Portis fantasy article [Archive] - Commanders Post at The Warpath

CrazyCanuck

11-05-2004, 08:47 PM

Could you do a copy and past? I cant open it from work.

- Sure, here it is. Some funny stuff.

Cover Story: Clinton Portis
by John Hansen
Publisher, fantasyguru.com
Published in the 2003 edition of FantasyGuru.com Magazine.

It’s the Saturday afternoon of the NFL draft, and while NFL coaches and executives are doing battle in their respective war rooms, it’s just another day off for the players, and one of the last before the May minicamps begin. This weekend as the draft is unfolding, some of the best and the brightest are meeting NFL fans at an autograph show in Atlantic City, NJ.

I’m there, too, but I didn’t make the trip (albeit a short one, since I live right across the bay from the world’s favorite playground) to wait in line to meet some of the league’s stars. I didn’t choose to blow off attending the draft in New York to meet an NFL star just for a split second like almost everyone else in the building. I’m not even here to brush up against some all-time NFL greats like Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, and Barry Sanders, who are also at the show. I’m here to sit down and talk NFL and fantasy football with the league’s Rookie of the Year and our premiere issue’s Cover Boy: Clinton Portis.

I’m escorted to a small room backstage and wait for Portis to get done signing. While I’m waiting, a tall young man is standing in the room watching the draft on TV. "This is some wild stuff, ain’t it?" he says to me. I immediately nod my head in agreement because the man, Saint QB Aaron Brooks, who is also there to sign autographs at the show, certainly knows more about the NFL draft experience than I do. I introduce myself to Brooks and tell him that I’m in the fantasy football business. He’s not particularly impressed, of course, but he’s definitely intrigued. "Man, I hear about that stuff all the time. People always tell me they have me on their fantasy team," Brooks says.

"Oh, I’m sure they do," I say. "There are like 10 million people playing fantasy football, you know," I add. Brooks then looks at me in a quizzical way as if he wants to say something to the effect of how I had him "straight trippin’" for revealing such a surprising stat.

Poor Aaron Brooks. He probably just wants to chill and watch the draft, but I won’t let him. I grill him on some burning issues: his shoulder (he says it’s fine); the Saints’ acquisition of TE Ernie Conwell (he agrees with my comment that Conwell should make some plays downfield); and whether the Saints are going to get RB Deuce McAllister more involved in the passing game (he enigmatically says "We’ll see"). I also ask him if he thinks his old backup, Jake Delhomme, can be a starter in the league, to which he gives a positive reply and says something like "Yes, if he’s in the right system." I finally let the poor guy go back to his draft-watching, and I start thinking about my questions to the guy I really came to see.

A year ago this day, I would have valued my five minutes with Brooks – truly a nice and very funny guy – much more than five minutes with a former Miami Hurricane back just drafted in the second round by the Denver Broncos. But something happened in the year that followed 2002’s April draft: Clinton Portis became an NFL star and a fantasy football darling. So when Portis walks into the room, even though I have "much love" for my new dawg, Aaron, I forget the Saint QB is even in the room.

I introduce myself to Portis – who comes across as friendly, intelligent, laid back, but also confident – and show him a mock-up of the cover with him on it. He likes the picture and says he wants a few copies, one to send to his mom, according to his promotional agent. Fair enough, I say, and I take once last glance at my notes on the Bronco back. For the next 15 minutes, I have the NFL’s reigning Rookie of the Year ready to answer any and all of my questions…I want to talk fantasy, NFL, and I want to talk about Clinton Portis, the man.

FGM: How cognizant are you of fantasy football? Do you know that there are millions of people watching you every Sunday hoping you score, hoping you rack up yards, and do you realize how great of a fantasy pick you were last year?

Portis: I knew I was going to be a great pick…I guess everyone else found out later. Everywhere I go, that’s the first thing everyone tells me. ‘Oh, I got you on my fantasy team,’ they’ll say. ‘Do great next year so I can win again.’ Last year, people sort of got me as a steal in fantasy, but this year it’s going to be tough…you gotta take me as your first pick."

FGM: Speaking of first picks in a fantasy league, if you were in a fantasy football league and you had the #1 pick and you’re looking at yourself, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, Priest Holmes, etc., you taking you?

Portis: Of course, I’m taking me. Because if I’m counting on myself, I know I gotta go out and perform. One of those other guys might not feel like playing that week. For my next pick I’d take one of those guys…they’d be pretty good backup.

FGM: You improved as the year went on last year unlike some other rookie RBs who fade a little down the stretch. It’s not uncommon for a rookie back to wear down a little toward the end of the 16-game season, did you?

Portis: I didn’t wear down. I might have started losing weight, but I don’t think I wore down toward the end of the season. I think as the season went on, I progressed and felt better.

FGM: LaDainian Tomlinson, this past summer, said that he felt that with a year in the league he would be much better prepared for the 16-game schedule. Do you feel that way this year?

Portis: Yes, definitely. Last year I didn’t know what to expect…how to approach it week-in and week-out. I was just going through the weeks as best I could, but this year I know what to look forward to. I know how the season is going to progress.

FGM: As a fantasy football analyst, here’s how I’d describe you: a fast, slippery back who has excellent vision and excels at finding a crease and always falls forward. In addition your outside running is excellent; you’re a threat to bust off a 20+ yard run at any time. You’re also a good receiver and you proved to be an excellent short-yardage and goal line back. As a fantasy pick, you appear to be a can’t-miss prospect. What do you think of that analysis?

Portis: I think that’s a good analysis.

Aaron Brooks chimes in: "That’s a d-a-a-a-m-n good analysis."

(Laugher in the room)

Portis: I’m telling you…I’m trying to negotiate with the Broncos. I want you to come down and represent me. We need you in the war room when it comes to next year’s draft…I’m going to re-enter the draft.

(More laugher)

FGM: Last year it seemed Mike Shanahan got a little conservative with the offense when Brian Griese was struggling. Do you think with Jake Plummer coming in there learning the system that, at least initially, Shanahan will go a little conservative and feed you the rock more?

Portis: I don’t know. I never know what they’re thinking. I just go out there and prepare myself for whatever. I think they think Jake is going to be kind of a savior, and I’m sure there will be pressure on him. They put a lot of money in his pocket, so they’re going to make him go out and play. So I have to be prepared. Whether it’s blocking for Jake or running or receiving…I just have to be prepared.

FGM: The Broncos have had four different 1000-yard rushers in the last five years. It’s pretty safe to say that three of those guys – Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, and Mike Anderson – aren’t going to be big factors in the league in the near future. Some say Davis, Gary, and Anderson were a product of a great system. What do you think separates you from those guys?

Portis: I don’t think you can say they were a product of the system. You can say all those guys were overlooked and very talented. I think any time you put pressure on someone where they gotta come in and perform and you not knowing what to expect…you know you being a late-round draft pick…and you finally get your opportunity you want to make the most of it. It’s really not that hard to come in and play 16 games and get 1000 yards. You get 70 yards a game and you’re a 1000-yard rusher. I think if you put any of those guys on another team they’ll go out and do the same thing.

FGM: Is there one element of your game that you think you can improve on in 2003?

Portis: Yeah, I think early in the season I left a lot of yardage on the field. I was one tackle away numerous times from breaking big runs…probably our first 10 or 11 games. I look at that and think I probably could have had another 500 yards and I wasn’t really playing the first four games, so, I mean, there was a lot left. I gotta get my balance back and be able to come out of more tackles this year. I think I slipped and fell trying to do a lot of things early on and trying to make sure that I kept the ball, so again I think I left a lot of yardage on the field. This year, I’m going to go in more prepared.

FGM: Were you more motivated being "only" a 2nd round draft pick last year and seeing three backs taken ahead of you, or are you just motivated to play great football and don’t let things out of your control affect you?

Portis: I think, all my life, you know I was overlooked for something. I could never be the person that gets the break, that someone wanted to take a gamble on…that someone wanted to take a chance on. That really used to aggravate me knowing that people wouldn’t take a chance on me when I was more of a proven person than a guy that someone would take that chance on. Throughout my life I’ve been successful, whether it was in school, on the field, or whatever I was doing. I was always successful. I think that success came from being overlooked and mama just raising me to be the best I can. So being a 2nd round pick, it was just like ‘Aw, man,’ you know what I’m saying? Things still aren’t easy. But then I went into a system where you had three 1000-yard rushers on the roster, so I had to come in and compete, which I think now made me better, so now I’m just looking forward to competing. I like a great supporting cast around me…guys who are going to make me wake up every day and know it’s not going to be handed to me. You can’t go out and play with a player who doesn’t have heart, and I think that’s the biggest measurement. And when it comes down to it, I got heart and I want the ball…. Other players are going to shy away from that.

FGM: Does the term "Sophomore Slump" mean anything to you?

Portis: I don’t know anything about it. You don’t look at it like that. You know what I’m saying?

FGM: You do if you’re Anthony Thomas.

Clinton Portis: I think he just had a bad break. You can’t blame it just on Anthony Thomas…. You look at the rest of the Bears’ team. The year before they were like 13-3 then all of a sudden to turn around and go 4-12. You look at his supporting cast…he lost some lineman…there’s a lot to factor into that.

FGM: Talk a little about your off-season conditioning. I understand that you wanted to add a little bit of bulk, a little bit of muscle. How’s that going and could you be compromising your speed by doing so?

Portis: Good. I don’t think I’m compromising my speed…My speed’s going to be there. I’m really not trying to add a whole lot of bulk. I think I’m just gaining weight as I grow. I’m only 21-years old, so the weight is just coming on as I’m getting older.

FGM: Do you have a message for fantasy football players who are considering investing their #1 pick – that’s a very important pick – in you this year?

Portis: I really don’t have a message to the ones who are thinking about it. I think the ones who took me last year…I’d rather see them have me. Don’t jump on my bandwagon now…you know what I’m saying…now that you see the finished product. I’m still behind the people who were behind me last year, and to everyone else I say continue to take Marshall, LaDainian, Priest – the other guys – and leave me for the people who’ve been having me.

When I draft a fantasy team, one of the things I consider is if I can admire the person beyond his on-the-field persona.

And I have my favorites.

Clinton Portis is now at the top of the list.

The Top-10 Reasons Clinton Portis Is for Real

#5 – Because of his pedigree

The story here begins in high school, where he was a Florida first-team all-state, all-region, and all-area selection. The state of Florida is a breeding ground for elite NFL backs. From Emmitt Smith to Fred Taylor to Edgerrin James, if you’re kicking ass playing high school football in the Sunshine State, then you’re somebody.

But being a great high school player in Florida doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get accepted to one of the state’s top college football programs. Only the truly elite can claim to be a Hurricane, Seminole, or Gator. Portis not only became a Hurricane, but he also helped lead them to a National Championship and was one of the most productive RBs in school history. The Miami program has been rich with NFL talent. In just the last five years, there have been five skill players – Edgerrin James, Santana Moss, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, and Willis McGahee – from Miami drafted in the first round. Talk about pedigree. Hurricane players have a certain swagger and a confidence about them that they usually back up when they get to the NFL, and Portis is clearly no exception.

#4 – Because he’s has a great system and supporting cast.

Alex Gibbs retired as the team’s offensive line coach a few years ago but returned with the title Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line. Regardless of the title and the fact that he’s called a "consultant" now, the truth is that he was the man behind the Denver offensive line’s prolific run starting in 1995, Terrell Davis’ rookie season, and he’s still doing it. There is no doubt about it; Alex Gibbs is the best in the business, and that’s good news for Portis.

While Gibbs deserves a ton of credit for the success of the Bronco backs, the system run by head coach Mike Shanahan in Denver during their impressive eight-year run is also one of the main reasons why whoever is starting here does well. Here’s a brief history, in case you’re just joining us in following the game of football.

1995-1998 – Terrell Davis, drafted by Denver 196th overall in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft, finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting to New England’s Curtis Martin and proceeded to have a four-year run that was as dominant as the NFL had ever seen.

1999 – Olandis Gary, despite being declared inactive for each of the season’s first four games, ranked sixth in the AFC (11th NFL) in rushing yards and second in the NFL among rookie rushers. Gary started the final 12 games for the injured Davis and rushed for a rookie franchise-record 1,159 yards with 7 TDs.

2000 – Mike Anderson, an undrafted free agent who was 3rd on the depth chart to start the season, is called upon in September to take over as the team’s starting RB. In 12 starts, he rushed for a franchise rookie record of 1,487 yards (4th best season in franchise history) with 15 TDs en route to winning the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

2002 – Clinton Portis, the team’s 2nd round draft pick who had only nine carries for 46 yards through two games, bursts onto the scene to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award by rushing for 1508 yards and scoring 17 total TDs.

In addition to having a good line and usually an effective passing game to help the run, Denver’s version of the West Coast Offense puts a premium on the run and usually does so at the goal. Davis‘ 13, 15, and 21 rushing TDs from 1996-1998 and Anderson and Portis‘ 15 rushing TDs in 2000 and 2002 give evidence to this.

Finally, Denver also has a fine stable of receivers in Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey, Ashley Lelie, and TE Shannon Sharpe. And while QB Jake Plummer hasn’t had a distinguished career up until this point, he’s still a dynamic QB who has a chance to show a marked improvement in much better situation in Denver.

#3 – Because if you need five, he’ll get you six

Say you’re down by one point with two minutes go in Monday night’s game, the final game of the week. You know your RB is likely to get only one more carry, and he has to get you five yards or else you’ll lose that week. Whom would you like to have going for you? Ricky Williams? Marshall Faulk? We’d take Portis, who plays bigger than he is, and is strong for his size. Between his excellent vision, his slipperiness, his quickness and ability to make people miss, and the fact that he hits the hole hard and always seems to fall forward at the end of his runs, Portis is very hard to stop for little gain or stuff for no gain.

#2 – Because he’s effective near the goal

When the 2002 season began, it was assumed that FB Mike Anderson would be a factor in short yardage situations near the goal. Not the case, though, as Portis proved to be just as effective from close range as, amazingly, Terrell Davis was in his heyday. Of Portis’ 15 rushing TDs, 11 of them came from inside the 10-yard line, with many coming inside the 5 (he scored TDs of 1, 2, 1, 4, 1, 9, 8, 3, 1, 2, and 4 yards). Portis is effective near the goal for many of the reasons listed above – his team’s quality line, his slipperiness, his vision and quickness to the hole, and his ability to play bigger than he is. There’s no reason to believe any of that will change in 2003.

#1 – Because speed kills

Portis did score most of his TDs from short range, but he also busted off TD runs of 43 and 66 yards. As Portis told us in the interview – and we can definitely back that up from watching a lot of him in 2002 – he just missed busting off several long runs. As a receiver, Portis caught 33 passes, which isn’t a bad total for a rookie back who didn’t play much the first month of the season. Portis isn’t a natural pass catcher, but he’s a dangerous receiver because of his moves and speed in the open field. You can bet that the Broncos plan to try to throw him the ball in open space and see what he can do. Our guess is that he has at least 5-6 long catch-and-runs in 2003.

With a little more experience, Portis should be able to take full advantage of his great speed. The results, considering how effective he was last year without busting off many long runs, could be scary.

The Portis File

Clinton Earl Portis was born in Laurel, Mississippi, on September 1, 1981. A three-year starter at Gainesville (Fla.) High School, he was a USA Today Honorable Mention All-American, while setting school records for rushing yards by a senior (2,036). That same year, Portis scored 26 TDs and also saw action at DB, where he had 79 tackles. He was also named Florida's #4 High School RB on the Florida Times-Union’s Super 75, was rated the 39th-best player on the Tampa Tribune’s Florida Top 50, and was a first-team all-state, all-region, and all-area selection. Portis was a standout in track and field, as part of a state-record 4x100-meter relay team (40.8) and a state champion 4x400-meter relay team.

A business major at Miami, Portis finished his career with the Hurricanes with 440 carries for 2,523 yards (5.7 avg.) and 20 TDs, trailing only Edgerrin James and Otis Anderson on Miami's all-time rushing list. He rushed for 100 yards or more 14 times in his career, tying James for the school record. He entered the NFL draft after a junior season in which he rushed for 1,200 yards, while helping Miami to an undefeated season and a national championship with a win in the Rose Bowl over Nebraska. Portis was recognized for his accomplishments with first-team All-Big East honors and third-team All-America consideration from the Associated Press. While at Miami, Portis played with NFL players such as Jeremy Shockey, Bubba Franks, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Bryant McKinnie, Najeh Davenport, and James Jackson as well as notable incoming NFL freshman Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson, and Ken Dorsey.