[Hogskin]

Matty,

Again, I have no concrete way to disagree with what you are saying, but here is why I see it the way I do:

Going back to the Riggins years when the counter-trey came into vogue, he consistently ran for 3-6 yard gains with that offense. Very few were broken for long gains. His effectiveness was by far the greatest in the 4th Q, when he and the Hogs had worn down the DL. This offense takes a couple seconds to develop and gives the backfield time to react. Riggins had few breaks for "long" runs. Usually, that was due to something unusual. Example was the famous SB 17 run that I replay every year just before the SB starts - the hole did not develop behind the FB, so he bounced it outside. It was the only real long run of the game. for him.

Portis, on the other hand, has made his living on long, breakaway runs with his shiftiness and speed (ala Barry Sanders), not by grinding it out. We have seen his fumbling as a grind-it-out runner. He will not plow through a line, but if he is given a good hole in the line, or gets a pass beyond the line, look out. I still think some pitchouts, screens, passes into the flat will start to appear in our offense with great success.