The Portis Interview: Director's Cut

So Clinton Portis obviously had some interesting things to say in the story we ran in this morning's paper. That wasn't all he said, though. He was in a very talkative mood.

Here is some other free-flowing stuff from your favorite tailback, some Portis out-takes:

How have you changed as a person and a back since you came to Washington?:

"As a back, I've changed to basically doing what's asked of me," Portis said. "Coming in here, being used to daylight and big runs and high expectations, and feeling prepared to change the organization around and carry the organization, and all of a sudden it didn't work that way, for whatever reason, and all of a sudden you have to take that criticism. Of course you become blamed, but at the same time, I felt like I put in the work. It wasn't like I didn't show up for work. You look back over every game I've played in since I've been here, whether I had the yards or not, you can't sit here and tell me I didn't give you everything I had on the field.

"I think I was running into some brick walls. I ran into some of them full speed. It wasn't like I laid down and all of a sudden, 'No, I can't do this.' I tried. I think trying and always giving all the maximum effort that I can give, you're going to take your criticism and everybody's going to be hard, and all of a sudden you don't do this, you don't do that.

"But my status as far as consistency in the NFL, I've accomplished something that is not easily accomplished. With the exception of the year that I got hurt, all of my campaigns been fine years for another back. For a Marion Barber, that would be great. But for Clinton Portis, it's sub-par. I think it's just unfair , uh I really think it's unfair to have hard work overlooked due to circumstances.

"Since I've been here we haven't played with the line that was expected for us to have. We've lost Randy Thomas and Jon Jansen, or had makeshift [lines], had to plug in this lineman or get somebody last-minute. We've always shuffled our line-up, shuffled our quarterbacks. We really haven't had the same starting receivers. So as far as constant, I've been the only constant in the Washington Redskins, along with Chris Samuels and Chris Cooley. Other than that, everything else has been shuffled."

Here, he took a breath. One question, more than three minutes, 30 seconds. I asked him if it was fair or unfair that people get caught up in the numbers, the stats. He said some of the things that were in the story -- that sometimes 80 yards can be the toughest 80 yards possible. He went on:
"It's part of the game. It's being involved in the game. When your role changed, and you're used to hitting home runs, home runs, and they ask you to become a singles hitter, and you want to slap it out of the park, what do you say? 'No, I'm a home run hitter.' Or do you do what they ask you do to for the team? They want me to hit home runs, but every now and then you got to get a single, get on base first. Then we get a home run, or try and help someone else drive you in. So knowing the role reversal, of course we all want home runs, but I'm not going to say I didn't miss some opportunities over the last five, six years to have a home run. But [shoot], it was hard to come by those opportunities. And all of a sudden it'd pop up, and you miss it. That one time that you miss it, it don't come back."

Keep in mind, too, that Portis never said he wanted to be traded. He just said he thought it'd be interesting if he could run behind a different line with different players around him for one week to see what the results would be. Because he said that, I asked him whether he wished he hadn't been traded from Denver, which is renowned for its consistent offensive line play. He said flatly no, and there's a quote about that in the story. But he was more expansive.

"I think being here made me appreciate having Shannon Sharpe or Rod Smith or Ed McCaffrey as a teammate, or being able to watch an Al Wilson go out and play football -- people who really love the game and played the game the way it was supposed to be played. And then all of a sudden you come and you ask to be the leader, you ask to be the focal point, you ask to take the hits and be the person that everything going to always fall down to you. So I always said it's not about, well, as the focal point, you asked to lead, you asked to carry, you asked to guide newcomers. You asked to pull in a Devin Thomas and try to get him on the right road, to guide a Marcus Mason, who got all the talent in the world, to teach him how to become a complete back, to understand it's more than running the ball."

He also said that he believes these Redskins have more talent than he played with during his two seasons in Denver. And he also showed a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

"People don't want to see me do good. Everybody wants [to say], 'Oh, he's getting paid too much and not producing. He ain't went to the Pro Bowl. He ain't [this or that]. Well, as an organization, we only had three people go to the Pro Bowl.

"If you really pay attention and watch us play, there's a lot of us should have been in the Pro Bowl because we played hard. We played football the way it's supposed to be played. You can't tell me London Fletcher shouldn't have been in the Pro Bowl. Three middle linebackers better than London Fletcher? Or a Sean Taylor over his career. There was another safety better than him? Or LaRon Landry coming up? You telling me there's four safeties in the NFL better than him? No.

"I would be a fool to believe that. For myself, yeah, other people had wonder years. But the consistency, every year, you know what I'm going to give you. It's not going to be a major dropoff. I'm going to give you what I got, every year. No matter what our record is, I'm going to be that constant."

Last thing (though we could probably go on forever): I pointed out that his contract is through 2010, essentially three more seasons. I asked him if he embraced that or he was frustrated about it (given what he had said earlier). He gets to some interesting stuff about leadership and team dynamics.

"I'm past the frustration point," Portis said, "because in frustration, you can't go out and make others do something. I can only do my job. And you know, I think within the organization, they can see I do my job. I can't control other people's jobs. This team, with the talent we have -- we never had this kind of talent in Denver. So the talent that we have here is phenomenal.

"When I was in Denver, there was three players getting a lot of money -- Brian Griese, Trevor Pryce, John Mobley. But you come to this organization, you got six of the highest-paid players on offense. You got five of the highest-paid players on defense. So it's kind of hard when you got 11 players making that much money, and then you got a guy such as James Thrash or Rock Cartwright not making that kind of money who's really the leaders of this team.

"I would love to feel and say I'm the leader of the Washington Redskins. On Sunday, I am. On a day-to-day, Monday-to-Saturday [basis], I'm not, because Rock Cartwright work harder than I do, James Thrash work harder than I do, David Patten -- who's now with the New Orleans Saints -- worked harder than I did. Santana Moss worked harder than I do. Chris Cooley ain't never missed a practice since I been here. [Note: He was speaking Wednesday, before Cooley had to miss that day's practice.] So do I say, 'Put me in the front and let me lead?' On Sunday, yeah, I say that, because there's not one of those guys who I feel work harder than me. But on Monday through Saturday, when the leadership role is really requested, I'm not. That's not me."

(washingtonpost.com)