he played, Porter foresees a breakthrough year, one that would dwarf the numbers he produced when the Raiders reached the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

Porter is aiming for 2,000 receiving yards. That's more than a lofty goal -- it has never been done.

Never mind that he has yet to sniff 1,000 yards. Never mind that he has only 99 career receptions and that his 10 career touchdown catches are 89 fewer than the number Brown recorded in 16 seasons with the team.

Porter anticipates big things in Coach Norv Turner's stretch-the-field, simplified offense.

"I love to show that I've got more than one card in my deck," Porter said. "I can be a route runner or a deep threat or whatever."

Turner calls the versatile and athletic Porter a perfect fit.

"Based on what he's done in camp, I think he's going to have a big-time year," Turner said Wednesday. "The thing I like about him is he's doing all the little things. He's blocked extremely well. He's playing hard on every play."

Porter was more of a possession receiver, a la Brown, during exhibition games, finishing with seven catches for 100 yards, but he expects that to change now that the games count.

"I think because of the tapered-down game plans in the preseason, we don't want to tip our hand to everybody and show what we do," Porter said. "I think I'll get a chance to get up the field."

Last season, Porter didn't get a chance to do much of anything.

Injured during the 2002 regular-season finale when he landed awkwardly on a muddy Network Associates Coliseum field against Kansas City, Porter gutted it out through the Raiders' run to the Super Bowl, but the problem persisted during the off-season.

It didn't get better in training camp, despite efforts to lighten Porter's load.

"I really had some damage done," he said.

Porter played in the season opener at Tennessee but pulled himself out after making one catch for 6 yards. Five days later, he had surgery and didn't return until mid-October.

In his first game back, Porter caught four passes for 69 yards against Kansas City and finished the season with 28 receptions for 361 yards and one touchdown. The previous year, when he seemed on the path to stardom, he caught 51 passes for 688 yards and nine touchdowns.

After the Raiders' 4-12 season ended, Porter sought the advice of a Philadelphia specialist, whose client list included professional hockey and football players. The specialist handed Porter a questionnaire and told him that if he checked "yes" on five questions on any of the pages, he would recommend another procedure.

"I said `yes' to damn near 80 percent of them," Porter said.

Porter underwent surgery in late January to repair his lower-abdominal wall (the original diagnosis was a hernia) and spent the entire off-season rehabilitating.

"I was here every day," he said.

His body healed, it wasn't until Brown was released and signed with Tampa Bay that Porter's role came into focus.

"Jerry Porter is a talented guy, a guy that has played," Brown said. "The only question about him, in my mind, is can he play every down? He hasn't played the whole game as a starter before. So can he play the amount of plays that he's going to have to play?

"Physically and talent-wise, he's obviously as good as they come and can be one of the best in the league if he dedicates himself to the game."

Porter can start proving it Sunday.

Contact Darren Sabedra at dsabedra@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5815.