Donovan McNabb replaced him as the face of the offense. The Albert Haynesworth saga diverted attention from him as well. And Clinton Portis sat back and smiled. After his quietest training camp in his seven seasons with Washington, the low-key approach was welcomed.
“I don’t mind. For me it was all negative attention,” he said. “I made it my goal this preseason to make sure I was never the topic of conversation.”
But as he enters his ninth year in the NFL, Portis does so knowing that many wonder what he can still accomplish. Midway through 2008, he was an MVP candidate; midway through 2009, he was a concussion victim who wouldn’t play again that season.
However, he said missing eight games last season, and hearing players complain about him at season’s end, caused him to do some soul-searching. He also said he feels fresher after missing a half-season’s worth of pounding.
“Honestly I don’t feel like I was doing nothing wrong but telling the truth,” said Portis, who is 876 yards from breaking John Riggins’ franchise rushing record. “But I got to a point where I could be a better teammate, I could hang around. What’s the rush for me to get to work and get out of work?”
In his most extensive interview since camp opened, Portis also said:
» “I was telling someone the other day I feel younger at this point than I did in a long time. Usually coming out of preseason you’re beat up, two-a-days and your body tired.”
» “Did I question I would be back with the Redskins? Yes. I know as far as this town it’s a bittersweet relationship. On Sundays they love me, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday when the headlines come out there’s a lot of hatred. You get in that bittersweet relationship and it’s like wanting to start over, wanting to start new. It was a new regime coming in. Lucky for me it was coach Shanahan.”
For a full transcript of Portis’ comments, visit John Keim’s Redskins Confidential blog.
