The difference between Betts and Portis . . .

. . . is 39 yards and a touchdown. In the off-season, it was fashionable in some circles to doubt the value of Clinton Portis. Some comments on fan forums proposed trading Portis for draft choices, now that Ladell Betts emerged as a NFL starter caliber running back.

Fickle fans prove that Daniel Snyder isn't the only one capable of making dumb personnel moves [I can honestly say that none of the bloggers I follow ever suggested any such thing. If they did, I wouldn't take them seriously as the authoritative Redskinologists they are.]


Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Today's story in The Washington Examiner reports that the doubters and haters served to incite Portis to prove them wrong. He made a good start Sunday in the Dolphins game. Portis and Betts both carried the ball 17 times. Betts ran for 59 yards. Portis for 98 and a score. As Rick Snider said in the Examiner story

"Betts is a playmaker that every team loves to have, but Portis is a game-breaker."

Losing CP last year cost the Redskins eight touchdowns, I figure, and at least two games. You can blame the defense for the rest of the '06 disaster.

Portis is reading the devaluation stories as disrespect and he is out to prove the haters wrong. But, in that way that athletes use to motivate themselves, he's seeing everybody as haters, so he's out to prove the world wrong. Great. That can only help the Redskins.
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Watch the game in the stadium and you get a different impression than watching on TV with the announcers giving background details. From the stands, it seemed that Betts gained much more than 59 yards and 3.4 yards per carry. Live and in person, he looked better than that.

Nothing about the Portis comments above is meant as a put down of Betts. He's a nice change of pace back who may well extend Portis' career. We are lucky to have him.

One of the conflicts between the Old Ball Coach and the owner was the choice of keeping young running back Kenny Watson or Betts. The OBC wanted Watson [with the Bengals last I heard]. The owner opted for Betts. [I remember reading that account, but won't trouble to look it up.]

I have little respect for the owner's ability to build a winning organization and often point out the error of his ways. Fairness compels me to give him his props when he makes a right call. Betts was a right one.
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Also from the stadium, it seemed that Trent Green was completing deeper passes that his stats showed. Cam Cameron made good use of him in the game. Green showed that 35+ year olds can be sharp.

One game does not make a season. I thought the same of Brad Johnson last year after the Vikings game. Johnson looked good on his way to horrible season. But Green causes us to wonder what might have been if the Redskins managed to keep him.

Green was a cap casualty in 1998, with ownership inattention as a contributing factor. The Redskins were in the process of being sold. John Kent Cooke, son of old Jack, but not his heir
for the team, was fighting off the bid by Daniel Snyder's consortium. Team roster was not at top of mind. Cooke lost. Snyder won. Green was lost [signed with St. Louis].

Snyder looked to make a big splash with high profile signings. If Green were here at the time, it would have been him, instead of Brad Johnson, who would have been left unsigned at the end of his contract because the owner preferred the big gun of Jeff George. Everybody in football, save Snyder, knew better than to take George.

LaDainian Tomlinson on dog fighting

The San Diego Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson was asked about dog fighting. Here's his response as reported by the Union-Tribune's Tim Sullivan on signonsandiego.com:

“So the initial deal is like, 'Oh, my God, look at that!' because it's an incredible thing to look at. Then something goes wrong or one of the dogs dies and your heart goes out to them – just like it was a natural fight. It's a tough thing to look at.

“I understand what it's about, but I would never do it. I couldn't see my dog fighting to death, and that's what happens most of the time. When those dogs lock on, it's to death. I could never see myself fighting my dog to death.”

Tomlinson, from rural Texas says that dog fights were common his neighborhood. Clinton Portis, from rural Mississippi, made the same point. From there, their views diverged. The difference may be that LT2 has a pet dog -- a pit bull -- and empathized with his dog on dog fighting. Portis, who doesn't own a warm-blooded pet, could not relate. Without the first-hand experience of caring for a pet, Clinton was blind to the issue.

See the full story on Tomlinson here.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Getty Images, The Washington Post

Redskins: News bits for the weekend

Rick Snider at the Washington Examiner says Shawn Springs was smart to wait until after the June 1 salary cap deadline to report for the Washington Redskins OTAs. That was assurance that the Skins weren't going to cut him.

"Shawn Springs is not the bad guy. Don’t let the backroom whispers, sports talk hacks and second-guessing bloggers fool you. The Washington Redskins cornerback knows after a decade in the NFL that it’s a business and wasn’t letting the team mislead him like they have so many others over the years."

Snider calls it an astute veteran move for dealing with the business side of the game.

Robert Dinsmore of Harrisonburg, PA, wrote a letter to the editor of the Daily News Record where he described himself as a lifelong Redskins fan would no longer watch the team "until management has imposed significant punishment on Portis and Samuels." Outrage at Clinton Portis statement is understandable. Refusing to watch the team because some of their employees expressed their personal opinion -- which both Samuels and Portis have since disavowed -- is too much.

This is America. You get to express your opinion. It's certainly Mr. Dinsmore's prerogative to withhold his support, but I call him out as a "lifelong Redskin fan." True lifelong fans would not go that far. If they do, then good riddance.
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My deepest sympathies to the family of nutritionist Ann Litt and and to the Washington Redskins organization on her passing. May God bless.

Photo: Jonathan Newton, Washington Post

Portis: I didn't know . . . .

ExtremeSkins points to a blog entry by LaCanfora at RedskinsInsider Clinton Speaks (And Does Not Insert Foot In Mouth).

CP says he's been reading the letters and pamphlets that came his way after his notorious comments about Michael Vick and dog fighting. That's when he began to understand the issue and why so many people were offended by his comments.

"When I made those comments I didn't understand the seriousness behind it."

JLC says more is coming on this and I hope so. The snippet in the Insider piece doesn't make clear whether CP reached a new understanding on the harm of dog fighting, or a new appreciation of that there are animal lovers who would be offended. Response from the ExtremeSkins readership is mixed, with a sizable group suspecting he's sorry that people were offended, and an equal-sized group wishing he just kept his mouth shut so the issue would go away.

Know what? The best way for our boy to "get it" is for someone to give him a puppy to care for.

See also: "I shouldn't have made the comments."

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GOOD to have LaCanfora back and writing football. In his other post, Marcus Washington went in full practice, and team nutritionist Ann Litt passed away unexpectedly.

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My compliments to Skin Patrol at Hogs Haven for for his thoughtful examination of player sanctions comparing Chicago's Tank Johnson, suspended eight games for gun convictions, to Pacman Jones, suspended for the season with no convictions. Twice I caught myself saying "wished I wrote that."

Photo: www.wtopnews.com

Early fantasy look at the NFC East

Skin Patrol over at Hogs Haven lamented that he was reduced to looking at silly 2008 NFL Mock Drafts. We've both commiserated that we've not had much to footblog about. Luckily for us, it's not too early to look at fantasy football.

Michael Fabiano at nfl.com posted an early look at the fantasy value of NFC East players. That's early, too, but at least is more grounded in reality than a 2008 mock draft. I saw no surprises in Fabiano's comments. However, he had this to say about Clinton Portis.

"Portis should now be seen as more of a borderline No. 1 or 2 fantasy runner rather than the elite featured back he has been throughout his career."

The number of carries Portis has had, and the emergence of Ladell Betts leads to that assessment of Portis as a fantasy player.

Fabiano sees the Redskin offense schedule as the 5th easiest for passing and 4th hardest for rushing. The article didn't say how he arrived at that conclusion.

That mock draft thing? Not only do we not know 2007 NFL game results, thus the 2008 draft order, we don't know how the school boys will rank. They, too, have to play to hold or lose their draft rank. Somebody is going to get injured and lose their ranking. Some junior is going to come out early and insert themselves in the ranking. Silly.

Photo: www.msnbc.msn.com

Michael Vick twists in the wind

On the Michael Vick front, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that investigators are collecting enough evidence to recommend an indictment to a grand jury in July. Other newspapers are reading that to mean "charges likely." The story did not say of whom or for what.

This story will hang around all season. A few days ago, John Riggins on his radio show suggested that Vick come forward, if he's guilty of something ("Vick knows what he's done" was the way Riggo put it), and get past this thing now to avoid the corrosive effect of the scandal. If he's innocent, there isn't much he can do but wait it out.

If I were innocent, I would be in every venue that would have me to say so, regardless of the advice of legal council, who undoubtedly advised Vick to keep quiet.

Alexander Freund posted "Dog fighting aside..." on Bleacher Report, a thoughtful assessment of Michael Vick as a quarterback. Yes, he finds him lacking, but points fingers at the Atlanta Falcons for trying to make Vick into something that he is not. Freund implies that Atlanta might have been better off by implementing an option offense to exploit Vick's extraordinary talent. Jim Mora, Jr. ran the west coast offense. Vick, the NFL's highest paid player, has yet to equal Montana or McNabb in that system.

Interesting thought. Perhaps Atlanta should have hired coach Paul Johnson, who's been quite successful running the triple-option offense at Navy. The Midshipmen usually rank near the top of the charts for running offense. The pros are too swift and strong to be beat by the option. But, they haven't faced the option with Vick who could be a mega threat in that scheme.

The Falcons may have had that in mind when they replaced Mora with college coach Bobby Petrino who distinguished himself with his Louisville offense. Petrino had a hand in Mark Brunell's success at Jacksonville. Brunell in the '90s was a force of nature. On the small world front, Petrino was one of the annual offensive coordinators who cycled through Jason Campbell's career at Auburn University.

Yeah, Vick has yet to live up to the hype, but this is still painful to me.
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Over at Hog Heaven, the comments about Clinton Portis have taken an ugly turn. Enough to require moderation by the site. This is another indication that CP is in for it this season. His rep has taken a hit. He will not live down his comments anytime soon.

I'd like to think that Clinton is just young; that he hasn't seen enough to understand the nexus between mistreatment of animals and the potential mistreatment of people. Animal abusers don't always know the distinction. That's why it is a big deal. I think CP will get it by the time he's 40. For now, he's perplexed at the reaction to his comments. Human nature is such that Portis will see the problem as "them" and not in his dismissive attitude to cruelty.
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Speaking of human nature, I do feel some sympathy for Vick. I've often wondered if I could stand up to great wealth. If I hit one of those mega-million dollar lotto's, I would take care of family and contribute to good causes. Then, I would become a recluse -- it's my personality -- plus all those annoying salesmen, financial advisers, process servers, distant relatives I never met, people I haven't seen since second grade, guys from college with pictures and sleazy people showing interest in my children. However, I would also have to guard against indulging my weaknesses. It would take a strenuous effort. Repercussions from crossing society's line helps keep most people in line. We don't want to get caught and we don't want to lose our stuff. When you are so wealthy that you can flout convention without penalty, you become Michael Jackson. And maybe, you become Michael Vick.

I'm not sure I would be equal to the challenge (I'd welcome the chance to try). If Vick is not, it's as much because he's human as for any character flaws.

Makes great soap opera, though.
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Meanwhile, the silver lining in this sad episode is the new attention focuses on dog fighting. See After Dogs Death, A Warning.

Redskins begin poopie pick-up

There you go. Try and get away for a few days rest, and players go and stick their paws in their mouths.

The Washington Redskins started their campaign to clean up the dog mess created by Clinton Portis at the Redskins Beach Blitz last weekend in Virginia Beach. The team issued a terse press release disavowing any support of dog fighting and apologized to anyone offended by Clinton Portis' statements. That followed an even more terse statement released by Portis on Monday that he did not condone dog fighting.

A very serious looking Portis was interviewed on the NFL Network to clarify his statement. I don't think he was successful. He did not back off his opinion that dog fighting is a less serious crime than the penalties call for. He seemed to mix two themes in his interview, the first being that dog fighting should not be a felony; and second, nothing has been proved against Vick, thus, the negative attention is unwarranted. His mixed message is going to confuse as much as explain, I'm afraid.

Asked about the felony status of dog fighting, Portis pointed out that hunters and fishermen kill animals. He is against killing animals. That will please PETA. It will surely offend hunters and fishermen. I don't think a lot of PETAphiles are football fans. I'm very sure a lot of hunters are. In defending himself, Portis will not satisfy dog lovers, but will bring down the wrath of hunters. He did not distinguish that hunting is legal, while dog fighting is not. While that's his point, it's also the point he seems to miss about dog fighting.

Asked about his guarantee that the Redskins would go to the NFC championship game, Portis said this year, with the talent on the roster, was the best opportunity for the Redskins to make it. After this year, he expected the team to be broken up in some way, especially if they do not win. He did not say who he thought could be released. For Washington Redskins fans, this was the big news; that year four of the second Gibbs era was make or brake. If the team does not make it past the conference championship, “I think we are going to see a lot of things unfolding and a lot of people go.”

I'm very worried for our boy Clinton. His defense of Vick has been clumsy to the extreme -- in a post-teen-ager kinda way. Portis' comments will haunt him all season. I believe most true Redskin fans will support him -- eventually -- because he is our own. Everywhere else, Portis is in for the T.O treatment, which will come as a great relief to Terrell Owens. In the future, Clinton should leave these interviews to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

Next question.

Goodell Slams Remarks By Portis

Photo: sptimes.com

Clinton Portis can run

We know CP can run his mouth. Usually we find it refreshingly entertaining. His off-the-cuff comments about Michael Vick's situation was ill-considered, not just for the stupidity of his logic, but because his defense did not allow Vick the presumption of innocence. Consider that the only two things the county prosecutor has said about Vick is that he was considered merely the property owner in this case, and that he (the prosecutor) would not be pressured into filing charges against Vick. Portis contended that Vick was going to jail over a trivial matter of felonious dog fighting.

Clinton's comments are all over talk radio today. While I helped fan the flames, I think CP can use some love, so lets focus on the running skills we pay to see. This is a Madden 2007 Clinton Portis tribute (and, just ignore that #8 QB thing)

Portis on Vick: mind your own business

Covering The Redskins is covering the Redskins at the Beach Blitz in Norfolk this weekend. He watched Clinton Portis on an interview by WAVY TV. When asked about Michael Vick, Portis supposedly called him a good role model, adding that folks should mind their own business when it comes to Vick going to the dogs. ". . . those are Vick's dogs and he can do what he wants with them."


Uh, Clinton, dog fighting is illegal in Virginia. The irony is that dog fighting is perfectly legal in Georgia, according to an article in the Atlanta Constitution (previously posted). You are still pretty crude if you enjoy that sort of thing.


An animal humane group charged that there is an undercurrent of the animal fighting culture in the NFL. Tell me CP isn't in it. Tell me he doesn't have a dog in this fight.

So, how is dog fighting like prostitution?

1. They are both against the law.
2. They are not victimless crimes.
3. A celebrity cannot defend them without a hit to his reputation.

But, that's just a nappy-headed metapho'.

I'd like to tell CP, doggonnit, this whole topic is really hairy. You should paws before defending anyone who treats an animal like a dog. Flea when reporters approach you about this bitchin subject because it will just bite you in the ass! Puppy lovers react rabidly to dog fighting. If they lung at you, it won't be to throw you a bone. It's a time bomb going tick, tick, tick. If there's no good dog at the end of this story, just play dead. What if you made a living by physical combat where you could be maimed for life? Oh, wait.

Three Mississippi Brothers Jailed for Dog Fighting, Drugs
Charges Filed in Harrison County (MS) Dog Fighting Case
Humane Society Dogfighting Fact Sheet

Photo: found of www.sfgate.com here.