Portis/Riggins comparison

skinsnut

It is really hard to compare these 2 backs since they are so different.

The weaknesses of Portis were the strength of Riggo.

Riggo was basically a Mike Sellers type back with running back skills.
He ran up the gut and always gained yardage, even when the defense knew exactly where the play was going with 9 in the box.
This is an unheard of ability in today's NFL.
Many times he would run 8-9 plays in a row....and he NEVER came out ....EVER.
Back then the skins tried to run him 30+ times a game, and he'd only get started after having 20+ carries.

Now, the max carries are about 20-25/game for a single back, and they need rest, as Portis does.

I frankly, could not believe that Portis was not in the game the next to last drive last week, it was shocking to me with the game on the line.
Riggo would have been there, beating the crap out of the opposition in that situation and drooling for more. Riggo was essentially RB with a MLB mentality, he LOVED to hit someone....HARD....Now, Riggo didn't catch much, and he didn't run sweeps or catch screens, he didn't have too because he'd always drag the first guy another 2-3 yards after contact. Riggo was the Dominating force for our back to back superbowls, everyone keyed on him. It was not playcalling that won those games as much as it was Riggo getting a guaranteed 3 every time...(of course play action-deep works great in those situations)

Riggo would not work as well with zone blocking as he thrived on bunch blocking with heavy contact, open spaces favor shifty backs that juke and hesitate.
Riggo did not juke nor hesistate,....ever.
I bet he took fewer losses than any RB in history.

Now Portis on the other hand is the exact opposite, more of a barry sanders type that requires a hole to run through. His weakness is short yardage on the goal line, the opposite of Riggo. He shored up his "between the tackles" running quite a bit a few years back and is actually very good at that now....The only thing he lacks vs Riggo is the ability to drag multiple defenders, get a guaranteed 2 yards up the gut when needed, and avoidance of negative runs. However, Portis can catch and even line up as a WR occasionally....and his pass blocking is phenominal....yes Riggo pass blocked well too, but I dont think he was nimble enough to handle pass rushing DEs like Portis can.
Riggo essentially helped in the interior.

So, who is better?
Well, Riggo of course, he has a ring and dragged the Skins to 2 back to back Superbowls.

Who is a more balanced all round back?
Portis.

Will Portis ever reach the level of Riggo in all time Redskins lore?
Hard to say...even if he duplicates what Riggo's teams did,....Riggo did it first and is a HERO for winning the Redskins first Superbowl in a stretch of glory.
Until Portis wins a Superbowl and becomes a household name like the Diesel, you'd have to say Riggo is still in the drivers seat.

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SouperMeister

Riggins was actually very fast for a 250 lb back. He was a state champion in the 100 yard dash in high school. Once he got a head of steam, he could pull away from many DBs that he outweighed by 50 lbs. Just look at the TD run against Miami in Super Bowl XVII or the 60 yard TD at Dallas in the last game of the '79 season. I find this comparison very interesting, because both Portis and Riggo give the best of both worlds. I would designate Riggins as a power-back with deceptive speed and Portis as a speed back with deceptive power. Can't go wrong with either guy - both True Redskins as Joe Gibbs used to say.

Redskins_P

I completely agree. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Mattyk

That's a great way to put it.

When you see old clips of Riggo, I'm always shocked at how he could run away from the D in the open field. The guy was definitely very fast for a man his size. Stephen Davis was the same kind of back when he was in his prime, but Riggo had more power.

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LandrySlice

This is one of the best threads I have ever read on this site! Way too hard for me to compare, but at the end of the day, Super Bowl rings is what we all want to see, and Riggo has one. I am not saying that CP can't get the job done, and I am loving him more and more each season, but I am rolling with Riggo for now. Plus I ran into CP at PF Changs this winter, and he was drinking Pina Coladas! I don't think you will find the diesal ever sipping on one of those!

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NYCskinfan82

good question great debate the rings have it.

Slingin Sammy 33

Very good thread. Great points made. Have to go with rings and HoF. When Portis does either then the discussion gets more interesting. Until then Riggo.

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LandrySlice

Amen Brotha, I think if Portis stays healthy and this team has more continuity over time it could become a tie if the z man leads them to the promise land!

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53Fan

I think Portis is a great back and getting better all around. But with Riggo, if you needed 2 or 3 yards for a 1rst down and you gave him the ball, you could bank on it. The guy never got stuffed, never was brought down by one guy, and always fell forward for extra yardage. On the other hand Riggo did'nt catch many passes and I don't remember him ever decleating a defender the way Clinton does either. What they do have in common, is they are both a little nuts and fun as hell to watch.

That Guy

that'd be me... yeah, i'm that guy.

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CRedskinsRule

Of course the defenders weren't 300lbs either.

HipHipHooray

And it isn't that Portis was faster when he played in Denver, he is running just as fast now... but the teams Denver played were just slower so it looked like Portis was going faster.

53Fan

Neither were the offensive linemen. And I'm pretty sure if Riggins were in his 20's, he could still do it today.