ES: Teammates tired of the Portis drama

[themurf]

(photo by Brian Murphy)

It’s almost like Clinton Portis can’t help himself. He sees Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas or his former coach Mike Shanahan stealing all of the local headlines and can’t help but try to stir up drama to get some attention back on him.

During his weekly segment with John Thompson, the Washington Redskins running back had some not so flattering comments in regards to quarterback Jason Campbell.

“No disrespect to Jason, but everybody in that locker room can tell you, you’ll never see Jason mad, you’ll never see Jason’s tempo change, you’ll never see Jason get mad,” Portis said. “He going to get up, dust himself off, he going to give you everything he got. But as a leader, you never heard – it was always, ‘Jason couldn’t take control of the huddle,’ or he didn’t do this or he didn’t do that. That wasn’t Jason’s character.

“I think Jason, you can’t place so much on somebody who’s not ready for that situation,” Portis continued. “I think Jason has enough trouble in getting the plays in and worrying about this, compared to controlling the huddle and making sure, ‘Oh, we do this and we do that.’

Well, once word got out that Portis had badmouthed one of his teammates, you can guess how happy other Redskins were with the diva running back.

“Clinton can be one of the elite running backs in this league,” said a teammate who asked that his name be withheld. “I mean, he has definitely shown that throughout his career. But as you get older, you can’t just not practice and think you’re going to perform on Sunday. That’s not how the game goes. Plus, with the uncertainty with the offensive line this year, he got frustrated and said some things about how we’re not running the ball well and about the blocking. Sometimes you’ve got to look at yourself. Even though the guys were banged up and a lot of other guys had to come in, they all practiced. They practiced their butts off. They may not have been the best talent money can buy, but you can be damned sure they’re going to give you everything they’ve got. You can rely on that.

“And for C.P. to fire off on Jason, that’s not right. He’s always out there at practice,” he continued. “Lord knows he took some hits. He took some hits to the point where I thought he was done for the year, but the thing about him is, he rose up like a man and kept on taking it. That shows a lot of integrity on his part and we’re very thankful for that.”

We’re glad to hear that Campbell’s effort didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates. Turning back to Portis though, there have been rumors for a long time about him getting special treatment …

“With Clinton, it’s not a big secret. Everybody knows he doesn’t practice,” the player said. “And then he fires off on someone. You’ve heard people say, ‘Well that’s just C.P. being C.P.’ So what? Does that excuse him for his actions? It shouldn’t. It shouldn’t because there are 53 guys on the squad. Why should one man be different?”

At that point we suggested that maybe, with the team about to name a new head coach, this would be the ideal time to remove any locker room distractions in hopes of getting everyone else on the same page as the team tries to rebound from this 4-12 disaster.

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[L30L]

Said it in another thread, thank him for the 2005 and 2007 seasons but he should really be on the 1st thing smoking out of Landover.

[themurf]

I was told by one of the players that Clinton Portis has already called and personally apologized to Jason Campbell. While it's kind of him to do so, it does not change my opinion or that of the guys who were willing to talk to me. Drama follows Portis. Hopefully it follows Portis out of D.C.

[L30L]

I hope Jason hung the phone up before he finished hehe.

[DMVSkins]

I didn't really see anything disrespectfull in Clinton remarks seems like all he said was JC doesn't get fired up or bring any excitement which we see on sundays anyway, but hopefully if they keep Clinton he will start practicing since thats everyone's gripe against him and hopefully he'll workout this offseason in the gym and not the clubs.

[scruffylookin]

And so the nonstory that a select few are trying oh so hard to make it a story continues.

I wish people listen to the interview instead of quotes.

The subject of leadership was brought up by JT and Doc and Doc was the one who felt this team needed a fire and brimstone leader. A yeller and Clinton was asked about Jason.

So Clinton had three options.

Say no comment which would have still been turned into something by the lemmings.

Lie.

Or speak the truth that Jason is a mellow guy and not emotional.

That's all he said and to turn that into some controversey is pathetic.

[Doug near DC]

Can we have Champ Bailey back?

[Redskins Anonymous]

Screw the radio, if CP wants to trash Jason just register on extremeskins. I do it all the time; i think there is a quota.

[themurf]

I wish people listen to the interview instead of quotes ... That's all he said and to turn that into some controversey is pathetic.

Hate to break it to you, but these guys heard the radio interview. Their point is, every time Portis doesn't feel loved, he runs his mouth about someone. They're tired of it and they're tired of him.

Wanna try again?

[NewCliche21]

I was told by one of the players that Clinton Portis has already called and personally apologized to Jason Campbell. While it's kind of him to do so, it does not change my opinion or that of the guys who were willing to talk to me. Drama follows Portis. Hopefully it follows Portis out of D.C.

Right there with you, murf. An apology is not there to just throw at someone when everyone tells you that you've messed up. I'd much rather have a player who doesn't apologize because he doesn't need to than one who has to do it a lot.

[squatch66]

And so the nonstory that a select few are trying oh so hard to make it a story continues.

I wish people listen to the interview instead of quotes.

The subject of leadership was brought up by JT and Doc and Doc was the one who felt this team needed a fire and brimstone leader. A yeller and Clinton was asked about Jason.

So Clinton had three options.

Say no comment which would have still been turned into something by the lemmings.

Lie.

Or speak the truth that Jason is a mellow guy and not emotional.

That's all he said and to turn that into some controversey is pathetic.

its not just the jc episode from today. read the comments from his teammates. the guy needs to keep his mouth shut. he has no business talking about jason or any other teammate when he doesnt practice, plays when he wants, and hasnt even been around for half of this season.

[SkinsTillIDie]

Excellent work Brian, real top-stuff. Certainly beats some of the work coming from the big boys at the Post and whathaveyou.

Portis' act has grown wearisome, on and off the field. By now, his off-the-field antics have been well documented. On the field, he not longer has the physical attributes to be an above-average running back: he's not quick and he's not fast, he doesn't make people miss in the open field, he's not big enough to run people over or be a force between the tackles, and he's not even a good receiver out of the backfield. He consistently missed holes this year and routinely trips over his own feet.

Portis is making top-5 money at his position. He is also unquestionably the face of the "old guard," the face of our offense over the last 6 years. He is the exemplar of recent Redskins underachievement and general me-first attitude. Bruce Allen talks about the combination of teamwork and talent being the ultimate recipe for success. Portis brings neither to the table. He will not play another down in a Redskins uniform.

[WhoRUSupposed2Be]

See Scruffy, have you ever wondered why wherever there is storm brewing, Portis' name or some hint of him seems to be the benevolent factor.

[Ax]

Their point is, every time Portis doesn't feel loved, he runs his mouth about someone.

Maybe he, LaVar, and Riggins should do a show together.

[Burgundy Burner]

Brian - it sounds like you are saying that no one on this team supports CP anymore. If that is the case, then he will be gone quickly. Coach Shanahan will see to it.

Correct me if I'm wrong - in addition to the problems surrounding Dan and Vinny, it seems as if CP was a part of the deep-seeded issues as well for the last two years (maybe more).

[LD0506]

This might be the biggest lack that Zorn suffered from. He needed to quash this **** from Portis or anyone else right from the start, but with the way the organization has been run, with Vinny always having Dan's ear to the detriment of everyone else there was never any hope that it was going to work.

Portis is just another symptom of the dysfunction of the franchise. Hopefully hiring a genuine GM and having a valid HC building his own staff will go a long way towards rooting out these attitudes and reminding everyone involved just what their priorities ought to be.

[jds17]

Just because Portis is right doesn't mean he should say it in public. Bad seasons always result in finger pointing, but Portis needs to look at himself before criticizing his teammates. Portis is the posterchild of unfounded arrogance.

[Ax]

Just because Portis is right doesn't mean he should say it in public.

Agreed. I sure hope we can find a way to make him shut up, and play.

[KDawg]

I have a pretty good suspicion who the second guy was that talked to you, but I'm not going to air that out.

That said, Portis did throw Campbell under the bus. It may not be quite as big as some are making it out to be, but it's more like it's the straw that broke the camel's back. CP is all about drama and show, and it's never quiet around DC with him here.

To be honest, I think Tana would actually benefit from CP not being here any more. Who knows what kind of crap CP is feeding 89. If we release El and throw Moss in the slot in 3 receiver sets and we get this offense clicking and working together and believing we could turn this thing around.

The offense isn't going to click with a guy who won't practice.

I'm sorry Clinton, you did awesome things for this franchise, and I really wish you didn't continually run your mouth... But when it's time... It's time.

[stwasm]

Agreed. I sure hope we can find a way to make him shut up, and play.

I'd rather find a way to make him shut up and leave.

[addicted]

Smart money's on Portis staying and Jason leaving.

[themurf]

Excellent work Brian, real top-stuff. Certainly beats some of the work coming from the big boys at the Post and whathaveyou.

Thank you kind sir. Comments like this mean a lot. I have tried over the last five years to carry myself in a professional manner to earn the trust of the guys in the locker room. With this particular article, I felt strongly enough about the team needing to say goodbye to Portis that I reached out to some of the guys and explained where I was coming from. They didn't hesitate. They were willing to talk and I even let them read what I wrote before it posted to ensure I got it right. In each case, they stand by everything in this article.

Brian - it sounds like you are saying that no one on this team supports CP anymore. If that is the case, then he will be gone quickly. Coach Shanahan will see to it.

Let me be clear - I didn't talk to every single player in that locker room, so I can't say that every single player feels this way. But what I can say is that I talked to a couple last night and a few others during the course of the season. In each instance, they all said the same thing - we're tired of Portis and the drama.

They all agree he's got talent, but say the team is probably better off without him. And some of them even admitted to me it's a conversation that's happened in the locker room before. If you're not even showing up at Redskins Park to practices or meetings or whatever, then they're all of the mindset that you certaintly shouldn't be running your mouth about someone like Campbell who is there day in and day out.

[Veretax]

Hate to break it to you, but these guys heard the radio interview. Their point is, every time Portis doesn't feel loved, he runs his mouth about someone. They're tired of it and they're tired of him.

Wanna try again?

This actually could not have happened at a better time. With a new administration, coach, etc, now is the time for Shanahan to exert control, knock some heads, and tell Portis this stuff won't be tolerated, and if he doesn't like it, then he can have his walking papers.

There is no better time like the start of a new regime to get rid of old headaches, no better time at all.

[aussieskin]

The feeling i get is that the players would rather see JC stay in DC next year, or is that just me, and if the players want him to stay then maybe he should'

[Old Bay]

It's awesome that you've worked your way into the locker room. Thanks for sharing. This is stuff you can't get anywhere else.