Jump to content
Washington Football Team Logo
Extremeskins

Portis Commnets/Interview What did he say?


More Complete

Recommended Posts

I did a search but please merge if needed.

I was listening to the Riggins show on the way home and they had a segment about recent comments by Clinton Portis. I didn't get to hear the whole thing because my reception sucks but they alluded to the fact that Portis made some unflattering comments about how he was used under Gibbs.

....that they didn't cater to his strengths. That he had to fit into what they wanted as opposed to what he does best. Did he really say that? Did he throw Gibbs under the bus? I doubt he would do that but it seems there has been a trend in the off-season of players calling out the old coaching staff. Mike Sellers and the "little kids" comment, ARE and "handcuffed".

I try not to read too much into these things but I would like to know what he really said. Does anyone have the interview? Does anyone know what they were talking about?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the thing is, it's not really throwing anyone under the bus because everything they're saying is true. If you watched the Redskins and know football you already know that we were probably the most conservative offense in the league during Gibbs II and that we didn't score many points.

And if Clinton did say that, he's right. We ran the ball on 1st at a higher rate than anyone in the league last year. Coming out with 1 or 2 WRs and banging Clinton into the middle of the line when everyone knows it's coming is definitely NOT the best way to use Clinton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the thing is, it's not really throwing anyone under the bus because everything they're saying is true. If you watched the Redskins and know football you already know that we were probably the most conservative offense in the league during Gibbs II and that we didn't score many points.

And if Clinton did say that, he's right. We ran the ball on 1st at a higher rate than anyone in the league last year. Coming out with 1 or 2 WRs and banging Clinton into the middle of the line when everyone knows it's coming is definitely NOT the best way to use Clinton.

I what made the biggest impact on the team was bringing in Saunders when we didn't need him. If anything they should have let Rennie Simmons or Joe Bugel call plays not someone who wants to change everything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the thing is, it's not really throwing anyone under the bus because everything they're saying is true. If you watched the Redskins and know football you already know that we were probably the most conservative offense in the league during Gibbs II and that we didn't score many points.

And if Clinton did say that, he's right. We ran the ball on 1st at a higher rate than anyone in the league last year. Coming out with 1 or 2 WRs and banging Clinton into the middle of the line when everyone knows it's coming is definitely NOT the best way to use Clinton.

I agree. Sadly, the one that was the most hand-cuffed by the conservative mindset was Saunders. I think Saunders wanted to use Portis like Denver did. Hopefully we'll see that with Zorn and Sherm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thing I like about Portis is that he speaks his mind. He's not saying anything he wouldn't say to Gibbs' face unlike some other players in the league (I don't know what he said this time).

I don't think his disagreements with JG means that he doesn't think he was a good coach though. I remember Jeff Bostic in "America's Game" criticizing Gibbs for benching him that year, even when he played a big part in winning the Super Bowl. The older coaches in the league are probably a little more stubborn then the newer ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From various player comments during the offseason (CP, Sellers, Samuels, ARE, Jansen)

it seems many feel the O was too conservative under Gibbs. However, that is generally Gibbs style. Nobody was complaining after '05 as the offense was opened up more from '04, but it appears the hybrid of Saunders/Gibbs actually set the O back to a more conservative approach. This could simply be Gibbs sentiment that the team needs to be conservative in the early stages of a team learning the offense. Combine this with an injured OL in '07 and a rookie QB, and you have reasons for conservative approach. We definitely could have opened up things more, and there are some arguments to be made against the philosophy, however it seems geared towards a balance with the D, and it did nail us the playoffs regardless.

Either way, it appears the players are more excited about Zorn's offense and "opening things up" so let's hope this is extra incentive for the players and they have positive responses in their new O.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clinton basically said that he ran where the coaches told him to go. He would get 2 or 3 pullers and be told to follow them and he said he did what he was told.

He said he will be able to run wild with this new offense. It was not a critic at all just a comparison.

The radio guys always like to make stuff seem more than it should be. It seems one has to be good cop and the other bad cop.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clinton basically said that he ran where the coaches told him to go. He would get 2 or 3 pullers and be told to follow them and he said he did what he was told.

He said he will be able to run wild with this new offense. It was not a critic at all just a comparison.

The radio guys always like to make stuff seem more than it should be. It seems one has to be good cop and the other bad cop.

Yeah, that's what I figured, that it was more of a compliment to Zorn's offense than a knock against Gibbs. When did he make these comments? Are they available online?

As far as Portis not being afraid to "speak his mind"... Why didn't he say something to Gibbs at the time? From all indications they had a great relationship and Portis even acted as the GM from time to time :laugh:, recommending players and such. If he had a problem, why not say it then instead of now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And if Clinton did say that, he's right. We ran the ball on 1st at a higher rate than anyone in the league last year. Coming out with 1 or 2 WRs and banging Clinton into the middle of the line when everyone knows it's coming is definitely NOT the best way to use Clinton.

That's true but we also had one of the best rushing offenses in the league so does he really have room to complain? 1500 some yards in 2005 comes to mind. As does breaking the franchise record for the most rushing yards in a season. I also seem to remember that he became the third runner in league history to reach 1,500 yards in three of his first four seasons. Not too shabby.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

even if said exactly that, i wouldn't interpret that as throwing Gibbs under the bus. hell if the fans thought the offense was being held back, i could only imagine how the players actually in the offense might have felt.

Good point. I think LegionOfDoom is right in that it's the offseason and they have to talk about something, and make something out of nothing. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Players always throw the old coach under the bus and look forward to playing in the new system. I mean, they were even excited for Spurrier when he first came to town, so I ask - where's the news?

Truth so pure. :laugh: The news to me is that the running game is going to be different. I thought they were going to keep it the way it was. :whoknows:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clinton basically said that he ran where the coaches told him to go. He would get 2 or 3 pullers and be told to follow them and he said he did what he was told.

He said he will be able to run wild with this new offense. It was not a critic at all just a comparison.

The radio guys always like to make stuff seem more than it should be. It seems one has to be good cop and the other bad cop.

Did he really say that? Man, I can't wait for September! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clinton basically said that he ran where the coaches told him to go. He would get 2 or 3 pullers and be told to follow them and he said he did what he was told.

He said he will be able to run wild with this new offense. It was not a critic at all just a comparison.

The radio guys always like to make stuff seem more than it should be. It seems one has to be good cop and the other bad cop.

Clinton had an interview Wednesday on Redskins Radio and said all this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gibbs 2 was painful.....and flat out sad to watch.

I felt awful for the guy--totally lost on the sidelines, waiting for the next goof-up to happen.

After he retired, Gibbs admitted on the Jim Rome show that he tried to bring back a system that worked a long time ago, and that it simply could not work today.

This was a contributing factor in the decision to retire.

The family life etc has merit, and is also much more of a feel good story, but thank God someone besides the fans realized that it wasn't working, and that he retired early.

And during those years.....he was asking Portis to do something he couldn't--to be a power running back. This partially explains why someone like Betts could come right in and look so great when Portis went down. He was much more in the mold of a Riggins, Joe Gibbs type back --but even Gibbs couldn't realize it.

I am optimistic that this new offense will be one that Portis looks about 10x better in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's true but we also had one of the best rushing offenses in the league so does he really have room to complain? 1500 some yards in 2005 comes to mind. As does breaking the franchise record for the most rushing yards in a season. I also seem to remember that he became the third runner in league history to reach 1,500 yards in three of his first four seasons. Not too shabby.

The reason he had so many yards was because he got an astronomical amount of carries. In his 2 years in Denver, he averaged over five yards per carry, but under Gibbs and the Redskins, he usually averages less than four. He gained more yards and got more TDs in Denver, all while getting less carries. He is meant to be an open field runner, not a pound-it-up-the-middle-all-day type of runner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

they alluded to the fact that Portis made some unflattering comments about how he was used under Gibbs.

....that they didn't cater to his strengths. That he had to fit into what they wanted as opposed to what he does best. Did he really say that? Did he throw Gibbs under the bus? I doubt he would do that but it seems there has been a trend in the off-season of players calling out the old coaching staff. Mike Sellers and the "little kids" comment, ARE and "handcuffed".

I try not to read too much into these things but I would like to know what he really said. Does anyone have the interview? Does anyone know what they were talking about?

Regardless of what he said, it is the truth. They used him like he was Jerome Bettis or Riggins, instead of the speed back he is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...