Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[url]http://video1.washingtontimes.com/r...ason_david.html[/url]

CP pumped for '08 season [David Elfin]

I just caught up with Clinton Portis who was at Redskin Park for the first time since the 2007 season ended with coach Joe Gibbs' surprising retirement. Here are some of the highlights from the conversation with the ever-offbeat running back..

On Gibbs' retirement:

"It came as a shock to all of us. Obviously everyone in the locker room would've loved to have coach [Gibbs] back. I'm sure everybody around here learned something from coach Gibbs. Maybe we didn't do the things that he set out to accomplish, but at the same time, people became men and learned that from coach Gibbs and that will last a lifetime."

On new coach Jim Zorn:

"With Coach Zorn on board, I think it's going to be a more relaxed setting and things are going to open up. I think you're going to see a lot of players go wild this year. I mean, wild as [in] stats, not trouble. I think there will be more opportunity to open it up and spread it out, get Cooley in great position and Santana. We'll be exploiting matchups which we really didn't do a lot of [the past four seasons under Gibbs].

"He's a relaxed person. Coach Gibbs was a great coach, motivationally and everything else, but he tended to worry. Coach Zorn is just going to let it rip whether it work or not. If it don't work, he'll try it again."

On rumors that his pal, standout receiver Chad Johnson, wants to leave Cincinnati for Washington:

"I talk to Chad a lot. I might call Chad him just to tell him how relaxed we are here Hopeflly, he can get out of Cincinnati and come join us. You always want to play with a guy like Chad. He's a great guy, very talented. Trying to top his antics week-in and week-out, I'm sure that would bring a lot of excitement."

What this kind of offense could mean for him:

"[I'll be] the Tasmanian devil. If [Shaun Alexander] did great in this system, I'm sure I'll be all right. I just gotta get my wheels back. I'm training with the Olympic team right now [joking]. I'm gonna be flying with sprinter-type speed."

On having a clear offensive boss as opposed to Gibbs and former associate coach Al Saunders:

"This system will be more like a spread, Denver system, pretty much the same play-calling, the same strategies. One idea, one philosophy, everybody get on the same page. There won't be people pulling at each other about whatever the call is going to be."

On offseason preparations:
"I've got to [take the offseason more seriously]. I'm getting older [27 in September] and wiser. I'm trying to work on team unity. A lot of the guys are here [today]. I'm sure over that over the next week, everybody will be around. It's an early jump and we're having fun."

On the absence of late safety Sean Taylor, whose locker netx to that of Portis remains encased in plexiglas:

"Sean's not here. You can talk to him, but he won't respond. You come to work with a different attitude. You don't have a day to waste. You come in every day and make the most of it."

On the NFC East rival New York Giants winning the Suiper Bowl

"At first, I didn't want them to win, but then I found myself cheering for them. It just gives us all the hope in the world. We basically ran over the Giants, dominated both games [ in 2007]. For them to go and win [the Super Bowl], show us where we at. ... If we can come together and get on the same page like they did, that can be us this year."

Great stuff, glad to hear him pumped and talking about the offense really opening up..

On a side note, anyone else getting the sense with Gibbs crew out (especially Byner) that JLC isn't getting as much scoop as the WT these days?

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

Nice, thanks for posting. CP seems pretty pumped about the new system.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=Paintrain;432613]On a side note, anyone else getting the sense with Gibbs crew out (especially Byner) that JLC isn't getting as much scoop as the WT these days?[/QUOTE]

Or our man SS.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=FRPLG;432618]Or our man SS.[/QUOTE]

I'm interviewing for new sources. Not to pleased with my batting average this offseason.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

i love portis. this is hes such a great guy. He's been a top running back ever since he has stepped into the league and he shows no signs of stoppin for at leat 2-3 more years. I'm glad we have him instead of bailey cus IMO, portis is WAY more important.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=SmootSmack;432628]I'm interviewing for new sources. Not to pleased with my batting average this offseason.[/QUOTE]


haha, really? you think because gibbs and co. are gone we are gonna know less?

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[quote=Paintrain;432613][URL]http://video1.washingtontimes.com/r...ason_david.html[/URL]

CP pumped for '08 season [David Elfin]

I just caught up with Clinton Portis who was at Redskin Park for the first time since the 2007 season ended with coach Joe Gibbs' surprising retirement. Here are some of the highlights from the conversation with the ever-offbeat running back..

On Gibbs' retirement:

"It came as a shock to all of us. Obviously everyone in the locker room would've loved to have coach [Gibbs] back. I'm sure everybody around here learned something from coach Gibbs. Maybe we didn't do the things that he set out to accomplish, but at the same time, people became men and learned that from coach Gibbs and that will last a lifetime."

On new coach Jim Zorn:

"With Coach Zorn on board, I think it's going to be a more relaxed setting and things are going to open up. I think you're going to see a lot of players go wild this year. I mean, wild as [in] stats, not trouble. I think there will be more opportunity to open it up and spread it out, get Cooley in great position and Santana. We'll be exploiting matchups which we really didn't do a lot of [the past four seasons under Gibbs].

"He's a relaxed person. Coach Gibbs was a great coach, motivationally and everything else, but he tended to worry. Coach Zorn is just going to let it rip whether it work or not. If it don't work, he'll try it again."

On rumors that his pal, standout receiver Chad Johnson, wants to leave Cincinnati for Washington:

"I talk to Chad a lot. I might call Chad him just to tell him how relaxed we are here Hopeflly, he can get out of Cincinnati and come join us. You always want to play with a guy like Chad. He's a great guy, very talented. Trying to top his antics week-in and week-out, I'm sure that would bring a lot of excitement."

What this kind of offense could mean for him:

"[I'll be] the Tasmanian devil. If [Shaun Alexander] did great in this system, I'm sure I'll be all right. I just gotta get my wheels back. I'm training with the Olympic team right now [joking]. I'm gonna be flying with sprinter-type speed."

On having a clear offensive boss as opposed to Gibbs and former associate coach Al Saunders:

"This system will be more like a spread, Denver system, pretty much the same play-calling, the same strategies. One idea, one philosophy, everybody get on the same page. There won't be people pulling at each other about whatever the call is going to be."

On offseason preparations:
"I've got to [take the offseason more seriously]. I'm getting older [27 in September] and wiser. I'm trying to work on team unity. A lot of the guys are here [today]. I'm sure over that over the next week, everybody will be around. It's an early jump and we're having fun."

On the absence of late safety Sean Taylor, whose locker netx to that of Portis remains encased in plexiglas:

"Sean's not here. You can talk to him, but he won't respond. You come to work with a different attitude. You don't have a day to waste. You come in every day and make the most of it."

On the NFC East rival New York Giants winning the Suiper Bowl

"At first, I didn't want them to win, but then I found myself cheering for them. It just gives us all the hope in the world. We basically ran over the Giants, dominated both games [ in 2007]. For them to go and win [the Super Bowl], show us where we at. ... If we can come together and get on the same page like they did, that can be us this year."

Great stuff, glad to hear him pumped and talking about the offense really opening up..

On a side note, anyone else getting the sense with Gibbs crew out (especially Byner) that JLC isn't getting as much scoop as the WT these days?[/quote]

I'm getting the feeling that we're not going to be running the jumbo packages anymore. And the more I hear about Zorn the more I'm starting to like this guy.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=Dirtyskin21;432635]haha, really? you think because gibbs and co. are gone we are gonna know less?[/QUOTE]

Well I lost one of my sources, but that was just as well anyway.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

I see someone is vouching for CJ to be on the team

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

<<"This system will be more like a spread, Denver system, pretty much the same play-calling, the same strategies. One idea, one philosophy, everybody get on the same page. There won't be people pulling at each other about whatever the call is going to be.">>

Oh HAIL YES!!! Me likey Zorn already. (I knew Crazy Al was a mistake...)

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

Al is old school and I think his system will work if you give it 5 years or so but nowadays teams dont have 5 years. We wanna win NOW!!.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

Just show me the money on this one...

- I'm not saying that I don't believe that Portis is gonna have a great year (cuz I think he will), but its still dependent on the play of the O-line and JC. Are they healthy? Are they gonna be good in this system? Will there be a learning period? Yet to be determined...but I would still tend to be reserved with my predictions of success.

- Saunders/Gibbs running game not "working" the second time around was a product of the circumstances around the team. When we had success, we had a lot of it. This was b/c the O-line was healthy and we had some leadership/consistency with our QB situation. When we were mediocre we were so b/c of injuries to the O-line and, not to mention, CP himself as well as some very suspect play at QB.

But at the very least I have some hope that we are gonna deliver on this hype. Cautious optimism as is the mantra every offseason.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[quote=Stuck in TX;432687]Al is old school and I think his system will work if you give it 5 years or so but nowadays teams dont have 5 years. We wanna win NOW!!.[/quote]

Actually Joe is old school, not Al. If you ever watched any of the Chiefs or Rams games several years ago, you'd see 4-5 guys getting out in patterns all the time. This was the major difference between Joe and Al. Joe stressed protection over guys getting out in the patterns.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

Anyone know how fast Clinton Portis clocks the 40 now?

In 2006 it was a 4.26 .. since then he's lost weight.. i'd be interested to find out how fast he can do it now..

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

that dude CP is

THE REAL DEAL Franchise runningback. You can't ask for anything more. I would put portis up against LT anyday.. JMO

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

Portis is the one guy who's really, really going to benefit from the system change. I'd take him in all fantasy formats this year.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

^ i'm glad he's excited and sees it more like denver, because hopefully that means he will run just like he did in denver, or better. I think this is going to either be portis's best year as a redskin, or his best at both. I see him MURDERING the field this year.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=CPAlltheWay012;432767]Anyone know how fast Clinton Portis clocks the 40 now?

In 2006 it was a 4.26 .. since then he's lost weight.. i'd be interested to find out how fast he can do it now..[/QUOTE]

All together now...

"Nobody gets faster as they get older."

Every time you get tackled, your body absorbs punishment. I would guess that in many measurables, CP is better than he was at the combine. Speed isn't one of them.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[quote=CPAlltheWay012;432767]Anyone know how fast Clinton Portis clocks the 40 now?

In 2006 it was a 4.26 .. since then he's lost weight.. i'd be interested to find out how fast he can do it now..[/quote]

What's your source on that? I find it hard to believe he ran that fast ever, and very hard to believe that he ran that time in 06.

He certainly doesn't look faster, even on the few times he got deep in the secondary he looked like he lacks the breakaway speed he had in his first few years.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

One of the big reasons that the 40 yard dash is overrated is that speed is the first thing to go...usually by 26 a guy has put at least a tenth of a second or two on his 40, and that's the age at which said player is just becoming competent at his position.

So while these guys all time well at the combine, by the time they actually become starters at their position, won't be running faster than any of the guys they outtimed.

Thus, teams like the Raiders, who value speed above all else, don't win, because their players can't run faster than the other team's players.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

Good stuff, but the part about he and CJ trying to top each others' antics is a scary thought...would be fun though!

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=GTripp0012;433134]One of the big reasons that the 40 yard dash is overrated is that speed is the first thing to go...usually by 26 a guy has put at least a tenth of a second or two on his 40, and that's the age at which said player is just becoming competent at his position.

So while these guys all time well at the combine, by the time they actually become starters at their position, won't be running faster than any of the guys they outtimed.

Thus, teams like the Raiders, who value speed above all else, don't win, because their players can't run faster than the other team's players.[/QUOTE]

Well, true and not. EVERYBODY slows down. So the slow guys at the combine are still going to be the slow guys a couple years later. True, while the fastest guys will [I]probably[/I] suffer the biggest drop off, the slower guys speed will still erode.

I agree that straight line 40 times are vastly overrated (Donte Stallworth anyone?). When Terrell Sugg's draft ranking dropped based on his 40 time, his comment was "How many yard is it from the DE to the QB - probably less than 40" (I am paraphrasing).

With all that said, however, you can't teach speed. In the pro game, speed is an advantage and slow players aren't going to get faster as they get older.
Some players, as they adapt to the game may "play faster" as they learn to play intuitively rather than have to think about what's going on. The really good players, however, have both the natural ability of speed and the learned ability to play intuitively. Slower players can only make up so much ground by "playing fast".

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[quote=JoeRedskin;433142]Well, true and not. EVERYBODY slows down. So the slow guys at the combine are still going to be the slow guys a couple years later. True, while the fastest guys will [I]probably[/I] suffer the biggest drop off, the slower guys speed will still erode.

I agree that straight line 40 times are vastly overrated (Donte Stallworth anyone?). When Terrell Sugg's draft ranking dropped based on his 40 time, his comment was "How many yard is it from the DE to the QB - probably less than 40" (I am paraphrasing).

With all that said, however, you can't teach speed. In the pro game, speed is an advantage and slow players aren't going to get faster as they get older.
Some players, as they adapt to the game may "play faster" as they learn to play intuitively rather than have to think about what's going on. The really good players, however, have both the natural ability of speed and the learned ability to play intuitively. Slower players can only make up so much ground by "playing fast".[/quote]

well put. My guess is that GT was trying to say some of the same things; that the 40 time can be misleading. I think it makes the most sense for wr's, since they actually run some st. line routes.

Speed has definitely changed the game, especially on defenses. Coaches are more willing to blitz because there are so many fast players at LB & DB. The concept of "team speed" seemed to come into vogue in the 90s. Hate to say it, but Jimmy Johnson & the cowpokes epitomized it, as his teams were a lot like his U teams that were built around speed.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[quote=GTripp0012;432796]Portis is the one guy who's really, really going to benefit from the system change. I'd take him in all fantasy formats this year.[/quote]

Yeah I agree.

A more wide open offense will definitely benefit CP.

Even though he did an admirable job at filling the role of being more of a power back in Gibbs' offense, what he did in Denver fits his skill set better.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=BrudLee;433129]All together now...

"Nobody gets faster as they get older."

Every time you get tackled, your body absorbs punishment. I would guess that in many measurables, CP is better than he was at the combine. Speed isn't one of them.[/QUOTE]


Tell Darrell Green that..

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=freddyg12;433130]What's your source on that? I find it hard to believe he ran that fast ever, and very hard to believe that he ran that time in 06.

He certainly doesn't look faster, even on the few times he got deep in the secondary he looked like he lacks the breakaway speed he had in his first few years.[/QUOTE]

Portis, Clinton
Pre-draft measureables
Wt 40y 20ss 3-cone Vert BP Wonderlic
204 lb[1] 4.28[2] X X X 20 *[3]

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

[QUOTE=freddyg12;433130]What's your source on that? I find it hard to believe he ran that fast ever, and very hard to believe that he ran that time in 06.

He certainly doesn't look faster, even on the few times he got deep in the secondary he looked like he lacks the breakaway speed he had in his first few years.[/QUOTE]

He ran a 4.26 in the 2006 training camp...
[url=http://www.clintonportis.info/bio.html]Clinton Portis Fan Site - Biography[/url]

there's one link, but there are a bunch of others on google

My point is, however, that he hasn't aged that much (he's still 26 years old guys), he only had about 3 legit break away opportunities this year.. 1 was in the first Giants game, another in the Jets game (bad angle on player), and a third was in the 2nd Giants game where he was slung down by his facemask..

I honestly believe that this year, if Portis stays healthy and our O-line is consistant, we'll get the most production from him ever.. Shaun Alexander went 1800+ and had the touchdown record.. Portis has always been faster and stronger than Alexander and could put up similar numbers.

Re: Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog
 

LETS GOOOO CP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2,000 yards this season