Rome on the Portis/Bailey Deal

On Rome is Burning tonight, Rome was all over the Broncos for trading Portis away. Two 1500 yard seasons and a potential 2000 yard season in the future and you can't pay him? On NFL total access they said about the same: shut down corner is nice but a guy touching the ball 20-30 times a game at 5.5 yards a carry is nicer!

Well how bout champ for mike anderson he's rushed for 1500, is he an elite back? I don't believe you can judge a back in a conventional sense running in the bronco system, it's like trying to judge a hitter playing for the rockies they are star's in colorado but also-ran's everywhere else.

Do people think about the possibility that the Broncos are good at evaluating running back talent?

But if you want more evidence of the extraordinary rare talent of Clinton Portis:

From Dave Krieger in Rocky Mountain News:

"But back to Shanahan's argument that he can get 1,500 yards out of anyone he sticks back there. The year Anderson ran for 1,487 yards, the Broncos had a scary passing game, ranked third in the league. Last year, the Broncos' passing game scared only their own fans. Sharpe and Ed McCaffrey are at or very near the end of the line. Rod Smith remains an excellent player, but he, too, is getting on.

The passing game was ranked 22nd in the league last season. The running game, with Portis, was second. Portis was the offense.

It's not his total yards so much as the average - 5.5 yards per carry - that tells you Portis is one of a kind. Of the top 20 rushers in NFL history, only two averaged 5 yards a carry - Brown (5.2) and Sanders (5.0)."

Mortenson said on ESPN, that everything should be offical by the end of the working day Friday, hey thats today.

I'm curious to see if a #2 is in the works. Shanihan seems upset with Porits, maybe Cerrato will smell that and withdraw the 2nd. I'd be ok with a 3rd next year, I just think we need to fill a hole this year!

As much as I hate to throw away next year's picks, I'd much rather give them a #2 or #3 next year than a pick this year.

Also keep in mind Portis ran for over 1500 yards last year despite missing 3 games. He definitely has 2000 yard potential.

Portis is clearly not a "system" back. Everyone knew coming out of college he had this sort of potential, but since he doesn't have that prototypical size of 6-0, 220 that every team wants he slipped down. The Broncos loss will be our gain.

I agree that if we are going to trade away a pick, it should be next year's. There's a lot of talent still going to be available high in the 2nd.

I'm looking forward to seeing Portis as a Redskin though.

Some seem to think that The Denver Post first reported the #2and it may not necessarily be true. We'll see.

As much as I hate to throw away next year's picks, I'd much rather give them a #2 or #3 next year than a pick this year.

Sadly, the rule of thumb for GM's in trades is a second round this year is a first round next year. If a team wants a player in a specific round enough, they'll mortgage the future to get him.