The Post reports that Zorn has officially handed over the third down job to Ladell Betts. As I mentioned in the running backs position overview, it is critical that we reduce Clinton Portis' workload, if only to extend his career by a couple of years.
Given that Portis can be a little, shall we say, dramatic, its probably best to formalize the shift ahead of time to avoid any misunderstandings. Portis has never been averse to sharing the load with Betts in order to keep himself fresh, and by laying this out ahead of time there is less risk that increased playing time for Betts will be interpetreted (by both Portis and the media) as a "benching" based on performance. With a little bit of ego massaging, I don't think this will get dicey.
From a football standpoint, I have mixed feelings. Betts is a capable receiver, and while his pass blocking doesn't quite rise to Portis' level its still better than most backs in the league. But there are few runners who fight as relentlessy as Portis for every last yard that this there to be had. On a critical 3rd and 2, I want Portis carrying the ball.
Portis' willingness to block or hit someone certainly isn't a problem. Maybe on those critical 3rd and 2s he'll be making the holes instead of pounding through them. I'm not at all adverse to seeing how it works with Betts. Of course it is hard to say where the higher injury risk is.
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