ASHBURN, Va. – There were times when Clinton Portis spent his bruised and battered regular-season Mondays dying for days like this. He would bite his tongue, mutter curse words under his breath in meetings and then pray. For what? "A guy like Al Saunders," the running back said of the Washington Redskins' new offensive coordinator. "And an offense like this."
In fact, the first time Portis sat down and really went through some of the offensive film produced by Saunders – highlight clips featuring backs like Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk and Larry Johnson – he cursed again. "I remember saying this is the (expletive) I've been waiting for," Portis said.
As far as Portis can see, what Saunders brings to Washington is like nothing he's ever seen. Four- and five-wide receiver sets. Snappy huddles. Adjustments at the line of scrimmage. Up-tempo management. And most importantly, spacious running lanes that would rival the tarmac at Washington Dulles International Airport. All of which – to Portis – provides hope for a career year. Larry Johnson can have his 2,000-yard season in Kansas City. Portis could be making a run at the single-season record for rushing touchdowns.
"The last time I saw a field spread out like this was in Denver," Portis said. "We didn't spread it out around here. That wasn't our system. You had to adapt. You had to change your game to fit whatever they brought to you. Now I've got the golden opportunity. For two years, I had the opportunity of getting pounded. Pounded here and pounded there. But I found a way out of that and I have the opportunity of my career. You don't have to talk to those guys who have gone through him before. Just go look at the film. When Marshall Faulk was in his prime, coach Saunders was there. When Priest was in his prime, coach Saunders was there. If I'm in my prime, I'm in the right place."
Some will scoff at the idea of Portis making a run at 20-plus touchdowns, particularly in what might be the NFL's toughest division. But even the upgrades by the Cowboys, Giants and Eagles don't promise to improve run defenses that ranked from 12th to 21st last season. Portis is counting on Saunders and other offseason additions to make a difference, especially after seeing a diminutive Holmes – almost the exact size of Portis – develop into one of the most prolific scorers in league history with the Chiefs.
For a player who ran through a series of brick walls during his first season under Joe Gibbs, Portis has seen the Redskins' offense come a long way from the rudimentary power scheme he once labeled as "vanilla." Now the offense has arguably as many options as Saunders had when he helped the Rams win Super Bowl XXXIV – from the explosiveness of Santana Moss and the versatility of Antwaan Randle El to the possession capabilities of Brandon Lloyd, David Patten and Chris Cooley.
Barring another spate of injuries on the offensive line, or the loss of one of the principals (Portis, Moss or quarterback Mark Brunell), the unit should be diverse enough to avoid the sputtering it encountered in the playoffs last season. "Looking around at Lloyd and Randle El and Patten – looking around at guys that should have spectacular years, along with Santana and Cooley – that's going to open [things] up a lot," Portis said. "You can't put eight people in the box. If you do, we're going to throw a bomb on you. You'll rather give me 20 or 30 [yards] than give them 80."
As Joe Gibbs put it more succinctly: "You need to be able to keep people off balance. That's what we'll be striving for." Whether or not the offensive production clicks will depend on Brunell and the receivers. Saunders' passing offense heavily favors timing – to the point where Brunell will be expected to make quicker drops in the pocket and release some of his passes before his target makes his final cut. Brunell broke a finger early in June and missed the team's final minicamp, so his repetitions in practice have been nonexistent over the last month.
"It will be fine. I've got some work to do – we all do with this scheme – but we have some time to get it together," Brunell said. "Actually, I'm really excited. We made a lot of moves in the offseason to try and get better, but I honestly think Al might have been the biggest of all of them. "Everyone is working hard with his scheme. You can see it's paying off, too. Guys were starting to click and make plays out there [in minicamp], so you can see how it's going to open things up – especially for Clinton."
Portis said he expects to arrive in training camp between 210 and 212 pounds, shedding the weight he gained to sustain last year's pounding. Now he's styling a more cut physique to suit the quickness Saunders' offense requires. And Portis points out that he's just now entering the four-year window that should be the peak of his career. "I've got to hit some home runs before people start writing me off and saying I can't do it anymore," he said. "I'm looking for a couple of 90-yarders this year.
"You look at my start in this league, and only Eric Dickerson and Edgerrin James have had [an initial four seasons] like me. I look back, two years ago, I had 1,300 yards. People wrote me off like I was a bust. And the people that [the media] are hugging up on now haven't even had 1,300 yards. If 1,300 is my worst season, bro, I'm all for that." And with the new scheme? "Hopefully, the only thing that changes for me is by the third quarter I'll be sitting on the sideline with my hat turned to the back, waving to the cameras, talking about how this win is in the books and we'll see you next week."
and Trent still throws for 4k "every" year
Drink up
