Portis Gives Hoo-Rah Talks

A week ago, Clinton Portis was asked whether he was becoming a more vocal leader. He seemed to say that no, he was not.

"We've got twenty people walking around the locker room with 'Hoo-rah' talks," he said. "You know, pumping guys up saying, 'let's do it, we can do it baby.' It's Week 3. I don't think it takes a hoo-rah talk, I don't think it takes pumping up a guy."

And then Week 4 comes around, and what do you know, there was Clinton Portis on the sideline, walking around and giving Hoo-rah talks. I mean, what gives?

"Pretty much it was the energy," Portis explained today on ESPN 980's John Thompson Show. "I think our energy level been down. And having the opportunity to get guys into the game, to encourage guys, I think that was our talk before the game, just encouraging guys that no matter what, stick with it and let's go out and play team ball. Every time somebody came off the field or while the defense was on the field, trying to be into the game, congratulating guys for making plays, getting stuff done. I think it was just up to me just to keep guys into the game and hoping that it picked up."

Thompson asked if that was unusual behavior for Portis, and the back confirmed that yes, it was.

"I think my normal demeanor is more sitting over to the side, relaxing," he said. "I think people began to feed off that demeanor, and all of the sudden everybody's to the side relaxing. So it was pretty much just trying to find a way to get guys into the game, to keep guys believing and to let 'em know, if we make a mistake, it don't matter. We're gonna go out and we're still gonna get it done."

If that's not a Hoo-rah talk, then I've never heard one. Actually, I don't think I have ever heard one. My editor sure as heck never gives us Hoo-rah talks, although he occasionally provides donuts.

But wait! There's more! Turns out Larry Michael also noticed the Hoo-rah talks, and took a break from his full-time job as media critic to ask Portis about his demeanor during the post-game coverage.

"Man, we just needed the energy," Portis told the radio crew. "I think overall our energy in our first three games has been lackadaisical. You know, we get behind and everybody get down. I think it was just the energy level, to get it up, no matter what was going on, to continue. I told the guys before, no matter what happens, egg on the guys. Don't walk past a man that's on the field, everybody up and keep fighting."

So let that be a lesson to you in your own place of employment. Egg on your colleagues. Don't be off to the side, relaxing. Give Hoo-rah talks. They work, people.

(Here was the other best Portis bit, when he was asked where the pressure on this team is coming from.

"I think probably the locker room most definitely, because I think every guy in the locker room know that we're capable of being better and playing better than we're showing," he said. "[Also] of course the fans and the media. When your fans booing, you can't help but hear it. And at the same time, every media outlet that you see or get in touch with is against us, you know, Fail to the Redskins, The Redskins Suck. Yeah, we're 2-2, a lot of teams sitting in the same position right now. I think we control our destiny and we've got the opportunity to do something special, and that's what we've got to do. We can't worry about the pressure from outside, we've just got to keep from exploding inside."

I actually did see the large "Fail to the Redskins" headline in The Post. I can only guess that means The Times went with "The Redskins Suck.")



(washigtonpost.com)