Man Crush Monday

I came down with what Tosten has, writers block. It's pretty contagious, especially when I took the weekend off to try out this thing called a social life. Let's just jump right into the pool, shall we? Clinton Portis/RB Washington: Will this finally be the year that Portis gets the credit he deserves? He is never high on ranking lists, but almost year in and year out, he produces big. Excluding the year he missed 8 games, Portis has rushed for at least 1200 yards and double digit TD's in all but one year. Last year, Portis rushed for 1262 yards and 11 TD's. He also caught 47 receptions. Keep in mind he did this without starting offensive tackles Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas, both of whom will be returning from injuries this year. Guard Pete Kendall, acquired last year from the Jets, has a year under his belt in Washington. The Redskins pass offense got an upgrade this year too, drafting WR's Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly along with TE Fred Davis. All of that should help raise Portis' stats, including his YPC, a low 3.9 in 2007. Head coach Jim Zorn will be implementing the West Coast offense this year, a system that RB's responded well to in Seattle. When Gil Haskell, offensive coordinator for Seattle, first came to the Seahawks and implemented the West Coast, then starting running back Ricky Watters rushed for over 1200 yards and 7 TD's, while boasting a 4.5 YPC. Watters also hauled in 63 catches. Keep in mind that Watters was 31, Portis is only 26. When Zorn became Seattle's QB coach in 2001, Shaun Alexander ran for over 1300 yards and 14 TD's. This was Alexander's first year as the full time starter in the West Coast, and he had an outstanding season. My point is that even though there will be a new offense in Washington this year, Portis should not be negatively affected. This is the year everyone should realize Portis is a top 5 back. Consistency, productivity, versatility, other adjectives ending in "y". Like clockwork, Portis shouldn't dissapoint fantasy owners this year.