Portis v. Betts: The Grass is Always Greener

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by dgack

Where did I ever say we should dump Portis? I'm not saying that at all. What I'm saying is I wish guys would stop with the denial on CP. He is NOT fine. He is NOT just being victimized by a bad O-Line. He is NEVER going to be the back he was when we acquired him, again, in my opinion.

You guys talk about the '05 season like it validates everything but you completely gloss over the fact that he broke records through quantity of touches, attempting to Curtis Martin himself through the record books. Well, guess what? The man is simply not built for the kind of running he's doing here.

I don't really care if it's the system, the O-Line, the playcalling, or his own biology. I'm not making that argument. Fact is, he's never approached the level of play here that he had in Denver, and he's fading fast.

If one of you guys wants to tell me how he's going to return to the days of 5.5 rushing averages, 15 TD seasons, and huge, back-breaking runs of 50-60 yards on opponents, I'm all ears. But I don't see it happening here, regardless of who's fault that is.

I made this argument preseason. Then I backed down a bit after the Miami game.

I think a lot of backs could have been effective behind Samuels, Kendall, Rabach, Thomas, and Jansen. Now, we don't have Thomas and Jansen, and it's really starting to hurt.

I really feel now though that I had the "Portis Prospectus" nailed in the preseason. Unfortunately, I don't feel good about it. It's a sinking feeling knowing now that the guy's best days are behind him.

He's not an elite back anymore. He was for his first 4 years in the league, but now he's a shadow of his former self. He's still a crafty vet who can run 15 times a game for a team who emphasizes the pass game (like we can with better protection), but he's not going to carry a team on his legs anymore. He just can't, physically.

It's very clear that playing to our strengths is throwing the football, in a max protect kind of way, often using play action. Campbell is going to be forced to hit tight windows, but its something that he's good at.