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Prior to the 2004 season, the Broncos traded Portis to the Redskins for cornerback [[Champ Bailey]] and a second-round draft pick in the [[2004 NFL Draft]] which the Broncos used to select [[Tatum Bell]]. The Redskins signed Portis to an eight-year contract worth $50.5 million. At that time, there were criticisms regarding the trade, namely that shut-down corners like Bailey were hard to come by and that adding a second-round pick for Portis was too much and one-sided. Critics also felt that Portis was simply a product of the Broncos' O-line scheme, and wouldn't have much success in Washington, which was usually suited to more physical, power runners (such as [[Stephen Davis (football player)|Stephen Davis]] or [[John Riggins]]). Such trades involving star players are relatively rare in the NFL.
Prior to the 2004 season, the Broncos traded Portis to the Redskins for cornerback [[Champ Bailey]] and a second-round draft pick in the [[2004 NFL Draft]] which the Broncos used to select [[Tatum Bell]]. The Redskins signed Portis to an eight-year contract worth $50.5 million. At that time, there were criticisms regarding the trade, namely that shut-down corners like Bailey were hard to come by and that adding a second-round pick for Portis was too much and one-sided. Critics also felt that Portis was simply a product of the Broncos' O-line scheme, and wouldn't have much success in Washington, which was usually suited to more physical, power runners (such as [[Stephen Davis (football player)|Stephen Davis]] or [[John Riggins]]). Such trades involving star players are relatively rare in the NFL.


===Washington Redskins===
In the 2004 season, he had to adjust to coach [[Joe Gibbs]]' style of running, which consists of mostly power running. Despite taking his first Redskins carry 64 yards for a TD in the season opener against the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]], it was a pretty rough adjustment for Portis because Denver's running style consisted of stretch runs and runs to the outside. The adjustment was made rougher by a depleted offensive line. He finished 2004 with 1,315 yards for a 3.8 yard rushing average. He had a tougher time finding the end zone, finishing with eight total touchdowns (5 rushing, 2 receiving, and one passing).


He bounced back in the 2005 season. Although Gibbs still ran a power style of football, he implemented more outside running plays into the Redskins rushing attack to better suit Portis' style of running. Portis had a much better season, proving that he can run inside as well as to the outside and was a better pass-blocker. Although he didn't get into the end zone until the fifth game of the season, he finished strong and had 12 total touchdowns (11 rushing and one passing). On a 14-yard run against the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] on January 1, 2006, he broke the Redskins' franchise record for the most rushing yards in a season with 1,516 yards and tied the most 100+ yard games in a season (5). He ended the game with 112 rushing yards. By rushing for 1,516 yards, he became only the third runner in league history to reach 1,500 yards in three of his first four seasons.

Portis demonstrated his speed during the 2006 Redskins training camp, running a 4.26 second 40-yard dash. Shortly following that, on August 13, 2006, Portis suffered a partially dislocated shoulder in the first quarter of a Week 1 pre-season game after tackling [[Cincinnati Bengals]] cornerback [[Keiwan Ratliff]] following a Bengals interception. After the injury, Portis said: "I don't know why myself or any other player of my caliber should be playing in the preseason." He added, "I think for the last four years I've done enough to show the world I'm going to be ready for the season."

There was no immediate indication from the Redskins as to when Portis might return to active playing status <ref>{{cite web| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=260813004/ |title=NFL Recap |publisher=ESPN |date=August 13, 2006}}</ref>. However, he returned early into the Redskins' ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' game against the [[Minnesota Vikings]], where he gained 39 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown. The Redskins lost 19-16, the clock expiring as Redskins kicker [[John Hall (American football)|John Hall]] missed wide left on a field goal. Portis rebounded the last two weeks with 16 carries for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns against the [[Houston Texans]], and 27 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown against the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]].

Nagged by injuries all season, Portis suffered another setback in the first quarter of the Redskins' November 12 loss to the [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. Portis left the game with a hand injury and was replaced by backup [[Ladell Betts]]. X-rays revealed that Portis broke his right hand during the game. He was operated on and placed on the Redskins' Injured Reserve list three days later, on November 15 <ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/12/AR2006111200368.html/ |title=Portis Breaks Bone in Right Hand |publisher=Washington Post |date=November 13, 2006}}</ref>.


==Trivia==
==Trivia==

Revision as of 07:25, 4 December 2007

Clinton Portis
Washington Redskins
Career information
College:University of Miami
NFL draft:2002 / round: 2 / pick: 51
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Clinton Earl Portis (born September 1, 1981 in Laurel, Mississippi) is an American football running back. Portis currently plays for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League.

Early years

Portis attended high school at Gainesville High School where he was a USA Today Honorable Mention All-American. He was Florida's #4 tailback on the Florida Times-Union Super 75 and No. 27 player in Florida, as well as first-team all-state, all-region and all-area selection.

In his senior year, Portis was the Gainesville Sun Player of the Year and set a school record rushing for 2,036 yards, averaging 8.0 yards per carry and scored 26 touchdowns.

He was also a standout in track and field, as well, clocking 10.6 in the 100 meters and participating on a state-record 4x100-meter relay team (40.8) and state champion 4x400-meter relay team.

College career

Portis starred at the University of Miami. He became just the second true freshman to start at running back since the 1975 season. Portis set a school freshman record with five 100-yard performances, and led the team with 838 yards and eight touchdowns on 143 carries (5.9 avg.) in 10 games. He also caught four passes for 44 yards (11.0 avg.) and 2 touchdowns.

Portis' sophomore season wasn't as successful as he lost his job to James Jackson and rushed for 485 yards and two touchdowns on 77 carries (6.3 avg.) in eight games. He also added 103 yards on five receptions (20.6 avg.).

However Portis bounced back in 2001 as the Hurricanes won the National Championship and Portis had his best season rushing for 1200 yards and 10 touchdowns on 220 carries (5.5 avg.). He also added 125 receiving yards on 12 receptions. In the Rose Bowl against Nebraska, Portis ran for 104 yards on 20 carries including a 38-yard touchdown.

Portis compiled 2,523 yards through three seasons to rank fourth on the Miami career rushing yards list. He also tied the Miami career record for 100-yard rushing performances with a total of 14, matching the total accumulated by Edgerrin James.

NFL career

2002 NFL Draft

Portis was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft.

Pre-draft measureables
Wt 40y 20ss 3-cone Vert BP Wonderlic
204 lb[1] 4.28[2] X X X X 20*[3]
(* represents NFL Combine)

Denver Broncos

Portis rushed for over 1,500 yards in each of his first two seasons with the Broncos, averaging 5.5 yards per carry in that span. The latter is an NFL record for a running back's first two seasons.

After Portis' first season with the Broncos, he was named The "NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year" by the Associated Press and was also voted to the Pro Bowl in 2003.

Trade

Prior to the 2004 season, the Broncos traded Portis to the Redskins for cornerback Champ Bailey and a second-round draft pick in the 2004 NFL Draft which the Broncos used to select Tatum Bell. The Redskins signed Portis to an eight-year contract worth $50.5 million. At that time, there were criticisms regarding the trade, namely that shut-down corners like Bailey were hard to come by and that adding a second-round pick for Portis was too much and one-sided. Critics also felt that Portis was simply a product of the Broncos' O-line scheme, and wouldn't have much success in Washington, which was usually suited to more physical, power runners (such as Stephen Davis or John Riggins). Such trades involving star players are relatively rare in the NFL.

Washington Redskins

In the 2004 season, he had to adjust to coach Joe Gibbs' style of running, which consists of mostly power running. Despite taking his first Redskins carry 64 yards for a TD in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was a pretty rough adjustment for Portis because Denver's running style consisted of stretch runs and runs to the outside. The adjustment was made rougher by a depleted offensive line. He finished 2004 with 1,315 yards for a 3.8 yard rushing average. He had a tougher time finding the end zone, finishing with eight total touchdowns (5 rushing, 2 receiving, and one passing).

He bounced back in the 2005 season. Although Gibbs still ran a power style of football, he implemented more outside running plays into the Redskins rushing attack to better suit Portis' style of running. Portis had a much better season, proving that he can run inside as well as to the outside and was a better pass-blocker. Although he didn't get into the end zone until the fifth game of the season, he finished strong and had 12 total touchdowns (11 rushing and one passing). On a 14-yard run against the Philadelphia Eagles on January 1, 2006, he broke the Redskins' franchise record for the most rushing yards in a season with 1,516 yards and tied the most 100+ yard games in a season (5). He ended the game with 112 rushing yards. By rushing for 1,516 yards, he became only the third runner in league history to reach 1,500 yards in three of his first four seasons.

Portis demonstrated his speed during the 2006 Redskins training camp, running a 4.26 second 40-yard dash. Shortly following that, on August 13, 2006, Portis suffered a partially dislocated shoulder in the first quarter of a Week 1 pre-season game after tackling Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Keiwan Ratliff following a Bengals interception. After the injury, Portis said: "I don't know why myself or any other player of my caliber should be playing in the preseason." He added, "I think for the last four years I've done enough to show the world I'm going to be ready for the season."

There was no immediate indication from the Redskins as to when Portis might return to active playing status [4]. However, he returned early into the Redskins' Monday Night Football game against the Minnesota Vikings, where he gained 39 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown. The Redskins lost 19-16, the clock expiring as Redskins kicker John Hall missed wide left on a field goal. Portis rebounded the last two weeks with 16 carries for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Houston Texans, and 27 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Nagged by injuries all season, Portis suffered another setback in the first quarter of the Redskins' November 12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Portis left the game with a hand injury and was replaced by backup Ladell Betts. X-rays revealed that Portis broke his right hand during the game. He was operated on and placed on the Redskins' Injured Reserve list three days later, on November 15 [5].

Trivia

  • Portis is represented by fellow University of Miami alumnus Drew Rosenhaus, one of the NFL's most aggressive player agents.
  • Portis's cousin Josh was a top recruit as a quarterback for the University of Florida, but later transferred to the University of Maryland.
  • Portis appeared on the cover of the NCAA Gamebreaker 2003 game for PlayStation 2, while playing with the University of Miami Hurricanes.
  • Portis is known for often wearing various costumes at Thursday press conferences that represent fictional characters he has developed, including personas such as "Southeast Jerome", "Coach Janky Spanky", "Bro Sweets", "Choo-Choo", and "Dolemite Jenkins."
  • When Portis joined the Redskins in 2004, his jersey number (26) was already taken by safety Ifeanyi Ohalete (now with the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League). Portis agreed to pay Ohalete $40,000 (in three installments) in order to get his number. When Ohalete was cut by the team during the summer, Portis thought that he didn't have to pay him the remaining installments. Ohalete felt otherwise, and eventually the dispute was settled with Portis paying him the rest of the money. Portis originally wanted to have a boxing match with Ohalete for his number 26 but Ohalete declined the challenge.
  • On the May 14th 2007 episode of a BET show titled Ballers, Portis guaranteed that the Redskins would make it to the NFC Championship Game saying "I think this year we're going to make a lot of news. We went out and got what we needed. I actually think this will be our year. We're going to be in the NFC championship game. I guarantee that. Whatever that takes, we're going to get there." [6].
  • In the 2007 movie Transformers, a pivotal character named Glen Whitmann (played by actor Anthony Anderson) wears a replica Clinton Portis Redskins away jersey throughout most of the film.

References

  1. ^ http://www.900footballlinks.net/broncosbottom.htm#2002%20COLLEGE%20DRAFT
  2. ^ http://www.900footballlinks.net/CollegeDraftPlayerNews.htm#RB%20News
  3. ^ http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=33967
  4. ^ "NFL Recap". ESPN. August 13, 2006.
  5. ^ "Portis Breaks Bone in Right Hand". Washington Post. November 13, 2006.
  6. ^ "Portis Talking Big". Washington Times. May 11, 2007.
Preceded by NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Miami Hurricanes' Starting Running Back
1999-2001 (shared with James Jackson in 1999-2000) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Washington Redskins' Starting Running Back
2004-Present 		Succeeded by
Current
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