Can Clinton Carry the Load?

[MTK]

Originally Posted by BDBohnzie

Here is the breakdown of carries per game:

Win vs. Miami - Portis: 17, Betts: 17
Win vs. Philly - Portis: 17, Betts: 6
Loss vs. Giants - Portis: 14, Betts: 7
Win vs. Detroit - Portis: 18, Betts: 8
Loss vs. Green Bay - Portis: 20, Betts: 3
Win vs. Arizona - Portis: 18, Betts: 3
Loss vs. New England - Portis: 11, Betts: 3
Win vs. Jets - Portis: 36, Betts: 9

From the looks of things, this hasn't been a two-back tandem. Aside from Game 1, Portis has been asked to carry the load, and yesterday was the first time he got more than 21 carries. And aside from Game 1, Betts hasn't seen the ball more than 9 times in a game.

Was it a case of a lighter load because of his preseason? Who knows. Can Portis carry the load? Of course. However, the team needs to be committed to letting him carry the ball. For the offense to be successful, Portis needs to get the ball 25+ times, and Campbell needs to be around 60% on pass completion. Betts needs to be a 1-2 play breather, and 4th quarter mop up duty from here on out.

Yeah it's been clear for a while now that this isn't a 2 back tandem.

Most importantly we need to run plays that CP likes and what he runs well. He's never liked the outside zone blocking stuff. Yesterday we ran it inside a lot more and the results speak for themselves. Give him a hole and let him go.