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Portis Is Like One of the Best RBs Ever
By Jamie Mottram | December 31, 2007
The way Washington strung four wins together to close the season and make the playoffs reminds everyone of how they strung five wins together two years ago to make the playoffs. Yet, as Jason La Canfora wrote last week, the 2007 Redskins are different — and better — than the ‘05 version.
There’s a new QB and offensive coordinator along with new Hogs Dirtbags, wideouts and defensive starters. The primary constant in the parallel, aside from the steady hand of Joe Gibbs, is the stellar play of Clinton Portis.
In ‘05, he ran for 105 yards or more in each of the five season-ending wins while scoring six touchdowns. In ‘07, he rushed and received for 122 yards or more in each of the four wins while scoring four touchdowns and throwing for another. For the full season of ‘05, he rushed for a Redskins team record 1,516 yards and 11 touchdowns. In ‘07, he posted 1,262 and 11.
In fact, this was his fifth time topping 1,200 yards on the ground, and he’s recorded 7,715 yards and 63 touchdowns rushing in his first six seasons, giving him an average of 1,286 and 11 per year and 92 and 0.8 per game. Those are all-time great numbers.
That sounds weird because no one considers Portis to be an elite back, but it’s true. Even when discounting intangibles such as leadership and blocking, the first act of Clinton Portis’ career puts him squarely amongst the best ever. The question now is whether his will be a slow fade (a la Walter Payton or Curtis Martin) or a quick burn (a la Earl Campbell or Eddie George).
Hit the jump for empirical evidence* …
Most rushing yards, first six seasons
- Eric Dickerson: 9,915
- LaDainian Tomlinson: 9,176
- Emmitt Smith: 8,956
- Barry Sanders: 8,672
- Walter Payton: 8,386
- Earl Campbell: 8,296
- Shaun Alexander: 7,817
- Eddie George: 7,813
- Jamal Lewis: 7,801
- Curtis Martin: 7,754
- Edgerrin James: 7,720
- Clinton Portis: 7,715
Most rushing touchdowns, first six seasons
- LaDainian Tomlinson: 100
- Emmitt Smith: 96
- Shaun Alexander: 89
- Eric Dickerson: 75
- Jim Brown: 70
- Earl Campbell: 69
- Walter Payton: 65
- Clinton Portis: 63
Most alter egos, first six seasons
- Clinton Portis: 12
- (tie) Everyone else: 0
* All numbers were compiled with haste. I may be missing some guys, but you get the point.
Topics: Stats Are Cool, Clinton Portis, Redskins |
One Response to “Portis Is Like One of the Best RBs Ever”
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December 31st, 2007 at 4:09 pm
1. Re: Payton - I wouldn’t say one of the NFL’s all time leading rushers had a slow decline.
2. I will say that Portis has contributed to more folks with jobs and horrible credit riding in style than any other athlete in history.