Portis vs. Betts

Why would you stick to this? I think Portis had two freakish injuries.

Not much you can do about a broken hand, but his shoulder injuries go back quite a way with him. I believe he's had surgeries to both shoulders now.

Portis will be out at week 5 and Betts will run us right to the playoffs.

If Portis does go down, it's going to be tough for Betts to "run them into the playoffs" without the ability to get into the endzone. Yards are nice, but one touchdown per every 2+ starts isn't all that impressive.

And with the emphasis that Gibbs and company put on not turning the ball over, I'm surprised that Betts is still valued so highly, considering the multiple game changing fumbles he had towards the end of last season.

The good news with Betts is the coaches have been working with him during this offseason regarding holding on to the ball, so at least they know it's an issue and are trying to correct it.

The fact that we can have this debate is a big positive for the Skins.

I think the key to having Portis lead our team in rushing is to rush Betts more often. If Portis gets 30+ touches a game I am pretty sure he will go down half way through the season, but if you keep Portis around 15-20 carries and Betts at about 5-10 I think that is a good formula for a successful and injury free season.

Thoughts?

Seems strange to predict injuries... but hey whatever gets you through the offseason I guess.

I think CP will come back strong this year. I think he'll be determined to get back on track, and Saunders will ease his workload by giving Betts more work.
Matty.... Look, I hope your right about CP... my gut just tells me all of his work is starting to catch up with him. He has taken alot of abuse during his career.

I happen to think that they will be pretty close to equally effective with the carries they are given, but there is little doubt in my mind that Portis will see at least 100 more carries this year than Betts. That makes the choice an easy one.

Matty.... Look, I hope your right about CP... my gut just tells me all of his work is starting to catch up with him. He has taken alot of abuse during his career.

You're forgetting that Portis will play half dead if he has to. If he is at 50%, his heart gets him the rest of the way. Portis is all football.

If Portis does go down, it's going to be tough for Betts to "run them into the playoffs" without the ability to get into the endzone. Yards are nice, but one touchdown per every 2+ starts isn't all that impressive.

And with the emphasis that Gibbs and company put on not turning the ball over, I'm surprised that Betts is still valued so highly, considering the multiple game changing fumbles he had towards the end of last season.Yeah, but the goal of the game is to score points, not necessary do so by way of Ladell Betts. Even though Betts is not a goalline runner, he is hardly a top reason to blame for lack of power running last year. Blame the coaches for the poor personel packages, or the blockers up front for a crappy job, but there aint too many running backs who are going to make a successful play when hit 2 yards in the backfield.

We can have a very successful offense without raising Betts' rushing totals.

Yeah, but the goal of the game is to score points, not necessary do so by way of Ladell Betts. Even though Betts is not a goalline runner, he is hardly a top reason to blame for lack of power running last year. Blame the coaches for the poor personel packages, or the blockers up front for a crappy job, but there aint too many running backs who are going to make a successful play when hit 2 yards in the backfield.

We can have a very successful offense without raising Betts' rushing totals.

I agree, on short yardage situations it never seemed like our line got the push or the blocking needed. There was obviously some confusion and conflict between Gibbs and Saunders philosophy.