Mike Shanahan faced two culturally symbolic challenges when he took the coaching job in Washington: Albert Haynesworth and Clinton Portis.
Both players represented everything that was dysfunctional about the Redskins organization — excess and lack of discipline. Too much money wrapped up in a player. Different rules for the biggest wallets in the locker room. Self absorption glorified.
For all the attention paid to Haynesworth — finally suspended for the final four games of the season by Shanahan on Tuesday after months of turmoil — he really should mean little in the big scheme of things for Redskins fans.
Haynesworth had been here only since last year and was the source of ridicule pretty much since he arrived, no matter how much talent his supporters say he has. He should mean nothing.
Portis, though, is an important Redskins player, the most polarizing figure of his time here in Washington. His passionate supporters celebrated him as he rushed for 6,284 yards over seven years here. His disgusted detractors shook their heads when he would criticize teammates or coaches.
Portis means something. If you are looking for a measure of how Shanahan handles football players, Clinton Portis is the archetype.
If there was any one player who felt empowered to call his own shots here, it was Portis. He bragged about his relationship with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. Last year Redskins vice president Vinny Cerrato declared he got a text from Portis saying he was pleased the Redskins drafted Brian Orakpo. When Portis clashed with coach Jim Zorn over playing time following a game in Baltimore in 2008, Portis came out the winner.
Yet Portis has done nothing but embrace Shanahan and the structure and discipline he has brought to Redskins Park. You can say they had a prior relationship from the two years Portis played for Shanahan in Denver, but that was a different Portis — not the Portis who got paid more than $50 million and emerged as an NFL star.
“I never was worried about the concussion,” Portis told reporters coming back this season from the injury he suffered last year. “I think it was more me worrying about: Do I really want to put up with the B.S. that was coming along with it … the B.S. that came along with being around here? Once Coach Shanahan came in and cleaned that up and let us know he was going to take care of all that and just let us go out and play football, that was a blessing.”
Mike Shanahan — a blessing.
And how has Shanahan treated Portis? With respect, having his back all season. Shanahan went out of his way recently after Portis suffered a season-ending groin injury to praise the work ethic of the running back.
“It really is disappointing because he has really worked so hard to get back to where he was at,” Shanahan told reporters. “A lot of hard work, he was encouraging all the other players and was a big part of this football team.”
Who would have expected to hear that from Shanahan about a player who had grown into an unmanageable prima donna during his time in Washington?
You want to look at how Mike Shanahan handles players, look at the transformation of Clinton Portis. Shanahan knows how to handle men, not babies.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
