The Redskin Report

It seems almost preposterous to say: A Joe Gibbs team not being committed to the run? However, this Sunday continued the disturbing trend of the Redskins going pass heavy in the 2nd half. This isn’t a one game anomaly caused by Portis’ fumbles. A closer look at the numbers show this has happened consistently over the 1st 10 games of the season:

Clinton Portis by Half
1st Half
119 carries
487 yards
4.1 yards per carry
2nd Half
74 Carries
369 yards
5.0 yards per carry

As you can see, his production doesn’t fall off; in fact he gets better as the game goes on. Judging by these numbers, you can’t say fatigue is the problem. So why Gibbs and crew decide to turn to the pass is baffling.

When compared to other backs in the league, the numbers get more startling. Portis has 61% of his carries in the 1st halves of games. The top ten backs (excluding Portis) are getting 52% of their rushes early. If you limit the competition to the top 5, the number decreases to 51%. The top ten consists of all different types of backs: small guys, big guys, from good teams and from bad teams. The only other back over 55% in the top ten is Ruben Droughns (57%), who plays for a team that is nearly always losing and is forced to pass to play catch up, and even he isn’t near Portis’ 1st half load.

Obviously after a loss like the one suffered on Sunday it’s easy to kick the Redskins while they’re down. Joe Gibbs has gotten a free ride for most of the flaws that haunt this team. He isn’t without blame, and in this case, it’s where you’d least expect to see it.