Portis rips Zorn on radio

Restrained in his comments Sunday night, Washington Redskinsrunning back Clinton Portis used his weekly radio appearance to rant about a lack of playing time in the loss to Baltimore.

His target: Coach Jim Zorn.

“If my coaches don’t feel I can get it done, put me on the sidelines,” Portis said during his weekly appearance on ESPN 980’s “The John Thompson Show.” “If they feel I can help the team, put me on the field.”

Portis was on the bench for all but two of the Redskins’ second-half offensive snaps, replaced after the first series by Ladell Betts and Mike Sellers. Portis has carried only 22 times in the Redskins’ past two games, losses that have stalled their playoff chase.

“We got a genius for a head coach, so I don’t know. I’m sure he’s got everything figured out,” Portis said. “All I can do is when he calls a play is to go out and execute to the best of my ability.”

Portis is the first player to publicly slam Zorn, the first-year coach who has the Redskins at 7-6 entering Sunday’s game at Cincinnati. Since joining the Redskins in 2004, Portis has been an equal-opportunity basher, ridiculing former coach Joe Gibbs for his predictable playcalling and the offensive line in September.

For three weeks, Portis’ inability to practice because of several injuries wasn’t an issue for Zorn, who said publicly he wished Portis could work during the week but didn’t press the issue. When explaining Portis’ lack of playing time against the Ravens, though, Zorn pointed to how Betts and Sellers practiced the game plan every day.

Portis is peeved that his practice availability is now an issue.

“What I need to be around for is Sundays,” he said. “If there’s a problem with me not practicing and we can’t do it that way … if you need to split ties with me, split ties with me, but don’t throw me out like I don’t pay attention, I don’t know what’s going on, I’m making mistakes and I’m the problem.

“If I could practice, I’d practice. If my injuries weren’t legit, the trainers wouldn’t hold me out and they’d have me at practice. … I’m not going to force myself to go onto a field and do something crazy and then I’m out.”

Portis said he made no errors during the game.

“If you go back and watch the film, I guarantee you won’t see me make mistakes,” he said. “But maybe [Zorn is] watching a different film than me.”

Portis hasn’t spoken with Zorn since the game.

“I need to know [if there’s a problem], too,” Portis said. “If it is, I want to know about it. If it’s an issue with me, tell me that. Outside of Jim Zorn and the coaches on the team and maybe the quarterbacks, I guarantee I know the system better than anybody else. I guarantee that on blitz pickup, I don’t miss my man. If anybody has a problem with me, they need to talk to me. I don’t know what’s going on.”

Portis said he stayed in pass protection to help the offensive line keep quarterback Jason Campbell upright, even though the assignment might call for him to run a route if his defender doesn’t rush. But now?

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