Redskins: Portis changes approach

Clinton Portis used to take football for granted. He tolerated training camp and ignored the preseason.

Not anymore.

Twelve days shy of his 27th birthday, Portis has a new approach to football - and not just because the Washington Redskins reworked his contract to ensure he would attend the offseason conditioning program and organized team activities.

"I don't think reworking my contract made me be here," the running back said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with The Washington Times. "It was the idea of wanting to be here. Maybe I've got five or six years left in me. Can I sacrifice partying and traveling for five or six years to focus on what I got to do, get where I want to get and secure my money? When I hit 32 or 33, I can travel wherever I want and go to any party I want to."

Portis said the shooting death of college and Redskins teammate Sean Taylor in November also changed his outlook about his job and his role in Washington.

"When you lose a Sean Taylor that quick - a guy who gave everything he had to football and who sat next to me every day when I [came] here - and semi-take football for granted," Portis said. "My outlook is totally different. I put football into higher regard. I don't take it for granted. I take it as an opportunity to go out and make people happy.

"You didn't know how many people Sean touched until he was gone. And he was really never a fan or media favorite like I've been. You never really know who you touch or how many people look up to you. You never know whose day you're making."

After a pair of 1,500-yard seasons for the Denver Broncos, Portis came to Washington in 2004 in a trade for All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey and a second-round draft pick.

After a subpar debut season with his new club, Portis eclipsed the team rushing record with 1,513 yards and led the Redskins to the playoffs in 2005. Portis missed half of the 2006 season because of injuries. He led the NFL with 325 carries last season, but he averaged 3.9 yards a carry behind a line that lacked its starters on the right side almost all year.

Despite the tumult during his four years in Washington, Portis ranks in or near the top five among active players in carries, yards and touchdowns. The only backs ahead of him in all three categories are San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson and Cincinnati's Rudi Johnson.

"If you think about the consistent backs, you got LaDainian, Brian Westbrook, Edgerrin James, Fred Taylor and myself," Portis said. "As long as my town and my teammates support me, I know I'm doing right. Those are the people who see me weekly. The national people see me every now and then. They don't see the grind, what I'm going through."

Portis didn't endure much of a grind the past four summers. He carried 20 times in the 2004 preseason, 11 in 2005 and once in 2006 before he separated a shoulder making a tackle in the preseason opener. Portis sprained a knee the first Monday of camp last year and didn't play at all in the preseason.

This year, Portis carried seven times against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 9, and he and the starters are scheduled to play the first half Saturday against the Carolina Panthers. That means he could come close to matching his workload of the previous four summers combined this preseason.

The player who shunned preseason under former coach Joe Gibbs has become just another soldier, albeit an elite one.

"I don't think he's marching to his own drummer," running backs coach Stump Mitchell said. "He's fallen into line and doing the things we're asking him to. He understands what we're expecting of him, and he's giving us the effort."

Portis is proud he has been on the field every day since camp began July 20.

"Step 1 is accomplished," Portis said. "I made it a personal goal to be on that field every day no matter what. ... I can be better than ever. The excitement about football, the want-to-be-better is there. I won't say it was missing, but I had to fight through things. ...

"Seeing Art Monk and Darrell Green getting inducted, Darrell's over here all the time. Knowing he came from these grounds and he's in the Hall of Fame, all of sudden it comes close to home. If I stay on track, I could be there. If I could duplicate my first six years in my next six years, I'll be great."

(washingtontimes.com)