Basically, it all starts with Portis

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by jrocx69

if we start betts i bet he gets more 100 yard games with this team than portis.

Betts is a change of pace back. Nothing more. He's a poor mans Steven Davis. And by that I mean he has a similar running style, but Davis could hold onto the ball a lot better, and he could actually run people over. Whenever someone takes Betts head on, it looks like they're tackling a pillow. He actually got tackled one time Sunday by his friggin shirt-tail. It irritates me when people try to claim that he's a "power back". If he was a starter in the NFL, his career would be very similar to Troy Hambrick's.

Not to say that he doesn't have success in his current role, but that's because he's such a different runner than Portis. Teams gameplan for Portis, and when Betts comes in, he's able to take advantage because he runs completely different. But to claim that Betts is a better back than Portis, in any offense, is ridiculous.

[jdlea]

If Ladell Betts carried the load the Skins could easily be the Miami Dolphins from last season. Betts comes in and has maybe 2 good runs a game and you think he should start? He had that one game against the Vikes though. Okay, so that effectively makes him Ki Jana Carter. Betts can't carry the load. And there's no real point in arguing about it because he never will. Unless Portis goes down.

As for everyone being overrated on Washington...I wish we would cut them then. So all of you could see how a great a team full of Lemar Marshalls is.

[skindogger47]

Regardless, Clinton Portis definately doesn't have very good balance. At least Betts keeps his feet moving and can get the extra few yards after contact. It seems to me like Clinton hasn't been the same back since the Meadowlands game last year when he fumbled. Now he seems to just not want to turn it over and grind out the yards, which sucks. He is a bad ass blocker though, though you wouldn't know it watching Sunday's game. Betts sucks at blocking and is a pretty bad receiver as well. He is a better between the tackles runner, though, which seems to be the only way Gibbs will run it.

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by skindogger47

Regardless, Clinton Portis definately doesn't have very good balance. At least Betts keeps his feet moving and can get the extra few yards after contact.

Are we talking about Ladell Betts? The Ladell Betts that I watch on Sundays has good vision, but he is definitely not the hard runner everyone claims he is. Stephen Davis, LaDanian Tomlinson, Ricky Willaims, Steven Jackson, they are hard runners. Backs that can run guys over, drag defenders with them, and move piles. Anyone that is dragged down from behind, by a safety with one hand on his shirt-tail is automatically disqualified. I swear, if Betts ever had a decent amount of carries at Soldier Field in November or December, the wind would tackle him more times than the Bears would.