Portis and Betts: Should We Just Stick With Portis?

I love the idea of having both Portis and Betts as a running back tandem. But it seems like before Portis can find his groove, we take him out for a spell and insert Ladell. I'm starting to wonder if the tag combo is more of disadvantage to a running back like Portis, who get's stronger as the game wears on.

I'd like to see Portis flat out get 25 carries per game. I think we'd get more production out of him. But that's why I'm not coaching the Skins, I guess.

I think it just depends on the game situations. Portis has been close to breaking out for a big game, but I don't think we'll see him getting 25+ carries a game anytime soon. I like that we can keep him fresh by getting Betts and even Sellers some meaningful carries.

Getting stronger as the game goes on is a total myth. Makes no logical sense whatsoever.

Going into this year, Portis and Betts had similar career numbers. To date, it's clear that Portis is having the better season. So should he see more carries than Betts? Of course. But having an injured running back get 25 carries a game sounds like a bad idea.

I would throw more if our running game is going to get stuffed as much as it is.

IMO if CP is healthy I would like to see him get 25+ carries per game, he is our #1 back. The more carries he gets, he gets into a nice groove.

With that said, lets stop fumbling the damn ball!

Getting stronger as the game goes on is a total myth. Makes no logical sense whatsoever.

Going into this year, Portis and Betts had similar career numbers. To date, it's clear that Portis is having the better season. So should he see more carries than Betts? Of course. But having an injured running back get 25 carries a game sounds like a bad idea.

I would throw more if our running game is going to get stuffed as much as it is.

Some backs do put up better numbers as the game wears on. Whether it's due to them getting in the groove or just taking them a while to get warmed up, I definitely think some backs just play better as the game wears on.

Going into this year, Portis and Betts had similar career numbers.

I guess if you're refering strictly to YPC, they have similar numbers, but Betts did it consistently, one time for half a season. With his production this season, last season is looking like a fluke. And he still can't find the endzone.

And I'm not sure how I feel about splitting carries. On one hand, it'll keep Portis fresh, which does seem to benefit him, but on the other hand, he's out of the game on some plays where his unique skills would be useful. It seems to be working for the moment, so I'll just go with the flow for now.

Some backs do put up better numbers as the game wears on. Whether it's due to them getting in the groove or just taking them a while to get warmed up, I definitely think some backs just play better as the game wears on.Consistently though? I think some opponents may allow more YPC on the ground later than others, but I can't think of any backs who were definately better late than early.

A good back is a good back. Unless conditioning is an issue (which it never seems to be), I can't think of any explination for a runner actually being harder to tackle later in the game.

Getting stronger as the game goes on is a total myth. Makes no logical sense whatsoever.

Going into this year, Portis and Betts had similar career numbers. To date, it's clear that Portis is having the better season. So should he see more carries than Betts? Of course. But having an injured running back get 25 carries a game sounds like a bad idea.

I would throw more if our running game is going to get stuffed as much as it is.


I wasn't speaking in literal physical terms. Stronger in football terms, meaning more effective and, yes, punishing tacklers along the way. So in that way, I absolutely think "stronger" has some merrit. But that's not my argument.

I would like to see Portis have a better shot at going over the century mark a little more often. That's my only point. I think he's a better back when he gets in the 95yd - 120yd range. And while splitting carries does indeed keep him fresh, I think it would be nice to see a break out game from him a few times this year.

As mentioned before i think health concerns have a lot to do w/ it. In 2005 we ran portis to death. He can handle it when 100%. Its a long season and we have 2 great backs.

I would like to see Portis have a better shot at going over the century mark a little more often. That's my only point. I think he's a better back when he gets in the 95yd - 120yd range. And while splitting carries does indeed keep him fresh, I think it would be nice to see a break out game from him a few times this year.Isn't that backwards though? Is it worth it to run Portis 30 times to get to 100 yards when that is not our best offensive play.

If we can average 7 yards a play every time Campbell throws, and Portis averages between 3.5 and 4 yards a carry, should we really be running the ball more?

I guess it would be nice to see a breakout game from Portis, but not at the expense of total yards, points, or Portis' health.

I like him getting around 15-20 carries a week. Who cares how many 100 yard games he gets? Its an arbitrary number, just like 87 yard games.