Portis/Riggins comparison

[skinsnut]

It is really hard to compare these 2 backs since they are so different.

The weaknesses of Portis were the strength of Riggo.

Riggo was basically a Mike Sellers type back with running back skills.
He ran up the gut and always gained yardage, even when the defense knew exactly where the play was going with 9 in the box.
This is an unheard of ability in today's NFL.
Many times he would run 8-9 plays in a row....and he NEVER came out ....EVER.
Back then the skins tried to run him 30+ times a game, and he'd only get started after having 20+ carries.

Now, the max carries are about 20-25/game for a single back, and they need rest, as Portis does.

I frankly, could not believe that Portis was not in the game the next to last drive last week, it was shocking to me with the game on the line.
Riggo would have been there, beating the crap out of the opposition in that situation and drooling for more. Riggo was essentially RB with a MLB mentality, he LOVED to hit someone....HARD....Now, Riggo didn't catch much, and he didn't run sweeps or catch screens, he didn't have too because he'd always drag the first guy another 2-3 yards after contact. Riggo was the Dominating force for our back to back superbowls, everyone keyed on him. It was not playcalling that won those games as much as it was Riggo getting a guaranteed 3 every time...(of course play action-deep works great in those situations)

Riggo would not work as well with zone blocking as he thrived on bunch blocking with heavy contact, open spaces favor shifty backs that juke and hesitate.
Riggo did not juke nor hesistate,....ever.
I bet he took fewer losses than any RB in history.

Now Portis on the other hand is the exact opposite, more of a barry sanders type that requires a hole to run through. His weakness is short yardage on the goal line, the opposite of Riggo. He shored up his "between the tackles" running quite a bit a few years back and is actually very good at that now....The only thing he lacks vs Riggo is the ability to drag multiple defenders, get a guaranteed 2 yards up the gut when needed, and avoidance of negative runs. However, Portis can catch and even line up as a WR occasionally....and his pass blocking is phenominal....yes Riggo pass blocked well too, but I dont think he was nimble enough to handle pass rushing DEs like Portis can.
Riggo essentially helped in the interior.

So, who is better?
Well, Riggo of course, he has a ring and dragged the Skins to 2 back to back Superbowls.

Who is a more balanced all round back?
Portis.

Will Portis ever reach the level of Riggo in all time Redskins lore?
Hard to say...even if he duplicates what Riggo's teams did,....Riggo did it first and is a HERO for winning the Redskins first Superbowl in a stretch of glory.
Until Portis wins a Superbowl and becomes a household name like the Diesel, you'd have to say Riggo is still in the drivers seat.