Shanahan: Clinton Portis dropped unhit to prevent fumble

At the end of his longest rush of the season, late in the first quarter during the St. Louis Rams' 30-16 victory over the Redskins Sunday, Clinton Portis went down without being hit.

Portis, whose 2009 season was cut short after he suffered a concussion in Week 9, appeared to simply give up on the play after rushing for 27 yards. Television replays showed Portis looked to see where a Rams' defensive player was positioned before dropping to the turf.

The strange move surprised Coach Mike Shanahan, and Shanahan spoke with Portis about what occurred.

"His right hand was bothering him," Shanahan said during his Monday news conference at Redskins Park. "He felt like he didn't have the ball secured, he couldn't secure it very well, and he was afraid he was going to have contact on that side. "I asked him the same question and that's what he shared with me."

Heavily involved in the game plan in the first half, Portis rushed for 45 yards with a 7.5-yard average before halftime. He had only one carry in the second half.

The Redskins trailed for most of the final two quarters and abandoned the running game, which was effective for the first time in three games, in a failed attempt to rally. They gained one net yard rushing after halftime. "We didn't run the ball as much in the second half as we would have liked," Shanahan said. "I thought we were very effective in the first half."

After the game, Shanahan said the plan was for Portis to play on third downs and obvious passing downs and for Ryan Torain, who was activated from the practice squad Saturday, to often play on first and second downs. But was that the plan before Portis avoided contact on his long run?

For what it's worth, Portis after the game said he was fine.

Click here to order Clinton Portis’s proCane Rookie Card.



(washingtonpost.com)