Those impressed by Ryan Torain’s effort in the Redskins’ 17-12 win over the Eagles last week are about to get themselves a helping hand of it again.

Mike Shanahan told the media on Wednesday that running back Clinton Portis will miss the next 4-6 weeks because of a groin injury. Portis said that he heard his groin “pop” in the third quarter on Sunday and although he was able to return to the game in the fourth, he immediately aggravated the injury and had to return to the locker room.

Torain now becomes the featured back in Washington, while Keiland Williams and Chad Simpson will battle for carries as well. Keep in mind that Skeletor likes to rotate his running backs, so there’s no guarantee that Torain will receive a full workload every week. Shanahan will continue to play the hot hand from game to game, just as he’s always done.

For now, Torain becomes a great story. He sifted through the muck that was the Redskins’ depth chart (i.e. Portis, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker) to reach this point and remained patient throughout. He goes from the practice squad to the starting lineup in one, quick jump.

Don’t be surprised if the Skins placed Portis on IR, which would end his season. There’s a ton of wear and tear on those tires and he can’t stay healthy. If Torain runs well over the next couple of weeks, there’s no reason for Shanahan to turn back to Portis.

After spending the offseason keeping a relatively low profile, Clinton Portis decided to chime in on the situation in New York, where Jets players are under scrutiny after a few players allegedly made catcalls at sideline reporter Ines Sainz.

Here’s what Portis said on his weekly radio appearance on 106.7 The Fan (via ESPN.com):

“I think you put women reporters in the locker room in position to see guys walking around naked, and you sit in the locker room with 53 guys, and all of the sudden you see a nice woman in the locker room, I think men are going to tend to turn and look and want to say something to that woman,” Portis said in his weekly appearance on 106.7 The Fan.

“You put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her,” Portis said. “You know, somebody got to spark her interest, or she’s going to want somebody. I don’t know what kind of woman won’t, if you get to go and look at 53 men’s [bodies]. … I know you’re doing a job, but at the same time, the same way I’m going to cut my eye if I see somebody worth talking to, I’m sure they do the same thing.”

Quite frankly, I don’t disagree with anything Portis (who seemed to be talking more in generalities) said. I’m sure there is bound to be someone that a female reporter is going to be attracted to in a locker room. And after spending the majority of their time around male teammates, obviously some players are going to be attracted to her as well.

But that’s not really the point here. I get that boys will be boys, but you have to be careful. Even though football is a game, the NFL is still a business and when players are at practice, they’re at work. They should think of it as an office setting and therefore, should respect female reporters just as they would anyone else. It should be a business like atmosphere at all times.

Now, is that realistic? No, and I’m not naïve to think that players are going to be on their best behavior when a hot female reporter is around them. And throwing a couple of passes in her direction (which apparently is one of the things that the Jets players did) is one thing – that’s harmless. But it’s quite another if she was made to feel uncomfortable while she was on the job. That’s not right.

Merry preseason, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing the trio of issues the Redskins could face this season.

I always thought Jason Campbell got kind of a bad rap, although there’s no question that Donovan McNabb has better physical tools – even at this point in his career. Thanks to first round pick Trent Williams and former Saint Jammal Brown, the tackle positions got a much needed makeover in our nation’s capital as well.

So generally speaking, the Washington Redskins are an improved football team.

But it seems as though some pundits are going a tad overboard when predicting this team’s success this year. While they have made several upgrades on that side of the ball, the offense still has plenty of question marks as well.

Let’s start with the offensive line. Williams is a tremendous prospect, but he’s still a rookie and far from a guarantee. He also doesn’t have a ton of experience on the left side, which is where he’s expected to anchor this Washington O-line.

Brown is a massive upgrade over Stephon Heyer, but that’s like saying an authentic slice of New York pizza is an upgrade over Dominos. Heyer was one of the worst offensive linemen in all of football last year, so a broomstick cemented in a bucket would have been an upgrade.

That said, Brown is more of a pass blocker than he is a mauler in the run game and the same could be said for Derrick Dockery, who will start at left guard. Both need to become better run blockers for this team to succeed over the course of the season.

Artis Hicks is versatile in that he can play a couple of spots on the O-line, but it remains to be seen if he can be effective as a full-time starter. At center, Casey Rabach is a seasoned veteran but at 32 he may be in store for a decline.

The fact that run blocking might be an issue compounds the concerns that the Skins could have in their backfield this year. Clinton Portis was only able to play in eight games last year and just returned to practice after dealing with an ankle injury. He hasn’t quite hit the dreaded age of 30 for running backs, but at 29 he appears to be in decline as well.

Larry Johnson, Ryan Torain and Willie Parker are currently listed behind Portis on the depth chart, but there have been reports recently that have stated that both LJ and “Fast Willie” could be cut before the season. And considering their lack of production last year, nobody could blame the Skins if they decided to give the younger back Torain a shot instead of keeping two aging veterans in Johnson and Parker.

The Skins have less of a concern at receiver, although seeing as how 38-year-old Joey Galloway is being tabbed the starter opposite Santana Moss, the team isn’t exactly set at that position either. Chances are Devin Thomas or Anthony Armstrong will push Galloway out of the starting role at some point, but even then the Skins don’t have a true No. 1 wideout on their roster.

I like the additions Washington made in the offseason, but this team isn’t going to go from 4-12 to a playoff contender overnight. Not with the questions that still surround the offensive line, running back and receiver positions.

All 2010 Fantasy Football Articles | 2010 Position Rankings

There are twenty running backs currently going in the first four rounds and 19 of them — Matt Forte excluded — are playing in what I refer to as ‘settled’ running back situations. We can move forward feeling pretty certain that these 19 RBs, barring injury, will get enough touches to be productive starting-caliber fantasy running backs.

But this piece isn’t about those guys. It’s about the rest of this year’s RB crop, or specifically RBs going in the 7th round or later: The Sleepers.

Below is a list of a few guys that I’m targeting later in drafts. They enter the 2010 season unproven, or unsettled in their respective situations, or even over the hill. I’ll list them in order of their current ADP at Antsports:

Brandon Jacobs (7.01)
In his worst season in three years, Jacobs finished as 2009′s RB31 on balky knees. He had them scoped in the offseason and says he feels better than ever. He’s just 28 years old and only has 779 career carries, so his mileage is pretty low given his age. Moreover, the Giants have a great offensive line and a solid passing attack to keep defenders out of the box. I’m expecting a bounce-back year from Jacobs, making him a nice RB2 for owners loading up on WRs early or a great RB3 on any roster.

Justin Forsett (7.05)
Pete Carroll has a history of using RBBC, so if he’s in a major timeshare I’m not sure Forsett is even worth his current draft position. But looking solely at his resume, there’s a lot to be excited about. He averaged 5.4 ypc last season, and had a couple of impressive performances against Arizona (22 touches, 149 yards, TD) and St. Louis (22 carries, 130 yards, 2 TD). He was also #6 in Yards After Contact Per Attempt (YCo/Att) which put him in some good company. Forsett’s prospects for 2010 depend less on his ability to beat out Julius Jones or Leon Washington and more on Carroll’s willingness to let him loose.

Clinton Portis (8.10)
It seems like Portis has been around forever, but he’ll be 29 at season’s start and has averaged 4.0+ ypc over the last two seasons. He is reunited with his former coach, Skeletor, and has been drawing rave reviews in camp, largely because he has lost some weight and has had a great offseason. Considering that Larry Johnson is his main competition, I expect Shanny will go with the guy he knows and give Portis the bulk of the work.

Michael Bush (9.06)
Bush averaged 4.8 ypc last year behind a very suspect offensive line. The Raiders have (probably) realized that Darren McFadden would be more productive in a Reggie Bush-type role, so Michael Bush could be something of a poor man’s Pierre Thomas this season. Bush was #2 in YCo/Att with 3.4 yards per attempt, which gives us a glimpse of his pure strength and running ability. If he runs well in preseason, he should be a nice value in the 8th or 9th round. On the whole, the Raiders’ offense should be better with Jason Campbell under center.

Darren Sproles (10.05)
Not in a PPR league? You can probably skip to the next guy. Sproles is a third-down specialist who is very effective in the passing game. He finished last season as RB22 in PPR leagues largely due to his 45 catches for 497 yards. Ryan Matthews has replaced LaDainian Tomlinson, and Norv Turner would be wise to keep the rookie’s load relatively light in the hopes of keeping him fresh. That means a lot of work for Sproles, who is always a threat to break a long gainer. Also, if your league rewards individuals for punt or kick returns, Sproles is a huge threat on special teams as well.

Arian Foster (11.04)
Of everyone on this list, Foster could very well turn out to be the best value if things break his way. Houston’s offensive line is decent, and Foster had a couple of nice games late last season — 19 carries, 97 yards, TD versus Miami and 23 touches, 145 yards, 2 TD against New England — giving him some momentum heading into 2010. His head coach called the 23-year-old ‘mature beyond his years’ and says he’ll be tough to unseat atop the Texans’ depth chart. Meanwhile, rookie Ben Tate ‘has a long way to go’ while Steve Slaton is spending time in camp working on his kick return skills. This points to Foster as the opening day starter. As long as he doesn’t fumble away the job, Foster’s ADP is bound to move into the middle rounds as the preseason wears on.

As part of our 2010 NFL Draft coverage, I will be breaking down positional needs for all 32 teams, starting in reverse alphabetical order. First up, the Washington Redskins. Check out other team needs by clicking here.

1. Offensive Line
People can blame former head coach Jim Zorn for all of the Redskins’ offensive woes last season, but the fact of the matter is that if the team doesn’t re-build their offensive line this offseason then Mike Shanahan won’t succeed either. Shanahan will implement the zone blocking scheme in Washington, but the problem is he doesn’t currently have the right players to fit the scheme. Chris Samuels (neck) career is in jeopardy, Randy Thomas isn’t durable and is aging, and the team lacks serious depth at all five positions. There’s a large contingent that thinks the Skins should draft a quarterback in April, but offensive line is far and away their biggest need and might be addressed with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round.

2. Running back
Clinton Portis has clearly lost a step, but what’s worse is that he began the offseason by criticizing Jason Campbell for not being a leader and just recently, he admitted to asking for fullback Mike Sellers to be benched during a game last season. The problem is that even if the Skins did want to rid themselves of Portis, he’s guaranteed $6.43 million in 2010. Regardless, running back remains a need, as Laddell Betts, Quinton Gantehr and Marcus Mason should be viewed only for depth purposes.

3. Quarterback
This is all contingent on whether or not Shanahan views Jason Campbell as the right player to run his offense. Campbell isn’t Joe Montana, but he would be fine if he had more weapons at his disposal and played behind a real offensive line. But if Shanahan wants to draft a quarterback at No. 4, then Campbell will likely serve as the starter until the young signal caller is ready to take over. But if the Redskins do go that route, they run the risk of alienating Campbell (which Daniel Snyder did last year too by pursing free agent Byron Leftwich), who may request a trade. We’ll see what Shanahan decides.

Cornerback and overall depth in the secondary are also needs for the Skins this offseason.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/02/09/washington-redskins-2010-team-needs/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/06/portis-questions-campbell%e2%80%99s-leadership-during-radio-interview/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/06/portis-questions-campbell%e2%80%99s-leadership-during-radio-interview/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:45:24 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=32396

During a recent radio interview with ESPN980, Redskins running back Clinton Portis questioned why quarterback Jason Campbell was made a team captain and he wasn’t, then essentially questioned the signal caller’s leadership ability.

From NFL.com:

Asked on ESPN980 why Campbell was a team captain and he wasn’t, Portis replied: “I wonder the same thing. It’s no disrespect to Jason, but everybody in that locker room will tell you — you will never see Jason mad, you will never see Jason’s tempo change.”

Portis continued: “(He’s) going to give you everything (he’s) got. But as a leader … it was always, ‘Jason couldn’t take control of the huddle,’ or ‘He didn’t do this’ or ‘He didn’t do that.’ That wasn’t Jason’s character. … I think Jason, you can’t place so much on somebody who’s not ready for that situation. I think Jason has enough trouble in getting the plays in and worrying about this, compared to controlling the huddle.”

Portis told ESPN980 that Campbell isn’t the type of player who would go to a coach and say, “‘Well, we need to do this or we need to do that,’ or ‘This is how the players want it.’”

Campbell wasn’t pleased about Portis’ comments and responded to them during a Tuesday telephone interview with The Washington Post.
“How is he going to say I’m not a leader?” Campbell said. “I mean, that’s just not true. To me, that’s somebody who shows that they don’t know what a real leader is. A leader is not someone who leads by the wrong example. A leader is someone who is trying to do the right thing and trying to lead by example, and not just [being] about themselves.

“There’s a reason guys get selected as captains, and there’s a reason guys don’t get selected as captains. Obviously, he doesn’t have the respect of the locker room to be a captain. For someone to try to take a shot at me at the end of the season, after they haven’t even been around, only speaks about their character anyways.”

Campbell informed The Post via text message Wednesday that Portis had called him to clear the air. The text read: “We’re just going to move on. We don’t want to have any issues out there between us for the offseason, so we’re just going to squash all of this right now.”

I agree with what Campbell said. Leaders don’t talk about internal matters with the media, even if they sandwich what critical comments around positive reinforcement. It’s great that the two of them cleared the air, but Portis was still in the wrong here.

That said, maybe there is something to what Portis said about Campbell’s leadership skills. Nobody can argue that Campbell doesn’t work hard and give everything he has for his team. That guy took a beating this year behind a bad offensive line and he kept showing up the next Sunday. But there’s a major difference between being a good teammate and being a leader.

There’s a good chance that neither of these players will be back in Washington next year. With Mike Shanahan taking over the reigns, one would assume that he’d make wholesale changes and clean house. But we’ll have to see what transpires in Washington over the course of the next couple months.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/06/portis-questions-campbell%e2%80%99s-leadership-during-radio-interview/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/10/26/different-playcaller-same-lousy-result-for-redskins/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/10/26/different-playcaller-same-lousy-result-for-redskins/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:36:09 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=27637

After their loss to the winless Kansas City Chiefs last week, the Washington Redskins stripped head coach Jim Zorn of his playcalling duties and handed them over to Sherman Lewis, who hadn’t even been with the team for a month.

The move was made in hopes to spark the Redskins’ dismal offense, but as their 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles tonight can attest to, Lewis isn’t going to change Washington’s misfortune over night.

The Redskins’ loss to the Eagles actually had very little to do with Lewis’ playcalling and more to do with Washington’s lack of execution. In the first half, quarterback Jason Campbell had a ball batted into the air by a defensive lineman and intercepted by linebacker Will Witherspoon, who returned it for a touchdown. Later in the half, Campbell escaped the pocket but didn’t get the ball out of his hands in time and was stripped from behind. The Eagles recovered and turned the gift into three points to take a 17-0 second quarter lead.

Campbell finished the night 29 of 43 passing for 284 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. For all intents and purposes, his final numbers weren’t bad (he had a QB rating of 91.6), but he often settled for check downs or underneath routes and both of his touchdown passes came around the goal line. He still struggled with hanging onto the ball too long and missing open receivers.

That said, his pass protection wasn’t that great and his receivers dropped a few passes. He also didn’t have Chris Cooley, who left the game early in the first half due to an ankle injury and never returned. All in all, it was a complete team effort by a Redskins squad that somehow generated 17 points from a brutal showing. Lewis wasn’t the problem tonight – lack of execution by the players was.

Although the game was never in doubt, the Eagles weren’t too impressive either — at least offensively. Defensively they battered Campbell the entire night, shut down Clinton Portis and flew around the football.

But offensively, McNabb and company struggled without Brian Westbrook, who left the game early in the first half after he suffered a concussion. The Eagles had major issues sustaining drives and were completely shut out in the second half when they didn’t get the same great field position generated by their defense.

Thankfully, DeSean Jackson was a showstopper. The second year player scored on a spectacular 67-yard run on the first possession of the game and then broke free in Washington’s secondary for a 57-yard touchdown reception right before half. He was the Eagles’ offense tonight.

But regardless of their offensive struggles, this was a big win for the Eagles, who desperately needed one after the Raiders embarrassed them last week in Oakland.