Tuesday, October 20: Would You Trade Portis?
Today marks the NFL trade deadline, that time of year when the media feverishly speculates about a whole bunch of arbitrary trades and nothing really happens.
Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports is engaging in one of the favorite media pastimes for NFL Trade Deadline Day: isolating the players "most likely" to be traded. And one of the names on his list would have to be of some interest to Redskins fans: running back Clinton Portis. Here's Cole's reasoning:
Clinton Portis: With the Washington Redskins' loss to Kansas City, not only is coach Jim Zorn's job seemingly more in jeopardy, but owner Dan Snyder might be willing to start over completely. Snyder likes Portis personally, but he also knows that running backs don't last and Portis has already outlived the normal lifespan of a back.
What Cole doesn't address here is the question of who would want Portis.
Let's look at a few grim facts:
Portis is 28 years old, which is something like 50 in running back years. He carried the ball 342 times last year, saw his numbers tail off precipitously at the end of the season, and has started this season averaging a solid-but-unspectacular 4.2 yards per carry. These are decent numbers, but as I look over the other teams out there, I can't see anywhere that he particularly fills a need.
On the other hand, carrying five running backs (PLUS a fullback) is completely bizarre, and it would be an understatement to say that there are some needs that it might be nice to fill if the team has any hope of pulling it together against the tough back end of their schedule; swapping Portis might be a way to solve both of those problems.
I'm not saying it's going to happen; in fact, I would bet against it if I were a betting man. But it's an interesting possiblity to mull over, at least during the first even-remotely slow Redskins news day in what feels like months.
So? If you were making the decisions, would you move Clinton Portis? What's the least you'd take for him?
Hat tip to Mr. Irrelevant for the link.
Portis is 28 years old, which is something like 50 in running back years. He carried the ball 342 times last year, saw his numbers tail off precipitously at the end of the season, and has started this season averaging a solid-but-unspectacular 4.2 yards per carry. These are decent numbers, but as I look over the other teams out there, I can't see anywhere that he particularly fills a need.
On the other hand, carrying five running backs (PLUS a fullback) is completely bizarre, and it would be an understatement to say that there are some needs that it might be nice to fill if the team has any hope of pulling it together against the tough back end of their schedule; swapping Portis might be a way to solve both of those problems.
I'm not saying it's going to happen; in fact, I would bet against it if I were a betting man. But it's an interesting possiblity to mull over, at least during the first even-remotely slow Redskins news day in what feels like months.
So? If you were making the decisions, would you move Clinton Portis? What's the least you'd take for him?
Hat tip to Mr. Irrelevant for the link.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-20-2009 @ 1:37PM
toddwillis1977 said...
I would package portis and moss to try for a first round pick. Then pick up two O-linemen in the first round of the draft. There is no point in addressing any other offensive postion unill the line in better shape. You bring in a young QB with a bad line and they end up getting shell shocked back there.
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10-20-2009 @ 3:22PM
dready1rasta said...
A washed up RB and a washed up WR....for a 1st round pick!?!?!?! The only person in this league dumb enough to take that deal is Vinny Cerrato, and you know the rest.
10-21-2009 @ 7:19PM
bigandmean99 said...
just look at Patrick Ramsey
10-20-2009 @ 1:40PM
Billy said...
I thought it had been established that, even if Portis were a premiere running back, no one would trade for him given his ridiculous contract. What's the point of speculating?
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10-20-2009 @ 1:46PM
Matt Terl said...
This is a valid question, and one that I probably should've (rhetorically) posed to Jason Cole in the post itself.
10-20-2009 @ 1:44PM
pez dispenser said...
Clinton Tortis I mean Portis. Yeah I would trade him except for the fact that we probably couldn't get anything of value for him. I'd keep Moss though. He is the best receiver on the team and the only receiver that can make it to the end zone. I'd also give him full punt return duty.
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10-20-2009 @ 1:46PM
buloboix28 said...
I would honestly like to see a trade happen from the skins weather its portis...becaues we got mason, betts and alridge, or randle el and moss, we need draft picks or o lineman somthing needs to be done but I doubt anything will happen right now
the only guy i never want to see leave the skins is cooley....as homer as that is...
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10-20-2009 @ 1:48PM
James said...
Isn't the cap hit to trade Portis prohibitive?
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10-20-2009 @ 1:49PM
James said...
Honestly, I don't trust anyone in the front office to make a sound decision.
So, if Portis gets dealt, it will be a dumb move.
But, we know that won't happen if only because Portis is BFFs with Snyder.
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10-20-2009 @ 2:07PM
toddwillis1977 said...
At this point just get what you can. This team needs linemen and draft picks. Put 3-4 guys together and try to get a 1 put of it.
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10-20-2009 @ 2:35PM
steven said...
Portis is finished hes not a franchise running back anymore hes too old. we need as many draft picks as possible I would trade him and try and get a 2nd round or 3rd round pick for him.
Were so dumb you see the ravens struggling in there secondary why not send carlos rogers to the ravens for a draft pick? its not like rogers is gonna be here any longer and im sure the ravens need all the corners they can get.
we need lineman BADLYYY and why are we starting campbell??? I think collins decision making is what is needed on this team since the line is so terrible! Sure jason campbell has a rocket arm but he holds the ball too long for this putrid line.
Another thing everyone see how the eagles Oline got banged up and they assembled a patched up Oline like us and how they got DESTROYED by the raiders??? I told people it starts with the OLINE when you dont have one your offense looks horrible!
Rumor has it were trying to trade for roscoe parish?
WTF is wrong with this team?? HAHAHA were trying to trade a draft pick to the bills for roscoe parish. Im DONE with this team until vinny is fired.
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10-20-2009 @ 2:42PM
jimbo2869 said...
Portis can go, but who would want him? Odds are he will be in the back field and drawing social security ( if it still exist) I don't dislike his effort but he isn't a team player, he is a prima dona and doesn't give the effort to improve the team except on game day. He and Haynesworth create the same problem, both are huge hits salary wise, neither practice and neither are in shape to play the whole game.
So trade him for anything you can get but Cerreto will not trade him because Snyder loves him. And the bottom line is that Snyder doesn't really care if we win or not because the bottom line is still good and he is makiing his money. If he really cared about the team he would have dumped Cerreto years ago and got someone to run the team that has a clue how to build a football team.
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10-20-2009 @ 3:36PM
punchdaclock said...
Too old??? Half of you commenting are probably years older than Portis..... (I know its football years) But every running back doesn't fall off the end of the earth at 30 (which is 2 years away I might add)
Anyway no trades are made at the deadline anyway. Whatever the trade, somebody would come on here and say how bad the trade is because the Redskins made it, right after the trade is done anyway......
Later
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10-20-2009 @ 4:42PM
Jim Burneti said...
Yeah, but unless he's taking a salary cut, who'd take him?
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10-20-2009 @ 4:28PM
bdr310603 said...
Portis is GUARANTEED $6.43 million in 2010. What other team is willing to take on that? And if we traded him what would we get in return? We obviously need established players because if we get draft picks in return Vinny will just shit the bed like he has every other draft except for Sean Taylor and Landry. Oh yeah and if we got rid of Portis who totes the rock? Ladell betts? Marcus Mason? Aldridge? Maybe Mike Sellers can run the ball because he damn sure hasn't blocked ANYONE this year.
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10-20-2009 @ 4:39PM
Chris said...
I don't think we traded for anyone or traded anyone, but it seems we dropped Alridge and Mason.
(Not that we were really using them anyway)
I hope we see Marko Mitchell playing soon, there's no excuse for Thomas and Kelly playing and not him, when they have done nothing so far.
Oddly enough we signed another running back today???
...although we did at least sign an offensive lineman...though who knows what we'll do with him.
http://www.redskins.com/gen/articles/Redskins_Sign_Offensive_Lineman_Jones__Re_sign_Wynn_71712.jsp
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10-20-2009 @ 4:47PM
bdr310603 said...
Well thank god. Start Jones over Heyer immediately .
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10-20-2009 @ 5:40PM
jaytee2000 said...
I would trade him but who would we get that's equal or better??? A straight trade for that crybaby lt in san diego work but i'd rather keep portis!
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10-21-2009 @ 3:45PM
asmith1212 said...
I used to love Portis and to be honest lately i have said gosh he's not even juking anybody out or breaking tackles this year (also like the end of last year) What im trying to say is yes he is good but he's not as explosive anymore. He's not as old as everyone is making him seem and he is actually still playing good for his age. If we traded him would we get better or equal? We have betts and cartwright and just dropped mason for some other rb? How many do we need!? Betts was good but he'll never be a firm consistant starter. For now untill we fix our MAIN problems keep Portis and worry about trades/draft picks with positions were desperate for. And campbell has not been the problem this year; we saw that when collins came in. Campbell did have 3 picks vs Bucs; however he come out and played great 2nd half..Just like the first 2 games. And i was shocked when he got benched, yes he wasnt playing "good" but to me, definately not playing bad enough to be benched. And to be honest..i feel we could have won if campbell stayed because collins played just as bad. What he had one nice throw his first thrpw and then what did he do? Portis set us up in red zone and he over-threw 2 passes and had his next batted down. Horrible! So to everyone mentioning Capbell..he is not the problem!
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10-20-2009 @ 7:20PM
slayer71971 said...
lett betts have the ball there is noy much you can get from a injury prone 28 year old but having a bad o line did not help this mans carrear but a 1st and a 3rd i would take ..
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