Who will back up Clinton Portis?

[joecrisp]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Good post, Joe.

I agree, Offiss. I think we need a homerun threat at Running Back. We need a guy that can change the game in an instant which is something Portis can do. I wouldn't be suprised to see Gibbs have a lot of changes in his offense, he's probably been thinking about a lot of things he'd like to try while in Nascar. You can always quit coaching, but you can't ever stop thinking about it. So I hear!

The idea of Gibbs having an all-around home run threat like Portis really is pretty tantalizing. The fact that it's reality just gives me goosebumps...

I agree that Gibbs has probably been cooking up some pretty nifty little wrinkles in his time off, dreaming up sadistic new ways to torture defensive coordinators. That daydream tinkering has most certainly shifted into full-throttle brainstorming since Gibbs returned as coach and began assembling the talent that will constitute his new racing machine.

While the basic, tried-and-true components of his one-back offense will most certainly be evident, I expect that we will see an evolved, more developed manifestation of the beast that wreaked terror on opponents in the '80s and early '90s. Gibbs has sat back and watched the league's offensive wunderkinds devise explosive, 21st century versions of his offense, taking note of what has worked and what hasn't, and how he would improve upon their revisions of his master work.

The strongest catalyst for change, however, will be the skillsets of the various new weapons he has at his disposal. When you have an F-22, for example, you don't waste a whole lot of flight hours in the old F-4. That analogy applies to both the offensive gameplan and the personnel. Gibbs will shape his strategy and tactics to maximize the talents of his QBs, RBs, WRs, TEs and blockers.

In the case of Clinton Portis, Gibbs will find a way to distribute his touches-- on the ground and in the air-- over the course of each game, and the season as a whole, so as to optimize the damage Portis inflicts on defenses, while keeping his body in peak operating condition. I suspect that will translate to a workload similar to what George Rogers got in the '86 season, where Portis will get close to 300 carries, while the other backs combine for the remaining 200 or so carries. In that scenario, Portis would total around 1650 rushing yards, with 15-16 TDs, assuming that he maintains his career average of 5.5 yards per carry and .052 TDs per carry.

[JWsleep]

Great stuff, Crisp.

Still, we're going to have to spell Portis after his 60-yard gains!

One factor that will be important for a backup is can the RB BLOCK? An RB who can't pass protect isn't going to make it in Gibbs system. That may help separate out the RBs. I still hope Betts emerges and stays healthy. Can Rock Block?

[Daseal]

Portis can block!

[joecrisp]

Originally Posted by JWsleep

Great stuff, Crisp.

Still, we're going to have to spell Portis after his 60-yard gains!

One factor that will be important for a backup is can the RB BLOCK? An RB who can't pass protect isn't going to make it in Gibbs system. That may help separate out the RBs. I still hope Betts emerges and stays healthy. Can Rock Block?

As Daseal said, Portis CAN block. I read somewhere that the Redskins coaches-- Joe Gibbs in particular-- were raving about Portis' tenacity as a pass blocker. They said he really gets after it and finishes his blocks.

Another thing I read is that Portis is the kind of back that will work on his weakpoints until they become his strengths. The guy has a drive and desire to be the best runningback in the game-- maybe the best ever-- and he understands that you have to bring the entire package to the table in order to meet those lofty qualifications.

So while Portis may not be the biggest back out there, it's his drive and tenacity that make him one of the best backs in the league-- whether that's breaking off 60-yard TDs, turning a 5-yard swing pass into a highlight reel clip, or keeping blitzing linebackers away from his quarterback.

As far as Betts, Rock and the other backs, none of them showed any real consistency as blockers last season, but-- as is always the caviat when referring to Spurrier's final season in Washington-- you can probably put a lot of the blame on the coaching and the scheme.

Rock would seem to have an ideal build for a blocking back-- low center of gravity, strong legs-- but it seems like he had a hard time with the footwork and maintaining position and leverage. Hopefully, Byner and Bugel will turn him and the other backs into at least serviceable blockers. If they can't, they'll find other backs who can get the job done.

[Daseal]

The games I saw Portis in last year more than his running I was impressed by his blocking. He picked up big name players and just totally took them out of the picture. He didn't try some little chop block to slow him down like most backs, he knocked the guy on his ass. I really think this guy is special.

God, when does the season start!

[Shane]

I wonder what role we would have for a blocking back in our system. I am assuming we are going to a two tight end, one back formation. I'm glad Portis takes blocking so seriously. Walter Payton was the best running back ever in Madden's eyes, because he was the most complete player, and was a great blocker as well. I imagine we would never have traded for Portis if he wasn't special as a blocker because if you have only one back, he has to be able to block.

The blocking issue will probably be key in terms of playing time for our backs because if they don't do well in that area, they can't do what is necessary for a RB in a one back system.