Tag: Clinton Portis

19 years ago: A look back at Washington’s last playoff win

We look back at the franchise’s last playoff win, featuring Sean Taylor and Joe Gibbs.

Monday marked the 19th anniversary of when this franchise, now known as the Washington Commanders, won an NFL playoff game.

That’s right, it was January 7, 2006, the first round of the 2005 season NFC playoffs. They were the “Redskins” then, and traveling to Tampa, Florida, they defeated the Bucs 17-10 to advance to a second-round matchup in Seattle, where their season ended in a 20-10 loss.

Here are highlights from this last playoff win

With Joe Gibbs (2.0) in his second season, the team had not been in the playoffs since 1999; no fan would ever imagine (not even Gibbs himself) that the team would go 19 years without winning another playoff game.

The Redskins were 5-6 heading into December, where coach Joe pulled off his magic like he so often had been prone to accomplish. The man could organize and lead like few others (who else do you know that has led an NFL team to championships and a NASCAR team to championships?).

Washington won their last five games of the season, defeating the Rams (24-9), the Cardinals (17-13), the Cowboys (35-7), the Giants on Christmas Eve (35-20), and the Eagles on New Year’s Day (31-20).

Mark Brunell was an aging 35-year-old veteran, and Patrick Ramsey was his backup. Three times that season, Brunell led the Redskins back on game-winning drives late to pull out close wins.

Clinton Portis rushed for 1,516 yards for the second-highest rushing season in franchise history! He ran for 11 rushing touchdowns, averaging 4.3 a carry and 94.8 a game.

Santana Moss collected nine touchdown receptions and 1,483 receiving yards on 84 receptions, averaging an impressive 17.7 yards per reception. Tight end Chris Cooley had a huge season with 71 receptions, averaging 10.9 reception and 7 receiving touchdowns.

Ladell Betts and Antonio Brown (not THAT Antonio Brown) both returned a kickoff that season for a touchdown. Kicker John Hall made every point after touchdown and missed only two field goal attempts.

Defensive end Phillip Daniels led the team with 8.0 quarterback sacks, with LB Marcus Washington also contributing 7.5. Linebacker Lamar Marshall led the team with 101 tackles, and Washington was second with 94. Marshall also led the Redskins with four interceptions, including the only “pick six,” and Ryan Clark added three.  Sean Taylor led the team with 12 passes defended.

Gregg Williams and Don Breaux were the defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively. Joe Bugel (OL coach) and Greg Blache (DL coach) were on the coaching staff, and the Executive VP of Player Personnel was Vinny Cerrato.

Nineteen years was indeed a long time ago.

Commanders’ Brian Robinson reaches a franchise milestone

Some history for Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr.

For the first time this season, the Commanders have lost consecutive games, but one of their starters has reached a personal milestone.

With his 63 rushing yards against the Eagles in Thursday night’s 26-18 loss, Brian Robinson surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards. No, he is not among the top leading rushers in the NFL. However, Robinson is revealing that he is a productive dual threat.

Robinson not only reached 2,000 rushing yards in his third season (with six remaining games), but he also became the fourth running back in Washington Redskins/Commanders franchise history to hit 2,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in his first three seasons in the NFL.


Which other Washington running backs accomplished this within their first three seasons? Larry Brown (1969-71), Mike Thomas (1975-77), and Antonio Gibson (2021-23) are the only three.

One nuance of the statistic is that the four players all started their careers in Washington.

However, one very prominent Washington running back accomplished this feat in his first three seasons. Yet, the nuance in this case is that the running back spent his first two seasons in the NFL elsewhere, came to Washington, and enjoyed several high-caliber seasons.

Clinton Portis, in his first three seasons in the NFL (two with Denver, one with Washington), had rushing totals of 1,508, 1,591, and 1,315 (4,414 rushing yards) and receiving totals of 364, 314, and 235 (913 receiving yards).

Many fans have easily framed their narrative that the 2012 10-6 Washington season was all about Robert Griffin III. Yes, Griffin was a spectacular running quarterback, rushing for 815 yards. He also led the NFL in passing yards per attempt that season at 8.1.

However, you must remember that Alfred Morris rushed for 1,613 yards in the 2012 season. What is significant about that rushing total by Morris? It was and remains, 12 seasons later, the franchise record for most rushing yards in a regular season.

However, Morris did not accumulate 500 receiving yards in his first three NFL seasons and thus did not make the list of four the Commanders have provided.

Congratulations to Brian Robinson. May you have many more successful rushing and receiving seasons for the Burgundy and Gold.

 

 

Full list of 30 former Broncos nominated for 2025 Hall of Fame class

The Broncos have 30 former players nominated for the 2025 Hall of Fame class, and Mike Shanahan is expected to be a top coach candidate.

Earlier this week, the NFL announced 19 former Denver Broncos players have been nominated for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class as modern-era candidates.

Those 19 players join a previous list of 11 senior candidate nominees who were announced earlier this month, giving the Broncos 30 total players who have been nominated for next year’s Hall of Fame class. Here are the full lists.

Broncos modern-era HOF candidates

  1. WR Rod Smith
  2. C Tom Nalen
  3. K Jason Elam
  4. G Mark Schlereth
  5. LB Bill Romanowski
  6. DL Neil Smith
  7. WR Demaryius Thomas
  8. CB Aqib Talib
  9. WR Wes Welker
  10. RB Clinton Portis
  11. WR Brandon Marshall
  12. RB Glyn Milburn
  13. CB Dré Bly
  14. TE Vernon Davis
  15. DL Jamal Williams
  16. LB Keith Brooking
  17. RB Jamaal Charles
  18. DL Ted Washington
  19. DL Simeon Rice

Broncos senior HOF candidates

  1. LB/DL Karl Mecklenburg
  2. LB Tom Jackson
  3. DB Dennis Smith
  4. WR Lionel Taylor
  5. WR/R Rick Upchurch
  6. CB Louis Wright
  7. WR Bob Scarpitto
  8. DL Michael Dean Perry
  9. RB Sammy Winder
  10. DL Lyle Alzado
  11. DE Rich Jackson

Former Denver coach Mike Shanahan is also expected to be nominated for the 2025 Hall of Fame class in the coach category.

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will trim the list of nominees in mid-October before announcing semifinalists and finalists later in the fall. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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Rod Smith among 19 former Broncos nominated for Hall of Fame

Rod Smith is one of eight Broncos Super Bowl champions who have been nominated for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced 167 modern-era finalists for the 2025 class. The list includes 19 former Denver Broncos players, including eight Super Bowl champions.

Former Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith headlines the list of players who won Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s. He is joined by center Tom Nalen, kicker Jason Elam, guard Mark Schlereth, linebacker Bill Romanowski and defensive lineman Neil Smith.

The Broncos also had two members of their Super Bowl 50 squad — late wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and cornerback Aqib Talib — nominated for the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Other players nominated include running backs Clinton Portis and Glyn Milburn, receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Marshall and cornerback Dré Bly. View the full list below.

Broncos Hall of Fame nominees

  1. WR Rod Smith
  2. C Tom Nalen
  3. K Jason Elam
  4. G Mark Schlereth
  5. LB Bill Romanowski
  6. DL Neil Smith
  7. WR Demaryius Thomas
  8. CB Aqib Talib
  9. WR Wes Welker
  10. RB Clinton Portis
  11. WR Brandon Marshall
  12. RB Glyn Milburn
  13. CB Dré Bly
  14. TE Vernon Davis
  15. DL Jamal Williams
  16. LB Keith Brooking
  17. RB Jamaal Charles
  18. DL Ted Washington
  19. DL Simeon Rice

The Broncos also have 11 senior candidates for the 2025 class, and former coach Mike Shanahan is expected to be a top candidate in the coach category. Voters will trim the list down to 20 finalists with 15 modern-era candidates, three senior candidates, one coach and one contributor. The selection committee will meet before Super Bowl LVIX to elect the 2025 class.

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Clinton Portis outspoken on his time in Washington

He is still not a fan of Jim Zorn. And who was his favorite QB?

Clinton Portis was a beast of a running back.

Portis, a Redskins running back for seven seasons, started 83 of his 84 games and rushed for 6,824 yards, including 46 rushing touchdowns and 345 rushing first downs.

Portis was a more than capable receiver out of the backfield, catching 176 receptions for 1,340 yards (7.6). Even more noticeable was the spirit and intensity with which Portis was a blocker in the passing game. He was truly an all-around, dependable, and fierce NFL running back.

Portis appeared on the “Grant and Danny” show (106.7 The Fan) Thursday and made some striking remarks reminiscing on his playing days with the Redskins (2004-2010).

Portis said in Washington, he had five offensive coordinators in his seven seasons, who all wanted to do something different. That’s understandable, as Portis did have four offensive coordinators (Don Breaux, Al Saunders, Sherman Smith and Kyle Shanahan).

But Portis then claimed he “might have played for nine or ten quarterbacks.”  Actually it was only six (Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman).

The former Washington running back said, “I left the DMV so upset because I felt like for years I was the savior, and I turned into the problem. That left a bitter taste in my mouth before I came back to broadcast, where I fell in love with the city.”

When Grant Paulsen asked Portis who his favorite Washington quarterback to play with was, Portis actually had no answer, pausing and then saying, “That’s crazy.”

Paulsen then supplied him with names of quarterbacks, to which Portis replied, “But I think Donovan (McNabb) had something going on. It was different. He was at the end.”

Indeed, McNabb did have some career lows that 2009 season in Washington, as his TD rate and QBR were his lowest, and his interception rate was his highest. He was traded after only one season to Minnesota and released during his lone season with the Vikings, never playing again.

Back to Portis’ favorite quarterback in Washington. He asked who they got from Kansas City. Grant Paulsen had to provide Portis with the name: Todd Collins. Portis then said Collins was his favorite. How strange is it that Collins was his favorite, yet he didn’t remember his name?

Portis then strangely blamed the coaches for Jason Campbell’s play, saying they told him where to throw it and then blamed Campbell. When pressed which coach, Portis quickly responded, “Of course, I am not talking about Gibbs. I love Coach Gibbs, I love Coach Shanahan.”

Again, on Campbell, “Jason didn’t have that fair chance to go out and be a ball player,” added Portis. However, many fans might recall Campbell often did successfully move the Redskins up and down the field, only to then struggle often inside the red zone.

Following his four seasons with the Redskins, Campbell continued to have his struggles, never catching on nor finding success in any of his other NFL stops with the Raiders, Bears, Browns, and Bengals.

Not to be overlooked is Portis rushed for an amazing 1,508 and 1,591 in his first two seasons in the NFL in Denver, rushing for 29 touchdowns and leading the NFL by averaging 5.5 yards a rushing attempt. Portis was a stud, no doubt.

Remember the last time Washington opened the season against the Buccaneers?

Remembering the last time Washington opened a season vs. the Buccaneers. What a time.

If one game could’ve defined an era, the opening game of the 2004 season for the then-Washington Redskins would’ve kicked off another 1980s-like run.

It was the first game in legendary head coach Joe Gibbs’ return to the sidelines for Washington after 12 years away. On the first play from scrimmage, new running back Clinton Portis takes the Mark Brunell handoff and scampers 64 yards untouched for the touchdown.

FedEx Field came unglued. Message boards — yes, they existed long before Twitter and Facebook — were proclaiming a return to prominence for the struggling franchise. The beloved hero was back to fix his franchise, while the new star showed why Gibbs traded for him.

The Commanders remembered that play via “Touchdown Tuesday” on X.

Washington would go on to win the game, 16-10, and Portis rushed for 148 yards. However, the Redskins would lose their next four games and finished the season with a 6-10 mark. That wasn’t bad, considering Washington had won just five games the year before Gibbs and Portis arrived.

This year, the Commanders open the 2024 NFL season vs. Tampa Bay. Only this time, it’s on the road. But much like 2004, the 2024 opener will feature some long-awaited debuts for Washington: Head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Can Quinn and Daniels replicate that 2004 magic in September?

The Bucs and Washington have had some memorable games over the past 20 years, such as the controversial Mike Alstott call that gave the Bucs a one-point win (2005), Washington’s playoff win two months later, or the “You Like That” game, but the 2004 season opener will always be remembered fondly by Washington fans.

Clinton Portis was the best player to wear No. 26 for the Broncos

Despite only playing two seasons in Denver, Clinton Portis ranks in the top 10 in rushing yards (3,099 yards) and TDs (29) with the Broncos.

Darian Stewart deserves a shoutout as one of the best players to ever wear No. 26 for the Denver Broncos. The safety played in Denver from 2015-2018, helping the team win Super Bowl 50 during his first season.

The best player to ever wear No. 26 for the Broncos, though, was former running back Clinton Portis. Denver picked Portis in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft out of Miami.

He went on to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award after totaling 1,872 yards from scrimmage and scoring 17 touchdowns in 2002. In his second season, Portis totaled 1,905 scrimmage yards and scored 14 times.

After his second year with the Broncos, Portis was traded to Washington as part of a blockbuster deal that sent Champ Bailey to Denver. Despite only playing two seasons with the Broncos, Portis ranks eighth on the team’s all-time rushing list (3,099 yards) and sixth in rushing touchdowns (29).

Portis went on to play seven seasons in D.C. and he finished his career with 9,923 rushing yards and 75 touchdowns. Both of those totals would have ranked No. 1 on Denver’s all-time list had he spent his entire career with the Broncos and posted the same production.

His time with the team was brief, but Portis was the best player to ever wear No. 26 in Denver.

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Former Pro Bowl RB says Dolphins RBs are among his favorites to watch

De’Von Achane gets a shoutout from one of the best RBs of the 2000s.

Through eight games, the Miami Dolphins backfield has been arguably the most successful in the league.

They lead the league in yards per carry (5.9) and rushing yards per game (151.8) while their lead back, Raheem Mostert, has recorded the most rushing touchdowns so far this year (10).

Rookie sensation De’Von Achane, in essentially just three games, took the NFL by storm, totaling 527 yards and seven touchdowns on 47 total touches.

These efforts have warranted attention by not just those around the league, but some of the best that it had to offer in previous generations.

Appearing on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take,” former Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis listed the Dolphins backfield, and Achane specifically, as some of his favorites to watch in the game today.

“It’s hard not to say Christian McCaffrey because I know the system that he’s in, but I think those backs in Miami,” Portis said. “That kid Achane, when he comes back, that separates Miami. That gives them another dimension. I like guys like that. I like guys who can hit the home run from anywhere… I love the young guy, the explosive guy, who can take it the distance from anywhere.”

Achane has been on injured reserve for three games and can officially return after Miami’s Week 10 bye, and if the offensive line has three or four of their starters back, the run game should flourish for Mike McDaniel’s team.

It’s amazing to see what a 31-year-old back, who many had written off due to past injuries, and a rookie can do in McDaniel’s offense.

LOOK: Champ Bailey and Clinton Portis together ahead Commanders’ Week 1 game

Champ Bailey and Clinton Portis are forever linked to one another.

Clinton Portis and Champ Bailey will be forever linked to one another. In 2004, the then-Washington Redskins traded Bailey and a second-round pick to the Denver Broncos for Portis.

The trade worked out for both teams, as Bailey would continue making Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While Portis isn’t in the Hall of Fame, he spent seven years with Washington, rushing for 6,824 yards and 46 touchdowns.

Portis has remained close to the franchise throughout the years, working in the media for the team and is often a guest on local radio. But Bailey remained estranged from the franchise that selected him No. 7 overall in 1999.

Until now.

The Commanders announced last week that Bailey would be Washington’s “Legend of the Game” and honorary captain for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Before Sunday’s Week 1 game, Bailey and Portis took time for a photo together.

Even more, the pair rode to FedEx Field together Sunday morning, per Ben Standig of The Athletic.

It’s officially a new era of Washington football.

Champ Bailey returns to Washington, will serve as Commanders’ honorary captain for Week 1

Champ Bailey is the latest former Washington player to return to the franchise.

Another Washington legend is returning to the fold for the Commanders’ Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Via John Keim of ESPN, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Champ Bailey will be honored as the franchise’s Legend of the Game and also serve as an honorary captain.

“Now, for several reasons, it feels like the perfect time to show up and become part of the franchise again,” Bailey said. “I’ve been wanting this for years. Timing is everything.”

Bailey was the No. 7 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft by former general manager Charley Casserly. After five outstanding seasons in Washington, the team traded Bailey — and a second-round pick — to the Denver Broncos for running back Clinton Portis. Bailey would spend 10 seasons with the Broncos and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

Portis would go on to have an excellent career for Washington, but Bailey would become one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history. Bailey was in a contract dispute with Washington in 2003 at the time of his trade.

During his time in Washington, Bailey was named a second-team All-Pro twice and was selected to the Pro Bowl four times.

Bailey hasn’t been back at FedEx Field since 2009, when he returned for a game while with the Broncos. Bailey has been critical of the organization — mainly former owner Dan Snyder — over the years. But since Snyder sold the organization in July, new owner Josh Harris and his partners have worked hard to repair relationships with the fan base and former players.

Former Washington running back Tim Hightower, the franchise’s director of alumni relations, has worked hard to bring back several of the franchise’s legends, including Bailey. However, former ownership complicated matters, specifically Bailey.

Bailey is the latest former player to return for Sunday’s game, joining Pro Football Hall of Fame running back John Riggins and former NFL offensive rookie of the year Robert Griffin III.