Clinton Portis's new dedication to practice

Determined to prove he is still among the NFL's elite, running back Clinton Portis has displayed a renewed commitment to the team since Coach Mike Shanahan arrived in Ashburn. Portis's teammates have noticed.

"He's a totally different player as far as practicing and preparing for practice," outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said. "I think a lot of that has to do with bringing in guys like Larry Johnson and Willie Parker, who can perform as well. Being with Mike in Denver, he understands what was going to be expected of him. When he was in Denver performing at a high level, Shanahan let him go and traded him here.

"Clinton understood that he needed to perform and step up his game because Shanahan might not accept the things he was used to here. And he's done a good job of understanding the regime has changed, the culture has changed around here, and he had to change himself. Now, Clinton is always going to be Clinton and have his fun, and he's still the same guy. But he's taking the day-to-day work more seriously."

Early last season, several Redskins offensive players privately complained that Portis was missing holes because he did not practice enough. They said the squandered opportunities showed on film.

"You can see already in the preseason, when he's running the ball, he's seeing things a lot better, and all that comes from practicing every day," Alexander said. "And when you have all these media guys talking about you, you're out to prove 'em wrong.

"He did the professional thing in listening to the stuff out there, taking that and then saying, 'Okay, let me come in here and show these guys I am a professional.' He's done it the right way."

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(washingtonpost.com)