Yahoo Column:

[Daseal]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_yl...nnsi&type=lgns

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3. Who has the most ill-advised offensive strategy in the season's first six weeks?

In his first six games as a Redskin, running back Clinton Portis has been unwisely run ragged. The 5-foot-11, 207-pound Portis really isn't built for this kind of pounding, and chances are good that Washington (2-4) will pay for his heavy workload at some point this season. With 36 carries for 171 yards in the Redskins' 13-10 win at Chicago on Sunday, Portis already has an NFL-high 153 carries, 21 more than the next busiest rusher, the Jets' Curtis Martin. That's roughly an extra game's worth of work.

At this rate, Portis will finish the season (if he can) with a whopping 408 rushes, after never having more than 290 in his two 1,500-yard seasons in Denver. Yes, Portis leads the NFC with 593 yards rushing, but his average carry of 3.9 yards is lower than all but two of the conference's top 10 ground gainers (the Falcons' Warrick Dunn at 3.9, and the 49ers' Kevan Barlow at 3.7). Throw in his 16 receptions, and Portis has had the ball in his hands an average of 28.1 times per game, a pace that would translate to 450 touches this season.

Who does Washington think he is, Larry Brown?

News flash: With smaller running backs, less is usually more. The Giants' Tiki Barber has just 16 fewer yards than Portis, but his 577 yards have come on 57 fewer carries, giving him a 6.0-yard average run. The Jets' Martin leads the NFL with 613 yards on those 132 attempts, with a 4.6 average and six touchdowns.

Portis has just two 100-yard rushing games so far, and both came in the Redskins' wins. He ran for 148 yards on 29 attempts (5.1) on opening day against Tampa Bay, and then turned in his workhorse performance at Chicago (4.8). In Washington's four losses, he has notched mediocre average rushes of 3.5 on 20 attempts, 4.1 on 23, 2.9 on 20, and 2.1 on 25.

The numbers seem to say the Redskins have to over-use him to have a chance to win, but that's a short-sighted mentality considering Washington isn't going to the playoffs under any scenario in 2004. The Redskins gave up a ton to get Portis, even though he's not a great fit for the power-running game favored by head coach Joe Gibbs. They should resist the urge to overburden him at all costs.

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