Portis is good

[Riggo44]

I can't wait for Portis to break of his frist 60+ yrd run. So long Bailey!

[Scott]

I too am excited at the prospect of Portis, but does anybody have a number as far as average carries per game on this guy? I suspect Gibbs will be banging him 20-25 carries a game, is he durable?

[SmootSmack]

Portis had 290 carries in 13 games last year, a little over 22 per game. Plus he averaged 3 catches a game

[joecrisp]

Originally Posted by Scott

I too am excited at the prospect of Portis, but does anybody have a number as far as average carries per game on this guy? I suspect Gibbs will be banging him 20-25 carries a game, is he durable?

With 29 games played, Portis has 563 carries for 3099 yards, which comes out to an average of 19.4 carries per game, for an average of 5.5 yards per carry.

Keep in mind, however, that of those 29 games, Portis has started only 25 of them. The games he did not start were in the first four games of his rookie year, where he carried the ball 5, 4, 18 and 8 times, respectively. Toss out those games, and his average goes up to a slightly more rugged 21.1 carries per game.

Doesn't sound like much, you say? Well, surprisingly, despite the reputation of Gibbs runningbacks as 25-plus carries per game types, Portis' career average is actually significantly higher than those of most of Gibbs' primary ballcarriers.

• Earnest Byner averaged only 17.35 carries per game in his three years as the primary ballcarrier ('90-'92).
• Gerald Riggs averaged only 16.75 carries per game in his approximately 12 games ('89) as the primary back.
• George Rogers averaged only 17.8 carries per game in his two 1,000 yard seasons ('85 and '86).
• Only the venerable old "Diesel", John Riggins, averaged more than 20 carries per game as the primary back (excluding the '81 season, where he and Joe Washington essentially split carries), averaging 23.75 carries per game.

One interesting thing to note about Portis' astounding rushing averages is that his average yards per carry actually goes up substantially when his team is ahead, to a devastating 6.0 yards per carry. That number was probably a big factor in Gibbs & Co's love affair with the young star.

[CrazyCanuck]

Great info JoeCrisp. Thanks.

[Scott]

I knew I could rely on you guys to put my mind at ease, thanks for the great feedback

[skinsfanthru&thru]

awesome job finding all of that info. do you know if its possible to see what situations the team was in when he has had his fumbles the past 2 years? I only ask cuz I'd hate to see another Stephen Davis situation where he fumbles within 5 yards of the goalline(like he did in that last drive against us this year) or near the end of a game trying to wear the clock out (like in the cowboy game a couple years ago which was one of the worst game to watch in my life.)

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

I thought for a long time that Davis fumbled a lot, but actually he has a very low carry-fumble ratio.....one of the lowest in the league. Surprising huh? I guess it's just because he gets so many touches.

[SmootSmack]

I think the more agonizing aspect of Davis' fumbles was the timing of his fumbles. Diving over the goal line against Arizona, while running out the clock against the Cowboys, among other heartbreakers

[JWsleep]

Another great post, Crisp.

And it's not impossible that Betts will have a nice year spelling Portis. Plus we have Rock and Morton, so we can take the heat off Portis at times. And he's oh so young.

Also, having break-away big-play speed keeps defenses worried. On any given play, Portis can take it to the house. I'd love to see us run some screens and dumpoffs for him in the passing game as well. Get him in the open field!

With Gibbs, Bugel and Zampesi crafting the plays, this should be a fun year, once everything gets clicking.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Ramseyfan

I thought for a long time that Davis fumbled a lot, but actually he has a very low carry-fumble ratio.....one of the lowest in the league. Surprising huh? I guess it's just because he gets so many touches.

The fact we are Skins fans and we diagnose every single play, every bad play sticks out like a sore thumb and gets seared into everyone's memories.

There are plenty of backs that fumble a lot more than Davis, and it did seem that Davis would cough it up at the worst time (but is there ever a good time for a fumble?).

[johnnyredskin63]

i look for CP to have a long career as a redskin,but it scares the shit out of me that we are 1 hit away from disaster at the rb position.i would feel better if we had a more experienced backup than betts or cartright.