Portis on concussion, playcalling, team's heart and soul

Redskins running back Clinton Portis, scheduled to miss his third straight game Sunday at Philadelphia because of a concussion suffered Nov. 8 in Atlanta, said he still struggles with blurred vision when he moves his head quickly, but he hopes to play again Dec. 6 against New Orleans.

During his weekly appearance on "The John Thompson Show" on ESPN980, Portis said he has seen six or seven doctors and passed a battery of tests, but won't play until his vision is back to normal.

"My vision, just sitting still, it's fine," Portis said. "Moving is when now and then it's blurry. I can sit still and read everything you put up in front of me, but when you move me, shake my head around, that's where my blurriness comes in and we [are] having the focus issues."

Portis touched on a number of topics during the interview, appearing befuddled by the Redskins' play-calling structure and saying the organization "always go[es] the difficult route for everything we do." He said he did not know until last week, when he heard Coach Jim Zorn speak about the system in a press conference, that offensive consultant Sherman Lewis called the team's passing plays while offensive coordinator Sherman Smith called the running plays. Co-host Rick "Doc" Walker, a former Redskins tight end, asked Portis if he had ever heard of such a structure.

"I never have, man, but that's the NFL," Portis said. "That's the Washington Redskins. We somehow, some way, we're going to make things harder. Everything's going to be exposed. ...

"If you look at us play, it's hard to find our identity. I don't even know our bread-and-butter plays. I can't go and tell you, 'This is our bread and butter. Whenever it's on the line, this is what we're going to call.' "

With Portis out again against the Eagles, and backup Ladell Betts now done for the year with torn knee ligaments, special teams captain Rock Cartwright will start in Philadelphia. Cartwright gained 67 yards on 13 carries and caught seven passes for 73 yards in Sunday's 7-6 loss at Dallas.

"I think everybody on our team know who the heart and soul of the Washington Redskins is, and that's Rock Cartwright," Portis said. " ... Once [wide receiver James] Thrash retired, the man of the Washington Redskins, the mascot, the player that you look for to say, 'That's the Redskins,' is Rock Cartwright.

"He go out on special teams, he gives you everything you got day in, day out. He's going to be a vocal leader. He [is] gonna speak his mind. He's going to fight. He's going to be scrappy. And you're seeing that."

Portis has been known to use his Tuesday appearances on Thompson's show to speak his mind about various situations with the team. But when Thompson asked Portis directly whether he was frustrated with the Redskins as a whole, the outspoken Portis took the high road.

"I can't sit here and say I'm getting frustrated with the Redskins," Portis said. "That's where I work at. That's where I'm employed at, and I've got to go out and do everything I can to help the Redskins win. I think everybody in that organization get[s] frustrated at some point about something going on. But I'm not the one to make the decisions. I can't change it. ...

"They're not going to change the Washington Redskins to suit Clinton Portis, and I'm okay with that. I'm not trying to make them change that. whatever role I'm asked of, that's the role I'll pay. I'm not going to go out and be disgruntled. I'm not going to go out and be unhappy. I'm going to continue to smile. I'm going to continue to go to work. I'm going to continue to feel fortunate about having a job in this economy. And when I get my opportunity to get back on the field and help, I'll try to do that."


(washingtonpost.com)