ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Tracy Porter wants to play. At this point, though, the Denver Broncos cornerback knows it's his health, not his opinion, that counts.
Porter missed practice Friday and still was waiting to hear if doctors would clear him to play Sunday against his former team, the New Orleans Saints, after he experienced symptoms similar to those he felt before having a seizure earlier this year.
Porter wasn't allowed to fly to Denver's last game, at San Diego on Oct. 15, after he began experiencing light-headedness and a racing heart -- similar to the symptoms he felt before his seizure in August.
"I want to play," Porter said in the locker room after practice Friday. "I've been out long enough with this. But the coaches, the training staff and the doctors are going to make a decision that's best for me. If they say I can't play, I've got to deal with it and look forward to playing next week. But if they say I can play, I'll be ready to play."
"It's nothing to mess around with, but I'm not going to deny him the right to play if he's healthy enough to play," Fox said.
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Tony Carter and Chris Harris are the backups, and both were listed as such on lineup cards printed by the team for Sunday's game.
This would be Porter's first game against his ex-teammates. He said the medical issues have not hindered him physically, even though he has not been cleared to practice.
"I've been preparing all week as if I'm playing -- watching film, studying these guys," Porter said. "The only thing is, I wasn't physically out there at practice. Mentally, I'm ready to play, but if they say I'm not ready, then I'll just have to wait."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
