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Originally Posted by Longtimefan
Jim Brown told Paul Brown & Blanton Collier, you pay me to run, not block. I never saw Jim Brown throw a block and I watched his entire career from 1956 to 1965. While Portis is a good and serviceable running back who will block and do all the little things it takes to win games, I'm still not convinced he's a good back to run against NFC East teams. It's not always easy to run outside all the time as some has suggested, and in close games when you're trying to protect a one possession lead it becomes neccessary to run the ball inside which is not Clinton's strongest suite. I do however like the one-two combination of he and Betts providing the latter can stay healthy long enough to continue making significant contributions.
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The other problem with Betts is his tendency to fumble the ball.
I agree about the blocking. Every player on the team at some point has to throw a block, that's a part of the game that cannot be avoided. So while it's good that Portis has proven to be a effective blocker, that's supposed to be a bonus, not his reason for being in a Washington uniform. Same goes for wide receivers. Yes you want them to block effectively. But that's secondary to their overall purpose on the team.
A back of Portis supposed talent was to get big time yardage. He hasn't done that. I've lost faith in the "they're not calling the right running plays" argument. At one time, I thought that could have been a factor, but come on. He didn't avoid the middle in Denver. They weren't all toss sweeps that Shanahan was calling. Another part of it is that this offensive line, while improving steadily, isn't quite at a powerhouse, Top Five level quite yet.