1. Make no mistake, even though the Redskins found out that they had two No. 1-caliber running backs last season with the breakthrough year turned in by Ladell Betts, there's no confusion about Clinton Portis being the starter if he's healthy in 2007. Gibbs and associate head coach/offense Al Saunders were very clear in telling me that Betts is the backup, even if he did run for 1,154 yards in nine starts last season, including a team-record tying five consecutive 100-yard rushing games (all after Thanksgiving).
The playoffs were filled last year with teams that featured a two-back approach to their running game, and the Redskins see the value in making sure Betts regularly spells Portis, who endured an injury-shortened season in 2006 (he hurt his shoulder in the preseason and broke a hand in Week 9). But while Washington plans on re-dedicating itself to the power running game that Gibbs loves this season, in order to take some of the load off young quarterback Jason Campbell, no one within the organization is expecting the Redskins to wind up with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers.
The scenario Washington would like to see is Portis finishing in the 1,500-yard range, with Betts totaling between 600-700 yards. The Redskins awarded Betts a five-year, $11 million contract extension in December, and that's a sizable deal for a No. 2 back. Washington just hopes it's an insurance policy it doesn't need like it did last year. But stay tuned, because Portis is currently sidelined with tendinitis in his right knee, the same injury that kept him out of a mid-June minicamp.