For much of the second half of the Redskins' game Sunday night in Baltimore, the NFL's third-leading rusher was stuck on the sidelines, obviously miffed. Coach Jim Zorn said today that he didn't have any heart-to-heart talks with Portis and understands why many players would be naturally frustrated after getting physically abused by the Ravens on national TV.
"Everybody was mad," Zorn said.
With Portis missing so much practice time with a bevy of injuries that left him "whole body sore," he said last week and not being involved in the preparation for the heavy pass protection and route running responsibilities that running backs would carry against Baltimore's aggressive blitz, Zorn felt it made more sense to have fullback Mike Sellers help on protection. He wanted to get Ladell Betts -- who has better hands and runs tighter routes -- more involved.
And once the Redskins fell behind 14-0 and had to chase the game through the air in the second half, Zorn said it made even more sense to stick with Betts, given how important he is in the screen game. After Betts got a few series in the third quarter, the coaches "felt like he was doing just fine," Zorn said. Recently, Portis's injuries have affected the passing game, Zorn also, and he was "trying to do too much" to help in pass protection even at times against just a four-man rush. That meant he was failing to get into position to get the ball.
"He wasn't getting out in the passing game," Zorn said.
Zorn said Portis, who isn't available to the media until later in the week, is still "the bell cow" and he expects him to be healthier and very active Sunday at Cincinnati.
