Portis article on ESPN "in"

[SmootSmack]

There are some who are whispering that RB Clinton Portis – a home-run back in a grind-it-out offense – is not a great fit in the Redskins' system, but it could be a matter of patience. Because the Redskins trap and pull more than the Broncos, Portis consistently has found himself on the heels of his blockers.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

I don't buy into the claim that Portis is not a good fit for the 'Skins offense because Portis is no faster than Canidate and our whole offense is in Chapter 1 of its history, the line will begin blocking better once it gets its timing down.

[Hogskin]

Originally Posted by smootsmack

There are some who are whispering that RB Clinton Portis – a home-run back in a grind-it-out offense – is not a great fit in the Redskins' system, but it could be a matter of patience. Because the Redskins trap and pull more than the Broncos, Portis consistently has found himself on the heels of his blockers.

Yes. In fact, if you go back and look at the games, the simple fact is that the holes have not been opening. When you see the G/T pulling and attempting to open a big hole on the other side of the line, there ends up just a mass of bodies where a hole should be. John Riggins could not have run through the stuff I am seeing there. Either these blocking schemes will start to work in the next couple games, or you will start to see new ones. It will depend on where the problem is - either the OL is not doing everything as they should, or the defenses have a strategy to beat it. I don't know enough to be able to see the answer, but I'm sure the coaches do. If these articles were correct, Joe Washington would have failed miserably here. He didn't.

[SkinsRock]

Ok, he may not be a....ahem...."good fit" for this offense the way it was with Riggins, Riggs, etc., but the thing these critics always seem to ignore is that Gibbs is the master of adjusting to maximize his players talents. It takes time, and it's just taking a little longer to come together because it's new for everyone. Yes, the holes just aren't there yet either, but they will be.
Gibbs hand-picked Portis to be his RB knowing that he wasn't a big power back, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he knows what he's doing.

[redwagonskins]

Thanks SMoot.

Off hand, does anyone know how much Timmy Smith weighed?
I know Riggo, Byner, Riggs were all big boys but I don't think all of the skins rb's were that big. The Hogs were the key and when this line gets healthy and learns each others tendencies, we'll see a more effective Portis.

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by redwagonskins

Thanks SMoot.

Off hand, does anyone know how much Timmy Smith weighed?
I know Riggo, Byner, Riggs were all big boys but I don't think all of the skins rb's were that big. The Hogs were the key and when this line gets healthy and learns each others tendencies, we'll see a more effective Portis.

Not sure about Timmy Smith, but Byner wasn't all that big -- he was 5'10" and around 220 -- pretty average.

[d151b]

Originally Posted by Hogskin

Yes. In fact, if you go back and look at the games, the simple fact is that the holes have not been opening. When you see the G/T pulling and attempting to open a big hole on the other side of the line, there ends up just a mass of bodies where a hole should be. John Riggins could not have run through the stuff I am seeing there. Either these blocking schemes will start to work in the next couple games, or you will start to see new ones. It will depend on where the problem is - either the OL is not doing everything as they should, or the defenses have a strategy to beat it. I don't know enough to be able to see the answer, but I'm sure the coaches do. If these articles were correct, Joe Washington would have failed miserably here. He didn't.

I do think we need more quick hitting plays than counters and traps and stuff like that. But having said that, Portis needs to be more patient on those trap plays to open up. Alot of the time I see him with his hand on the blockers back and not letting the play and blocks develop in front of him. Penetration has blown up some of our blocking schemes, especially in pulling.