News & Info/Headlines

As Associated Press sports writer Joseph White framed it last Saturday, "Clinton Portis' first season with the Washington Redskins was all about patience -- or the lack thereof."

White went on to explain that first, Portis needed to be patient to learn a totally new offense, only to learn it didn't suit him well. He didn't have the patience to pick his way through unfamiliar blocking schemes, preferring to race ahead to try to make the type of big gains he had with the Denver Broncos.

Then the whole team got impatient after a slow start, further hindering Portis.

Portis rushed for 1,315 yards, but they were tough yards. He ran for just five touchdowns after averaging more than 1,500 yards and better than 14 TDs in two seasons with the Broncos.

"All the movement, the patience that it takes to run the offense that we had last year, the patience that was involved in running this system," Portis said. "Not really being spread out, being crowded. Dodging one person, having to dodge two more. It was clustered."

The good news? The Redskins plan to spread the field more often on running plays in 2005.

This after head coach Joe Gibbs and his offensive assistants relied primarily on tighter formations that forced Portis to wait for his blockers to create openings last season. He wound up averaging 3.8 yards per carry, a significant drop from the 5.5 he averaged in each year with Denver.

"Knowing that you're one tackle away, you're one play away from having a big day. Frustration can kick in. The aggravation can kick in," Portis said. "You're used to doing one thing, and you turn around and turn into a grinder -- three yards a carry."

Of course, Portis is anything but a "grinder."

According to NFL.com national editor Vic Carucci, the new approach should result in wider defensive gaps that Portis can exploit with his darting style. It also will include more outside running plays to take better advantage of his speed.

Naturally, Portis fully expects to be the first to benefit from any improvement to an offense that ranked 30th in the NFL last year.

"This year," the former Hurricane explained, "I think it's going to be a lot more spread out and a lot more open. ... [Gibbs] wanted to put this thing together structurally to suit him and us. So I think we're going to be much more exciting."

The way Portis talks, one might be looking for a complete offensive overhaul. But according to White, Gibbs says the changes will be much more subtle. This is due in part to the coach's belief that Portis' 2004 season compares favorably with the best seasons John Riggins had in the 1980s. The numbers are indeed similar, although Riggins got to the end zone a lot more often.

"I think we've changed," Gibbs said, "not so much to suit Clinton's style but to what we thought was more effective. Clinton can run anything. He has the speed to run outside, and he's physical."

Tackle Jon Jansen told White that only certain plays have been tweaked. One play might simply have a different blocking scheme, for example, while another has been redesigned to give Portis more room to run outside.

"On the surface, I don't think people will notice much of a difference -- other than we'll be a much more productive offense," Jansen said.

If nothing else, a speedier receiving corps led by David Patten and Santana Moss should get the ball downfield more often, opening up the running game. If so, Portis might actually be able to consider last year's 1,315-yard effort an off year.

"I know players excited about getting a new deal after 1,000 yards," Portis said. "For my worst season to be 1,300 yards, if that's the worst season I ever have in my career, I'm fine with that. ..."

While tweaking the rushing attack was clearly job one, it wasn't the only offensive adjustment.

Gibbs started by making the playbook less complicated and attempting to reduce movement before the snap. More importantly, after a season that lacked many big plays, the Redskins will also emphasize getting the ball downfield.

Many of Gibbs' alterations were implemented in last season's final five games, when the offense averaged 21 points, almost five more points than during the first five games.

But the most significant -- and conspicuous -- change involves the shotgun. Last season, the Redskins were among three NFL teams that never employed it.

But as Gibbs quipped last Friday, "When you're not successful, you'll try anything."

According to Washington Post beat writer Nunyo Demasio, because of Gibbs' aversion to the shotgun -- which is generally used in passing situations -- Washington's offense didn't employ it last year. But the formation was inserted into the playbook this offseason, and the Redskins have executed it well in practice.

"We didn't botch one snap," Ramsey said. "It's been very smooth."

That success increases the likelihood of Gibbs making the shotgun a bigger part of his offense during the regular season. Gibbs has never used the shotgun in 13 years as an NFL head coach, but after last season, he clearly understands the need to re-think his position.

Gibbs said that the frequency with which the shotgun will be used will depend on how the offense adapts before the regular season. Most of the Redskins' offensive players, particularly quarterbacks and centers, have backgrounds in the shotgun.

"I've been doing it forever," said center Casey Rabach, who signed as a free agent after spending four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

Some players -- particularly Ramsey, who had great success with the shotgun at Tulane -- are enthused about the formation, which as outlined by Demasio, give offenses:

A better opportunity to counter blitzes, particularly inside pressure; extra time -- some coaches believe a half-second -- to get the ball downfield; better sightlines for quarterbacks prior to the snap. Ramsey has been criticized for being too slow to read defenses, and the shotgun could help.

The formation might also make the offense less predictable.

But the shotgun has its drawbacks, which Gibbs rattled off last season when asked about the formation.

"We had never used it for the same reason that Bill Walsh -- and people that come out of Bill Walsh's system -- didn't," Gibbs said of his fellow Hall of Fame coach.

Among the negatives: It's more difficult for linemen to hear the quarterback, requiring greater concentration and increasing the likelihood of penalties; a higher margin for error, possibly leading to turnovers; and less time than a three-step drop, some say, to quickly get rid of the ball.

But offensive coordinator Don Breaux told Demasio that his staff has learned that the shotgun allows passes to be unleashed just as quickly.

"It's not been part of our offense, but that doesn't mean it's not good," Breaux said. "We're adaptable. It's not really a big deal. ..."

More changes?

According to FOXSports.com, H-back Chris Cooley also figures to be a bigger part of the offense after an excellent rookie year. The adjustments should allow the second-year man to raise his performance a notch this season.

FOX went on to remind readers that Cooley has good hands, decent speed and a knack for finding the open spots in a defense.

More plays will be called for him, and chances are the team's quarterbacks will develop confidence in Cooley when they see how he delivers. ...

Other notes of interest out of Washington. ...

Also according to FOX, few players have improved their standing with the coaching staff, particularly Gibbs, as much as Ladell Betts.

Gibbs came in last season with the idea that Betts was a third-down back, a misconception he admitted toward the end of the season. This season, Betts could get more opportunities to spell Portis.

The offense doesn't lose a whole lot when Betts is in and Portis is out. Portis is a bigger game-breaking threat and can score any time he touches the ball. Betts is reliable, durable, tough between the tackles, has good hands and can make yards in space.

The reported summed up suggesting: "Playing Betts more could keep Portis fresh, give him a better chance to break big plays and get his per-carry average back up in the five-yard range. ..."

Portis, who recently suggested the team's receiving corps might be the fastest in the NFL, will also benefit from the additional threat that speed brings.

Besides Moss and Patten, the Redskins have another bona fide burner in Antonio Brown. Taylor Jacobs and James Thrash have legitimate speed, as well.

Asked if he agreed with Portis' assessment that Washington now boasts the league's fastest batch of wideouts, Moss replied, "I don't want to speak too soon; but if you watch us, you'll think that too."

In a couple of related notes. ...

Somewhat overlooked amid Washington's shuffling of receivers, Jacobs is apparently making steady progress from a sophomore year in which he caught 16 passes for 178 yards.

According to the Sports Xchange, Gibbs has said on several occasions that Jacobs, a 2003 second-round pick, could end up a starter this season. On the eve of last weekend's mini-camp the coach added of Jacobs' OTA performances, "Taylor looks as good as I've ever seen anybody."

A star at the University of Florida, where he played for former Redskins coach Steve Spurrier, Jacobs stands 6-feet, 198 pounds. He flashed his talent several times last season after catching just three passes as a rookie.

Some believe confidence is an issue.

"I asked Taylor yesterday, 'Why are you not a starter?'" Patten said. "He has all the tools. It's a matter of him believing in himself. ..."

Another observer suggested Jacobs doesn't seem to have much of that "I can't be stopped" swagger.

"I feel like I'm getting better, so I can push [to start]," Jacobs argued. "I feel I'm as talented as anybody out here. I just need a break. When I get that break, hopefully I can run with it. ..."

Meanwhile, Darnerien McCants, who barely played in 2004 after signing a sizeable contract extension, is working out on Washington's special teams. The activity could make him more viable as a No. 4 or No. 5 receiver -- meaning he might actually be active on game days.

If McCants can't make the transition to special teams, he probably won't survive final cuts. As the Xchange pointed out, despite being a big target -- at 6-3 and 214 pound -- who scored once every six catches during his first two NFL seasons, he was active in just six games last season.

"I've had a lot of talks with Darnerien and his agent," Gibbs said. "What I've told them is, 'He's a real talent. We've got to find a way to get him on the field. ...'"

And what of the team's latest addition on the outside?

According to Washington Times staff writer David Elfin, Kevin Dyson, who turned 30 on Thursday, isn't the speedster he was as a Tennessee Titans starter from 1998 to 2002, but he believes he can still contribute despite having missed most of 2003 after tearing an Achilles tendon and being out of the league in 2004.

Assistant head coach for defense Gregg Williams, who was with Dyson in Tennessee from 1998 to 2000, raved about his leadership and smarts and said he made some fine plays in last weekend's mini-camp.

"I still know how to get open," said Dyson, who had feelers from Detroit, Tampa Bay and Tennessee before signing with Washington on June 6. "Experience helps. You know to get in and out of your routes and use your body on a deep ball.

"It's a different phase of my career. I'm not going to be a starter like I have been. I see myself like [Carolina's] Ricky Proehl from now on, a productive backup with the capability of starting. ..."

Also according to Elfin, the presence of Portis and Betts has made life rather miserable for Rock Cartwright. His only two carries of 2004 came in the finale after Portis was hurt.

Then the Redskins used two of their six picks in April's draft on physical backs, fourth-rounder Manuel White and seventh-rounder Nehemiah Broughton. So even though Cartwright was retained as a restricted free agent, Elfin reports that his hold on a roster spot is tenuous at best.

"Last year was frustrating and then after the draft, I called [running backs coach] Earnest [Byner] and asked him what the deal was," said Cartwright, who missed some time last weekend with a bruised. "He told me to just keep doing what I do.

"I want to be a Redskin, but I also know that we have two great backs in [Portis] and [Betts]. I look at every day as an interview, not just for the Redskins, but for the other 31 teams."

Sounds like a wise approach. ...

Also on the injury front. ...

Cooley sat out last weekend's mini-camp with a hamstring injury, but team officials insist he's fine. We'll add that Cooley hasn't missed any previous workout sessions due to injury and it seems likely the Skins are simply taking a cautious approach. ...

The Sporting News reports that place-kicker John Hall is 100 healthy again. While he's not guaranteed the job this season, Hall is likely to beat out Jeff Chandler for the roster spot if healthy.

And finally, for those who might have missed it last week. ... The team excused Rod Gardner from last weekend's otherwise mandatory mini-camp -- a move that lends further credence to the belief the veteran receiver is on his way out the door.

The Saints and Buccaneers might be among those interested once he's released.