Sooner or later, Portis's health must be addressed

Obviously, the health of running back Clinton Portis should be the Redskins' top concern. It was unsettling to watch Portis lay on the Georgia Dome field after suffering a concussion early during the 31-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and it would be wise for him to sit out for some time because of the head injury.

Portis's situation, however, renews immediate and long-term questions about the state of the Redskins' running game. It was clear from the start of training camp that Portis was not in top condition, according to some in the organization who requested anonymity because of Portis's high standing with management. And during the first eight games, Portis simply did not display the burst and sharpness on his cuts he did last season.

Prompted by concerns about Portis's performance, in large part, the Redskins at one point made the highly unusual move of carrying five running backs on the 53-man roster. With 790 yards in eight games, the Redskins rank 24th in the league in rushing. Their 4.0-yard average is tied for 21st in the NFL.

In fairness to Portis and Washington's other running backs, the patchwork offensive line has been in disarray since right guard Randy Thomas and Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels suffered season-ending injuries. But Portis missed holes at the start of the season when Samuels and Thomas were in the lineup together, albeit briefly.

Of course, every running back misses holes. No one is perfect. But some of Portis's teammates believe his performance in Washington has suffered because of his poor practice habits. That's not my opinion; it's the opinion of people with whom he works.

And there was the Mike Sellers incident. Players privately still criticize Portis for attempting to have Sellers demoted during a 16-13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Portis had the right to express his opinion about Sellers's blocking, players said. It was not cool, however, for Portis to go to coaches in an effort to have Sellers removed from the game.

Portis has rushed for 494 yards (he has a 4.0-yard average) and has scored one touchdown. During the loss to the Falcons, backup Ladell Betts displayed a burst rarely seen in Washington's rushing attack the last 16 games while producing a team-high 70 yards on 15 carries (a 4.7-yard average) and scoring his first touchdown. Betts tied Portis and punter Hunter Smith for the team lead in rushing touchdowns.

Betts is a hard worker, and coaches rewarded him for his dedication in naming him the third-down back out of training camp. Betts would become the primary back as long as Portis is sidelined, Coach Jim Zorn said.

"Ladell will start if Clinton can't go," Zorn said the other day. "There's still a chance Clinton can go, but I think it's doubtful. That's a 25 percent chance."

Against the Falcons, Betts provided the spark the Redskins have sought most of the season. At 30, however, Betts is not a long-term answer.

Portis is 28. He has a lot of mileage on him after all those carries and yards over the years, and the Redskins owe him a lot of money next season. Most of his base salary of nearly $7.2 million is guaranteed, and he also is due roster and workout bonuses totaling more than $507,000.

Clearly, with the way Portis slowed down in the second half last season (he rushed for at least 80 yards only twice in the final eight games in 2008) at that stage of his career, the Redskins should have selected a running back high in the draft. But Washington traded its second-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in the Jason Taylor trade - the Redskins also gave the Dolphins their sixth-round pick in the 2010 draft - and its fourth-round pick to the New York Jets in the Pete Kendall deal.

Philadelphia Eagles all-pro back Brian Westbrook is the second to none as an all-purpose runner. But the Eagles at the end of last season determined Westbrook, 30, was getting to that point for running backs, and they needed to begin thinking about the future. With the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the draft, the Eagles selected back LeSean McCoy from Pittsburgh.

In Week 7, Westbrook suffered a concussion in Philadelphia's 27-17 victory over the Redskins at FedEx Field. McCoy started and scored on a 66-yard touchdown run the next week in Philadelphia's 40-17 victory over the New York Giants. He had 99 total yards from scrimmage in Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. McCoy has 348 yards rushing on 83 carries (a 4.2-yard average) and 20 receptions for 163 yards.

In next April's draft, the Redskins hold picks in the first, second, fourth, fifth and seventh rounds. Washington has major needs along the offensive line, and the team might finally have to address their running back situation, one way or another.



(washigtonpost.com)