ATLANTA — It was the trade heard round the world back in March of 2004, when the Denver Broncos sent running back Clinton Portis to the Washington Redskins for cornerback Champ Bailey and a second-round pick.
“It all happened so fast, “ Portis remembers now. “I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye.”
Portis went on to have three 1,000-plus yard seasons in Washington, despite unfortunately dealing with a plethora of injuries. Bailey, of course, went on to polish up a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career in Denver, with an AFC Championship appearance and a Super Bowl appearance to go with eight pro-bowl appearances in 10 seasons.
While he certainly wasn’t happy about it at the time, today, with his career in the rearview mirror, Portis has let go of any harsh feelings he may have had when the trade went down.
“I follow the Broncos; I’m a big fan of the Broncos,” he said. “Of course, the Broncos gave me my opportunity, and because of that I’m still a Broncos fan.”
Wih that in mind, it’s no surprise that Portis was glued to the TV this year as Broncos undrafted sensation Phillip Lindsay captivated the NFL world.
“I love what Phillip Lindsay did, that’s really what got my attention this year,” he said, unprompted. “I love Phillip Lindsay in that offense and what he was able to do.”
So what stood out in the eyes of a great running back?
“You know what I saw? Determination,” Portis explained. “That’s what stood out, his determination. He got an opportunity, and he took advantage of it. He capitalized on that opportunity, and he ran with it. In that backfield, you drafted Freeman, and you had other guys that were supposed to be the guy, and all of the sudden, Lindsay capitalized on every opportunity he got. Then, all of the sudden, the Broncos light clicked on, and they said, ‘Hey, we’ve got something special here.’ Now he’s a household name.”
And just then, Portis made the comparison to another household name that we needed.
“He’s like one of those strong little dudes that just run hard, and he does everything at 100 percent,” he said, setting it up. “He reminds me of Russell Westbrook because he’s giving you all he’s got on every play.”
Now, obviously, Westbrook has accomplished a lot more as a professional player, and he may not exactly be loved in Denver, but when you imagine Westbrook on the football field or Lindsay on the basketball court, it’s hard not to love the comp.
Both Lindsay and Westbrook play the game with this tantalizing combination of aggressiveness, explosiveness and passion that make them deadly in their profession.
Both players are often one of the smaller guys on their respective playing surface, yet both play much bigger than they appear.
Both players also like to run their mouth a little bit once they get into a groove.
Both players use speed as one of their most deadly weapons.
Westbrook has about nine years of experience on Lindsay, but other than the lack of a championship, it’s safe to say Broncos fans would be happy with a similar career arc.
As for Portis, he had one final comment on Lindsay.
“I think the sky is the limit for him,” he concluded. “The Broncos better pay that man in the next year or two instead of trading him like they did me.”
