Good Portis stuff from Washington Times blog

Good stuff, but the part about he and CJ trying to top each others' antics is a scary thought...would be fun though!

One of the big reasons that the 40 yard dash is overrated is that speed is the first thing to go...usually by 26 a guy has put at least a tenth of a second or two on his 40, and that's the age at which said player is just becoming competent at his position.

So while these guys all time well at the combine, by the time they actually become starters at their position, won't be running faster than any of the guys they outtimed.

Thus, teams like the Raiders, who value speed above all else, don't win, because their players can't run faster than the other team's players.

Well, true and not. EVERYBODY slows down. So the slow guys at the combine are still going to be the slow guys a couple years later. True, while the fastest guys will probably suffer the biggest drop off, the slower guys speed will still erode.

I agree that straight line 40 times are vastly overrated (Donte Stallworth anyone?). When Terrell Sugg's draft ranking dropped based on his 40 time, his comment was "How many yard is it from the DE to the QB - probably less than 40" (I am paraphrasing).

With all that said, however, you can't teach speed. In the pro game, speed is an advantage and slow players aren't going to get faster as they get older.
Some players, as they adapt to the game may "play faster" as they learn to play intuitively rather than have to think about what's going on. The really good players, however, have both the natural ability of speed and the learned ability to play intuitively. Slower players can only make up so much ground by "playing fast".

Well, true and not. EVERYBODY slows down. So the slow guys at the combine are still going to be the slow guys a couple years later. True, while the fastest guys will probably suffer the biggest drop off, the slower guys speed will still erode.

I agree that straight line 40 times are vastly overrated (Donte Stallworth anyone?). When Terrell Sugg's draft ranking dropped based on his 40 time, his comment was "How many yard is it from the DE to the QB - probably less than 40" (I am paraphrasing).

With all that said, however, you can't teach speed. In the pro game, speed is an advantage and slow players aren't going to get faster as they get older.
Some players, as they adapt to the game may "play faster" as they learn to play intuitively rather than have to think about what's going on. The really good players, however, have both the natural ability of speed and the learned ability to play intuitively. Slower players can only make up so much ground by "playing fast".

well put. My guess is that GT was trying to say some of the same things; that the 40 time can be misleading. I think it makes the most sense for wr's, since they actually run some st. line routes.

Speed has definitely changed the game, especially on defenses. Coaches are more willing to blitz because there are so many fast players at LB & DB. The concept of "team speed" seemed to come into vogue in the 90s. Hate to say it, but Jimmy Johnson & the cowpokes epitomized it, as his teams were a lot like his U teams that were built around speed.

Portis is the one guy who's really, really going to benefit from the system change. I'd take him in all fantasy formats this year.

Yeah I agree.

A more wide open offense will definitely benefit CP.

Even though he did an admirable job at filling the role of being more of a power back in Gibbs' offense, what he did in Denver fits his skill set better.

All together now...

"Nobody gets faster as they get older."

Every time you get tackled, your body absorbs punishment. I would guess that in many measurables, CP is better than he was at the combine. Speed isn't one of them.


Tell Darrell Green that..

What's your source on that? I find it hard to believe he ran that fast ever, and very hard to believe that he ran that time in 06.

He certainly doesn't look faster, even on the few times he got deep in the secondary he looked like he lacks the breakaway speed he had in his first few years.

Portis, Clinton
Pre-draft measureables
Wt 40y 20ss 3-cone Vert BP Wonderlic
204 lb[1] 4.28[2] X X X 20 *[3]

What's your source on that? I find it hard to believe he ran that fast ever, and very hard to believe that he ran that time in 06.

He certainly doesn't look faster, even on the few times he got deep in the secondary he looked like he lacks the breakaway speed he had in his first few years.

He ran a 4.26 in the 2006 training camp...
Clinton Portis Fan Site - Biography (http://www.clintonportis.info/bio.html)

there's one link, but there are a bunch of others on google

My point is, however, that he hasn't aged that much (he's still 26 years old guys), he only had about 3 legit break away opportunities this year.. 1 was in the first Giants game, another in the Jets game (bad angle on player), and a third was in the 2nd Giants game where he was slung down by his facemask..

I honestly believe that this year, if Portis stays healthy and our O-line is consistant, we'll get the most production from him ever.. Shaun Alexander went 1800+ and had the touchdown record.. Portis has always been faster and stronger than Alexander and could put up similar numbers.

LETS GOOOO CP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2,000 yards this season