Clinton Portis rooting for Alfred Morris to break his record

Alfred Morris is on pace for 1511 rushing yards this season. Clinton Portis holds the franchise record for single-season rushing yards, at 1516. Seems likely that this will go down to the wire.

But Portis said he hopes his record falls at the hands, or feet, maybe, of the 6th-round pick from Florida Atlantic.

“I’m actually rooting for him,” Portis told Holden Kushner and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 The Fan. “In my eyes, records are kind of meant to be broken. And just to even have the luxury of having it [was meaningful]. I think Alfred Morris is a class act, a young guy who came in and handled things properly and did it the right way. You never really hear him boast and brag about his accomplishments. And I think a lot of it is overshadowed by the great play of RGIII, but I think what they’re doing as complimentary players to one another is great for the city.”

Morris’s 1,322 yards this season are already seventh-highest for a Redskin — the only men who have gone higher are Portis, Stephen Davis, Terry Allen and John Riggins. The rookie is averaging 4.7 yards pe carry, second-highest among the 15 best rushing seasons in Redskins history. And he’s averaging 94.4 yards per game, the fifth-highest total in franchise history.

“I just see him as a tough runner,” Portis said. “I never really compared him to me, just watching him, being a fan of his and the way he carries himself, being a fan of his and seeing how hard he runs, and the determination. The first guy never tackles him. And you never really see him fall backwards. He finishes with his shoulders down, head upfield, and kind of welcomes the contact. And I think it takes a tough runner to do that. A lot of guys, they end up facemask turned all the way and everything else. So when you watch this guy, and how he’s filling in along with RGIII and how they’re playing together, as well as the rest of the guys on the team, it just looks good.”

And yes, I only typed all those words as an excuse to use the image above, which was featured during Comcast SportsNet’s pregame show on Sunday.


(washingtonpost.com)