Portis and the Denver System Revisited

[SmootSmack]

Yeah I guess there is a bit of a similarity between the Jags and Skins, in that the defense is carrying the team

If Skins fans think the Washington offense is having problems they should see the Jags. I still think both teams will do well though

And Fred Taylor remains my favorite non-Redskin in the league

[la73hof]

Im glad you dont have their front 4 because your back 7 have been playing very well

Marcus Washington, not Arrington, is the best player on your defense

[44Dive]

Well it looks like I am in the minority here. I didn't like the Portis trade...especially the second round pick we are giving up. I watched Portis do NOTHING against a tough defense like the Ravens...and have not really been a big fan. I would have loved for the Skins to have picked up LaMont Jordan...a big quick smash mouth back more in line with what we are accustomed to from a Gibbs offense.
I think we gave up too much for a back who won't be able to last the season.
Oh...this is my first posting and I want to say hello to all my fellow Skin Fans.
44Dive

[SmootSmack]

Welcome to the board 44Dive!

What makes you say Portis won't be able to last the season?

[That Guy]

champ didn't want to be here, so i don't want him here ... my biggest complaint on the offseason is overpaying brunell and our D-line beyond their talent...

[memphisskin]

Overpaying is Snyder's standard MO, he's lived for the spotlight since he bought the team and signing guys to big deals gets you on the news.

I think the deal with Denver is win-win, and will prove out to be just that. Is Portis the guy who's going to stick his nose in there and grind out the tough yards? No, but that's not why you get a player like Clinton Portis. And you don't bring back a Joe Gibbs to get the reincarnation of John Riggins, otherwise we would have traded for Mike Alstott instead of Portis. You get Portis because he has the ability to change a game every time he touches the ball. You bring back Joe Gibbs because he brings credibility and hopefully stability to the Skins in a time when we are woefully short on the former and in desparate need of the latter.

Portis will definitely last the season, he's a football player and last I checked we signed him to play football. And he misses any time, then we've got players in place who can step up, hopefully. The thing about Gibbs is that there is a method to his madness, he runs inside to set up the counter, he runs the counter to set up the play action, he runs motion to dictate matchups to the defense. Joe Gibbs is like Shaq, toilet paper and toothpaste, he's been proven to be effective.

Gibbs will right the ship, and our own runaway expectations will have to be more in line with reality. I want the Skins in the playoffs just as much as anyone else, but the playoffs don't start this weekend.

[la73hof]

Originally Posted by Ramseyfan

I happen to believe that Portis is one of the league's best backs. But if you do not believe that the Denver system makes backs look damn good, you are in denial and need help.

Well, this is my intervention. The formerly-Alex Gibbs-coached Denver line makes Quentin Griffin, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Terrell Davis and just about every other back look awesome. Sure Terrell Davis and Clinton Portis were/are both great backs, but there's no doubt that the system made them really shine.

Portis averaged just 3.0 yards per carry (excluding that awesome 64-yard cut back for the TD) last week. Many said, you can't take away the 64-yard TD run. True enough, he got it, he's good, end of story as far as that week's stats are concerned. BUT, taking away the 64-yard run was useful in examining how good the run-blocking really was and how quick Clinton was in hitting those holes.

Many then said, well, it was Tampa Bay's defense that limited Portis. Okay, well then, why was it that the Giants defense limited him to less than 70 yards and a 3.5 yards-per-carry average? The Giants defense has not been a powerhouse in awhile and the Eagles had a pretty easy time running ball in Week 1.

To give you some perspective, Troy Hambrick fared better last year in his ypc than Portis did last week against the G-men (or against the Bucs if you take away the 64-yarder). The running game is stinking up the stadiums and needs to improve for Gibbs to be successful.

For those of you who are about to have a sh-t-fit, take a deep breath. I know that Portis is great, I know that Bugel will shore up the run-blocking, and I know that it's only week 2. But, if you are not a little concerned about Portis' low ypc stat, Portis' apparent slowness in hitting the holes (when they exist), and the poor run-blocking, you should be.

I borrowed this from a Cowboys board and it describes what I have preached to a "T"

Inside the Numbers... C.Portis analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Portis has the barry sanders effect on his team... the majority of his runs are for low yardage totals, with a big run or 2 a game. not exactly what you want out of your RB. He does make some big runs but certianly not worht Champ Baily + a second rounder IMHO.

Game1:
3 or less yards: 20 rushes
4+ yards: 10 rushes
Game2:
3 or less yards: 13 rushes
4+ 7 rushes

Game1
64,21,16,9,7,7,5,5,5,4,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,2,2,2,1,1,1,1 ,0,0,0,-1,-2,-4,,

minus: 3
0-3: 17
4-10: 7
10+: 3

167 on 30 carries - 5.5 yards per rush

Game2
21,11,8,6,5,5,4,3,3,2,2,2,1,1,1,1,1,0,-2,-1,
minus: 2
0-3: 11
4-10: 5
10+: 2

74 yards on 20 carries 3.7 yards per rush\


Totals:

50 rushes for 241 yards
minus: 5
0-3 : 28
4-10: 12
10+ 5

[la73hof]

66% of Portis' rushes have resulted in negative plays to 3 yards

[MTK]

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

so true Matty, so true....it's not often you hear the "sanders effect" being bad on a team

[That Guy]

in game 1 he was running out the clock those last 8 or so snaps, and since we don't have a huge passing game right now everyone's bringing 8-9 into the box, and with an O-line that isn't run blocking as well as it could right now...

his numbers are fine, but until we get a passing game going, it'll be tougher, but even with stacked boxes he got 148 yards in a game.

ricky williams had the same problem, everyone stacked against him and his ypc went down, that's life... if you think champ/trung is better than springs/portis though, you're completely insane trung was next to worthless, the step from champ to springs isn't as big as portis to trung, not even close.

that analysis is just a failure to see the big picture and getting too focused on numbers... portis will put up many more points than champ would prevent, and trung would not have been worth anything in a run heavy offense... not to mention talk about how portis isn't what you want in an RB coming from a fan of the boys (who start freaking eddie george) doesn't really mean much to me

and you forgot to add in his pass plays i believe, as well as the runs that were touchdowns (if a 1 yarder is a TD, then you can't really do much better and those plays need to be marked...)

[Daseal]

I think we need to cater to Portis' style a bit better. Portis is not really a between the tackle type guy. Let's seal the outside and let him use his speed and moves to make his oppurtunities. This won't allow us to run the ball as many times a game, at least not with a single back, but it will give Portis a better chance to do what he's good at. I'm not suggesting sweeps for every play, but between the tackles isn't his forte.

[That Guy]

daseal, i totally agree... he's shown what he's good at, lets give him what he needs to be as successful as possible... hopefully the coaches have already thought of this though

[SmootSmack]

You're right Daseal. I also think we should start playing Betts some more, use him for the between the tackles running. And what about Rock and Chad? Why don't we use them out of the backfield as well?

[That Guy]

if they can block, try dual backs TE and a couple WRs, thats a lot of threats to cover...