Going the distance?

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By David Elfin

The first time Clinton Portis touched the ball in a Washington uniform, he raced 64 yards for a touchdown. The Redskins appeared to have their first home-run back in decades.

In the four years since, however, Portis hasn't broken a run within 16 yards of that initial burst to the end zone. When Portis got free for 31 yards on Sunday in Dallas, it never seemed he was on his way to the end zone.

“I never seen the guy who tackled me [Cowboys safety Ken Hamlin] until the last [second],” Portis said. “He just showed up out of nowhere. It was an opportunity. Hopefully, I have a lot more.”

But can Portis take advantage of those opportunities after 2,007 touches in six-plus seasons? His 4.3 yards a carry average through four games equals his best during his four full seasons in Washington but falls short of his 5.5 yards a carry average in his two years in Denver.

While Portis' teammates maintain he hasn't lost any speed and he did keep pace with swift second-year safety LaRon Landry in an impromptu 40-yard dash one day during training camp, 13 of the other 20 top rushers in the league have a run longer than Portis' season-high 31-yard jaunt. And Portis' longest run last season was just 32 yards.

Running backs coach Stump Mitchell said the Redskins don't want Portis touching the ball 30 or more times in a game as he did eight times in 54 games under former coach Joe Gibbs. So far, Portis has had 23 touches in three games and 21 in the other.

“You have to change as your career goes on,” 10th-year right tackle Jon Jansen said. “There are things I couldn't do as a rookie I can do now, and there are things that I could do as a rookie I maybe can't do now. Clinton can still get on the edge. He can still cut and has good vision, but he can also ram it up in there, run through some guys and get us a first down. Clinton's done a good job of morphing into the back he is now.”

Indeed, Portis resembled burly Redskins Hall of Famer John Riggins pounding away behind the Hogs on Sunday, when he carried six times for 33 yards during the drive that helped seal the 26-24 upset of the Cowboys.

“Clinton was known as kind of a slash back in Denver, running stretch plays on the outside, and here he's a power back,” center Casey Rabach said. “Some of his favorite runs are between the tackles. He's always telling the coaches he wants to run downhill.”

Portis, listed at 210 pounds when he came to Washington in 2004, is now listed at 223. Frustrated at first by the physical style of the NFC East, Portis has embraced that style, particularly since new coach Jim Zorn's West Coast offense can spread defenses out, ideally reducing the number of defenders in the box.

But Portis said he never bought into his home-run hitter reputation.

“I have more fun blocking than doing anything,” he said. “When I broke 60-yarders, I used to come to the sideline and be gasping for air. It was a run. It wasn't nothing exciting. That's what I get paid to do. When I knock somebody off their feet, that's what's exciting to me. Everybody look at the running yards and the receiving, but ... you don't pay attention to the grind of the game, the blocking, the hustling, the helping guys out.”

At Philadelphia on Sunday, the Redskins will need some classic Clinton against the league's top run defense. In his first three full games against the Eagles, Portis averaged 3.0 yards a carry, and the Redskins went 1-2. In his last three full games against the Eagles, Portis averaged 4.3 yards a carry and the Redskins went 2-1.

“That's always a challenge no matter where they're ranked, us playing Philly,” Portis said. “It's going to be a physical game. It's exciting to see that ball flying around everywhere. Teams have to take [quarterback Jason Campbell] serious and Coach Zorn serious as a playcaller and the rest of our weapons serious. If you want to give it up like that or you want to take me out of the game, pick your poison.”