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Originally Posted by Ramseyfan
I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. With the exception of LT, I'd take Portis over any back in the league. Portis is young, a great blocker, a great receiver, a great teammate, and most of all, a great runner. Just about every other back is missing something that Portis has.
Larry Johnson is a close one, but his receiving and pass-blocking skills are sub-par. Johnson looks like a great runner, but I can't say he's better than Portis. Plus, Johnson is running behind the best offensive line in the league.
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I agree. I don't think I've seen anyone play harder than Portis (execpt Butkis or LT and even then the only evidence I have of that is highlights). Everything can't be measured in yards. Remember in 2004 LT had a 3.9 ypc average and everyone (including myself) still thought he was the man. So just b/c Portis didn't average 4.5 ypc doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be talked about as an elite runner (Top 5).
Another thing, I don't think people realized the fact that Clinton had to get used to having 20 extra pounds on his frame. Remember hes been playing since his days at Miami at about 190. The fact that he wasn't a dumb ass and said something like 'Oh man, I don't need to change my style. This is how I run and its worked then so why won't it work now?' Instead Gibbs and him met halfway. As a matter of fact it looked for a while like they were going to pass each other. Gibbs added more speed based plays and Portis tried to become a power runner. Just the fact that Portis was willing to sacrafice his style for the good of the team attest to what a great teammate he is.