Listen to the Interview here
So we officially have a chemistry problem. Clinton
Portis unloaded on Jim Zorn during today's John
Thompson Show appearance, over and over again. He
swore, he suggested maybe he should go on the injured
reserve, he offered to become a cheerleader, and he
said this, when asked what adjustments should be made.
"We got a genius for a head coach, I don't know, I'm
sure he on top of things. He's got everything figured
out. Hey, that's up to him. All I can do is when he
calls a play is go out and try to execute to the best
of my ability."
And then later, on the big picture, he had this to say:
"I don't know where it went wrong, all I know is it's
going wrong. So, you know, maybe I'm the problem. Maybe
I'm the problem since I don't practice, since I'm the
only person that don't practice and come out and play
and try to give it what I've got, maybe I'm the
problem. So I might need to be on IR."
Zorn's response, an hour later, to Portis's claims that
he was benched?
"Well, any time you don't go in, that's the way you
feel," Zorn said. "And he is a big part of our offense
and he's sitting on the bench, he's got to feel like
he's benched, I don't blame him for that."
And Zorn on the IR question: "No, I think he's gotten
himself healthy, I think he felt a lot better after
this game and I'm looking forward to having him out
there on every snap, practicing [and] getting ready for
the Cincinnati Bengals so we can use him as our every
down back."
And lastly, Zorn on the practice issue: "It wasn't that
we weren't getting the running ability, he was doing
great things, his effort was high. He would tell you
this and I agree with him wholeheartedly, that when he
is playing the game he's giving you his best effort and
I've said this over and over again, he's very wicked on
the playing field, he's what you want....Each week I
felt like in certain parts of the game he was getting
out on routes but it wasn't exact and quick. And I
thought, 'ok here's an opportunity for us to get Ladell
in, who HAS practiced.' And he knows it just because
he's rehearsed it and rehearsed it. I think [Portis is]
a confident player and he would believe he can do it
without reps, I just made the decision not to give him
that chance.
More Portis quotes:
On his coaches: "If my coaches don't
feel like I can get it done, put me on the sidelines.
You feel like I can help this team, put me on the
field, and that's all I've got to say about it....I
don't have to confront them. They know what they've
got. They know what's standing on the sideline. Five
weeks ago, three weeks ago, four weeks ago when I'm
sitting first in the NFL and all of the sudden we don't
run the ball no more? I'm hurt, and that's why we ain't
running it? Cmon. You [kidding] me?"
On the lines of communication: "It
ain't lack of communication with me because that's some
BS to go out and say I don't know what's going on. When
have I missed a meeting? Let me start missing meetings.
Let me not come out and practice, let me sit my ass in
the training room if I don't know what's going on. What
am I standing outside for?"
On being benched: "You know, London
Fletcher played in the game and didn't practice all
week. All of the sudden it gets aggravating to [see me]
standing on the sideline and you see me step into
something and pick it up and understand what's going
on. I haven't missed a meeting, I haven't missed a
practice. I'm outside, I hear everything everybody else
hears. It kind of shocked me too, but hey that's what
the man said. You go back and watch film, I guarantee
you won't see me make no mistakes. Maybe he's watching
a different film than me."
On his understanding of the situation:
"If it's an issue with me, you tell me that. Outside of
Jim Zorn and the coaches on that team and maybe the
quarterbacks, I guarantee you I know our system better
than anybody else, I guarantee when we go over blitz
pickups I don't miss my man. I don't know what it is,
bro. If anybody got a problem with me, they need to
talk to me. I don't know whats going on."
On his plans: "I'm gonna go out there
and try to make sure I don't get hurt and I'll make
sure I get out in every pass route. If my man ain't
coming, I ain't chipping nobody, I ain't doing nothing
I ain't supposed to do. I'm gonna get out in my pass
route and that's where I'll be. If somebody else give
up a sack or anything else, that's on them."
On communication: "Hey, they don't
tell me nothing. They don't have to answer to me bro.
One day it's fun, it's nice, you smile, you happy for
me, you appreciate the way I play on the field, you
just wish I would practice. If I could practice, I'd
practice. If my injuries weren't legit than the
training room wouldn't hold me out, they'd have me on
the field. I think people get caught up into the
conversation of the media but then tell you not to get
caught up into the conversation....
"I go out there and give it everything I've got. If I
can run through the week I'd practice, if I can't then
I ain't. And I'm not gonna force myself to go onto a
field and do something crazy, and then all of the
sudden I'm out. What I need to be around for is Sundays
and that's what I try to be around for. So I mean, if
you've got a problem with me not practicing and can't
do it that way, maybe you feel like you need to sever
ties, split ties with me? Split ties with me. But don't
sit here and throw me out like I don't pay attention,
like I don't know what's going on, like I'm making
mistakes, I'm the problem. You know, so, it is what it
is, bro."
On his blocking assignments: "You
know, one day it's chip on your way out, then if you
don't chip and you get out and the quarterback gets
sacked it's like, 'Oh, you need to help this man out.'
So they don't know what they want. They want you to
chip, they want you to block, Jason's on his ass all
game long, you're trying to stay in and help, and then
it's, 'Oh, you should have gone out, they was coming to
you.'
"I've been wide open, they don't come to me. But then
he over there and came free and he done got the wind
knocked out of him from getting sacked and getting hit
in the back, then it's, 'Aw man you've got to help out,
you've got to chip.' So you know, I don't think they
know what they want me to do. You know, when things
going good you're getting praised. I don't know if
people getting aggravated with me getting attention. I
don't know what it is."
On how he'd like to be used: "Hey,
bro, it ain't rocket science how to use me. They can
figure that out. If they want to put the ball in my
hands I can try to help the team win. They don't I'll
try to do whatever I can. If I need to cheer Ladell on,
I'll cheer Ladell on. I'm not gonna be bitter about the
situation. I think Ladell went int and made some big
plays. When he came off to the sideline I was the first
one sitting there to talk with him about what I seen,
which wasn't much, but I think he did a hell of a job."
On his health: "I'm fine. I'm totally
healthy after not playing against Baltimore. So the
good thing about it is I'll be at practice tomorrow."