<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>WASHINGTON — Before practice one day early this season at Redskins Park, several of Washington’s wide receivers poked fun at running back Clinton Portis for his lack of production in the passing game. Portis, considered the Redskins’ most animated player, reacted as his teammates expected, making bold predictions about being one of the team’s top receivers before the season ended. As it turned out, Portis’ projections were on target. He set career highs in receptions and receiving yards while improving as a receiving threat out of the backfield, providing a dependable target for quarterback Todd Collins on “checkdown” passes when primary receivers were covered well downfield. Portis’ progress in that phase of the offense helped Washington win its final four games and clinch the NFC’s last wild-card berth. The Redskins (9-7) face the Seattle Seahawks (10-6) in the first round Saturday at Qwest Field, and Washington’s wide receivers need new material with which to tease Portis. “Guys were bothering him in practice, talking about he don’t catch any, and he just got on fire this year,” said wide receiver Santana Moss, Portis’ closest friend on the team. “He caught more balls this year than I’ve seen him [catch] since college. He’s just in a zone.” In 16 games, Portis had 47 receptions — fourth on the team — for 389 yards (an 8.3- yard average). His previous best totals were 40 catches and 364 yards. And Portis remained productive as the Redskins’ featured back, rushing for at least 1,200 yards for the fifth time in his six-year career. A season after playing in only eight games because of shoulder and hand injuries, Portis gained 1,262 yards on 325 carries (a 3.9-yard average) with 11 touchdowns. This after he also missed the entire offseason program and sat out most of the exhibition season. “We teased him a lot, saying he’s not an all-around back, just to mess with him a little,” wide receiver Antwaan Randle El said. “Yeah, he can run the ball, he blocks like crazy, but we teased him about his catching. We really can’t do that anymore. He’s just made it a point to try to catch the ball. And when he catches it in the open field, he can do a whole lot with it.” On passing plays, quarterbacks have primary and secondary targets. While reading defenses, quarterbacks often determine their top options are not open, or longer routes are taking too long to develop, so they turn to their third and fourth options on checkdowns. Portis has been at his best in these situations while working with Collins during the winning streak, Redskins players and coaches said, extending drives as Washington’s offense operated at its most efficient level this season. “He’s told me, ‘I want to catch 100 balls,’ ” coach Joe Gibbs said. “We’re not going to do that, he’s a feature guy (as a runner), but those checkdowns . . . are devastating. “They’re back covering deep, worried about our receivers, Santana and El and people like that, and it’s those check-downs. . . . He wants to catch check-downs because they get him in space.” “He’s playing at his best level right now, catching the football, running the football, blocking,” assistant head coach-offense Joe Bugel said. “When we get him in the secondary now, he’s making people miss. That is key for us right now. He’s playing at a great level for us.” Collins is pleased with the results, too. “He’s done a great job of being there,” he said. “None of it works, you can’t even get to your check-down, if you don’t have the proper protection, and that’s what’s been happening. We’re having the proper time to get through the progressions, get to that second, third, fourth read and get it down to Clinton. He’s making guys miss.”</div> Source: Buffalo News
