How would you rank Portis?

[congo4269]

I was having a football arguement with my best friend last night (incidentally, he is a cowgirls fan... lived in MD his whole life too) when we started talking about CP. I made the claim that he was emerging as one of the leagues elite backs, and that in my oppinion he was probably one of the top three (better than Tiki or that gap-toothed guy from seattle). To my surprise, he AGREED! I'm sure most of you would put CP in the top 10 in the league as far as running backs, but how would you rank him exactly? I strongly believe he is going to have a huge season this year, and 1700 yds + 15 tds is not out of the question.

I'm trying to be objective here, but the reason I see him as so amazing is that he has produced in multiple systems. Tiki and SA are, in my oppinion, highly overrated - they are system runners. Put SA in our offence last year, and I promise he wouldn't have put up those numbers. They are straight-forward lane-runners, but players like CP and LT2 simply amaze me with their vision, cuts, and ability to change direction.

That being said, I pose two questions to you guys:

1. Would you rather have Clinton Portis, or Shaun Alexander on your team?(and say why please... nobody needs a million 'CP ROCKS GO SKINS!!!' replies)

2. How would you rank the top 5-10 RBs in the league, based solely on talent (offensive systems and blockers aside)?

Here are mine:

1. Ladainian Tomlinson

2. Clinton Portis

3. Edgerrin James

4. Larry Johnson (Would put him at 2, but I want to see one more season out of him first)

5. Shaun Alexander

6. Steven Jackson (I know this is high, but I like how he can run you over or catch a pass out of the backfield so effectively)

7. Tiki Barber

8. Cadillac Williams

9. Willis McGahee

10. Willie Parker

[KevinthePRF]

You mean to tell me there are other backs out there as good as Clinton Portis?

[Art]

I'd put Portis in the Top 5. You really can't put him above Alexander until he's producing the touchdowns again on the level he used to, which he started to get back in the groove with last year. Portis probably would place fourth because his touchdown numbers have been down the last couple of years -- LT, Alexander and Johnson ahead of him. Tiki is coming into his own and could well be considered above him by some.

In the end, though, the toughness he displays and great versatility as a runner capable of breaking out of the pack or being a workhorse puts him in a rare class. You should see him continue to solidify his position and move back into the Top 3 when his touchdowns move back up.

[chiramu]

I see CP as a versatile back that has had to adjust to a Washington system that didn't stretch the field as much as he would have liked. I would still take CP over SA but a more interesting question would be would you take CP over LT. Given current performance on the field (not off, or hype), I'd rather take LT. It would be great to see CP benefit from Saunder's system. For all that he's done for the Redskins since his move from Denver, he deserves a break out season where the whole team rallies to help him break some records. But until that happens, CP is not in the top 3 for me.

Here's my take:

1. Ladainian Tomlinson

2. Edgerrin James

3. Larry Johnson

4. Shaun Alexander tied with Tiki Barber

6. Clinton Portis

7. Does it matter anymore?

[SkinsFTW]

I think his touchdowns have a lot more to do with the offense than it does Portis.

It's not like he was given the ball inside the 5 like Alexander was.

[skinfan2k]

I'd put Portis in the Top 5. You really can't put him above Alexander until he's producing the touchdowns again on the level he used to, which he started to get back in the groove with last year. Portis probably would place fourth because his touchdown numbers have been down the last couple of years -- LT, Alexander and Johnson ahead of him. Tiki is coming into his own and could well be considered above him by some.

In the end, though, the toughness he displays and great versatility as a runner capable of breaking out of the pack or being a workhorse puts him in a rare class. You should see him continue to solidify his position and move back into the Top 3 when his touchdowns move back up.

damn Art summed it up well. i think portis has broken into the top 5 after a disappointing 1300 yd season... i think there is too much hype for LJ right now, but his production is off the hook.. LT is so dynamic and alexander finds the endzone like no other

[congo4269]

I think his touchdowns have a lot more to do with the offense than it does Portis.

It's not like he was given the ball inside the 5 like Alexander was.

Agreed... I feel like he could have put up SA's numbers if he had been in Seattle's system last year. They had a dominant, well oiled offence that gave him opportunities to score; we lacked that, and CP had to work for every yard (and he still put up top-5 numbers in rushing!!). That's why I feel that with all the pieces in place this year, he will dominate the league. He even said so himself in a recent interview (sorry, I think it was on skins.com); he's looking forward to this season more so than any other in his career due to the genius of Saunders' offence and how well it suits his running style.

[XxSpearheadxX]

Thats a pretty good list, but Willie Parker needs to be the hell off of it, he doesn't belong even close to the top 10. I would rank Portis as 3 or 4. I say 3 though, because he is the best pass pro back in the league.

Backs who could replace Willie Parker (in the order I thought of them):

Ronnie Brown

Kevin Jones

Julius Jones

Thomas Jones

Fred Taylor

Chris Brown

Dominic Davis

Ruben Droughns

Tatum Bell

Brian Westbrook

Deshaun Foster

Deuce Mcallister

So take Willie off the list.

[Redsk58417]

Here are mine:

1. Ladainian Tomlinson

2. Clinton Portis

3. Edgerrin James

4. Larry Johnson (Would put him at 2, but I want to see one more season out of him first)

5. Shaun Alexander

6. Steven Jackson (I know this is high, but I like how he can run you over or catch a pass out of the backfield so effectively)

7. Tiki Barber

8. Cadillac Williams

9. Willis McGahee

10. Willie Parker

My best friend too was a 'Boys fan. I looked over your list. I was surprised that RB R. Johnson didn't rate better than S. Jackson, McGahee, or W. Parker. R. Johnson had over 1400 yrds rushing. A higher total than all three of those backs. Cadillac Williams too. Also Johnson had 12 TD's. More than those other backs again. I won't rib you too much. I'm sure it was prolly an over-sight. No disputing the top 5 though.

[XxSpearheadxX]

Agreed... I feel like he could have put up SA's numbers if he had been in Seattle's system last year. They had a dominant, well oiled offence that gave him opportunities to score; we lacked that, and CP had to work for every yard (and he still put up top-5 numbers in rushing!!). That's why I feel that with all the pieces in place this year, he will dominate the league. He even said so himself in a recent interview (sorry, I think it was on skins.com); he's looking forward to this season more so than any other in his career due to the genius of Saunders' offence and how well it suits his running style.

Not to mention Shaun Ran against the Rams twice, the Cardinals twice and the 49ers twice.

Double Clinton Portis' #s against those teams, even with 8 in the box (that Shaun didn't face) He would have had 12 touchdowns minimum in just those 6 games.

[jnhay]

My best friend too was a 'Boys fan. I looked over your list. I was surprised that RB R. Johnson didn't rate better than S. Jackson, McGahee, or W. Parker. R. Johnson had over 1400 yrds rushing. A higher total than all three of those backs. Cadillac Williams too. Also Johnson had 12 TD's. More than those other backs again. I won't rib you too much. I'm sure it was prolly an over-sight.

It seems that it's a lot harder to rank runningbacks nowadays because there are so many good ones in the league.

I really don't like Shaun Alexander, though I can't really put my finger on why. I've got to give him credit though, he is producing. I can't hate on a guy for doing what he's supposed to do. I think Portis is a top 5 back in the league, and this year might be a year where he can prove he's even better then that.

[RedskinsNation]

I put:

1. LT

2. S.Alexander

3. LJ

4. Portis

5. Barber

[congo4269]

I really don't like Shaun Alexander, though I can't really put my finger on why.

Yeah I feel the same way! I think it's because he's not an impressive runner... he just runs straight ahead, and avoids contact at times (which isn't necessarily a bad thing... they need to stay healthy for the season, but I see it as him being a pansy). Also, he sounds like a little kid when he talks with that goofy smile of his. I'd pay to see Southeast Jerome kick his ass.

[LT Smash]

i believe that while larry johnson and priest holmes are good, theyre helped enormously by the offensive line that team has, and were also helped by saunder's system. ive also heard that shaun alexander is overrated. i think his numbers will decline a little this year because he doesnt have that mammoth left side combination to run behind. hes very good, but i think if portis picks up his touchdowns, he will be better than alexander.

[RDSKNfaithfull]

You guys are not showing Tiki enough love he was a possiblle MVP canidate last year.

[ConcordNCSkinsFan]

Portis is my #5 RB behind LT,Alexander,James, and Barber. I'm sick of hearing all the hype about Larry Johnson based on half a season of production.

[kingchris626]

CP has the capacity to be #1 this year

[celder]

RB is one of the most overrated positions in any sport. It is very rare that you see a RB produce without the help of a good offensive line, a good system with good play calling, a good passing game, and even a good defense that can keeps the offense on the field for the majority of the game. This is why time and time again we see RBs emerge when the #1 rb on a team goes down.

[congo4269]

RB is one of the most overrated positions in any sport. It is very rare that you see a RB produce without the help of a good offensive line, a good system with good play calling, a good passing game, and even a good defense that can keeps the offense on the field for the majority of the game. This is why time and time again we see RBs emerge when the #1 rb on a team goes down.

I disagree. It is definately not over-rated; but there is certainly a lot of talent at that position. I do agree that it is rare to see a RB produce without a good system, which was the premise behind my question; what 'rare' RBs are currently out there that aren't just products of the system? I believe that CP is one, thus making him an elite back.

Making the claim that RBs are the most overrated position in any sport is rediculous. Don't tell me that Barry Sanders was a product of that spectacular Lions team.

[Lil Kenzo]

I put Portis in the top five:

1. Tomlinson

2. Alexander

3. Johnson

4. Portis

5. Tiki

However, I think Portis will be in the top 3 after this next year.

[mcarey032]

You know what is funny? The pro bowl selection had Warwick Dunn voted on the pro bowl and clinton portis not in there. How can that be?

[red78skin2]

error 1 i am human

[red78skin2]

error # 2 I am really human & married

[congo4269]

You know what is funny? The pro bowl selection had Warwick Dunn voted on the pro bowl and clinton portis not in there. How can that be?

Because of numbers. Dunn put up better rushing numbers than Portis, but I would be amazed if you could find anyone (outside of Hotlanta) that would take Dunn on their team over Portis. Then again, I believe Brunell had better numbers than Vick at the time, but Vick made the bowl over him... I smell conspiracy!

[celder]

I disagree. It is definately not over-rated; but there is certainly a lot of talent at that position. I do agree that it is rare to see a RB produce without a good system, which was the premise behind my question; what 'rare' RBs are currently out there that aren't just products of the system? I believe that CP is one, thus making him an elite back.

Making the claim that RBs are the most overrated position in any sport is rediculous. Don't tell me that Barry Sanders was a product of that spectacular Lions team.

Barry Sanders was certainly the player I thought of when I said it is rare to see a RB produce without a good system. Now I love Portis, but the way I see it, he went from one good system to another. I think we definetly might see how my theory is true with Edgerin James in Arizona this year. Also, we will probably see Larry Johnson's numbers go down with a new coaching staff in there. I see Portis as a top 5 back in the league statistically. But I have also seen Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright run very well in this system.