The Washington Redskins announced this week that Clinton Portis will miss the remainder of the season due to a concussion. This has called into question what Portis' future will be in DC. Portis will turn 29 next season which is old for most starting running backs and is injury prone. He only has one touchdown in 2009 and it is also well known that Portis and head coach Jim Zorn have not gotten along since Zorn first came to DC. Perhaps it may be time to look for another running back to take over.
It may be a little early, however, for the Redskins to turn away Portis. First, the running backs behind him are not starting quality players. Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright are great back ups, but I'm not sure they're good enough to take over. Rookie Quinton Ganther may evetually develop into a good running back, but he's certainly not there yet. What's more, Portis' stats remain solid. He averages 4.0 yards per carry and has only one fumble in 124 attempts. Portis was one of the league's leading rushers in 2008 with 1487 yards. His single touchdown this season is more because of a weak offensive line rather than any drop off in Portis' play.
As for Zorn, he will most likely be gone at the end of the season. With the Redskins ready to start over in the offseason, is the running back position another thing they Redskins want to add to the laundry list of things they need to improve on? With no starting quality running back to turn to, the Redskins would have to persue another probably expensive running back to take over. Portis still has plenty left in the tank. Let's focus on a head coach, quarterback, offensive line, and secondary before we decide we aren't happy with our running back.
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8 years ago
It's unfortunate that Ladell Betts has gotten injured too, but I think he's a starting-quality back. I think Portis is better than Betts, but both have had thousand-yard seasons. Ganther seems to be a worthy #2 or #3 (if Cartwright is in the mix). On a team with so many glaring weaknesses, I think it would be foolish to spend resources on a running back when the existing lineup of backs is, if not spectacular, at least adequate.
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