Betts should start over Portis

The Redskins beat the Broncos. Yes, yes. Now, let's get one thing straight.

Betts, not Portis, should start against Cowboys
I don't even care if Clinton Portis is healthy or not.

Betts showed more explosion and burst than Portis has shown at any point this season. Remember that run where Betts bounced off several defenders, as well as doing a little Moss-esque spin move, and picked up 15ish yards? Could you imagine Portis trying to do that this year? He wouldn't have bounced off the defenders, and the only spin move he has done is spinning toward the ground on the way down.

Hearing Zorn at his press conference Monday, it doesn't sound like Zorn was as impressed with Betts (and Cartwright) as I was, but Zorn said that Portis wouldn't play Sunday unless he practiced this week.

Considering Portis hasn't practiced since the preseason, I think it's a good bet that Betts will be starting Sunday in Big D.

If Portis is indeed unhealthy - which would explain a lot of things about his play this season - let him sit and get healthy.

Either way, let's ride the horse that beat the Broncos, as far as he'll take us.

A few Betts links

Betts gets better with more carries

Betts isn't better than Portis, people

Betts not better than Portis, but certainly a better fit

Theismann wants Betts in, Randle El out

Quick reaction: Big win, good win

It figures the Redskins would beat the Broncos.

The Skins have been playing bad teams all throughout the first half of the season - five straight games against winless teams and all - and the Redskins have just two wins and six losses.

But the Broncos - 6-2 - come in, and suddenly the Redskins find themselves a rhythm on offense and win 27-17.

Maybe this second half of the season will be good for the Skins after all.

Sunday, Washington finally found the combination of offensive linemen and running backs for a great running game. A season high 174 rushing yards, mostly behind Ladell Betts.

Jason Campbell didn't make any mistakes. I would not say he played well by any means, but he did not make any mistakes.

But the play of the game might have been when Brian Orakpo knocked Kyle Orton out of the game. Orton had burned the Redskins with two deep 1st-quarter throws.

But Chris Simms was not ready for primetime, completing just 3 of 13 passes for 13 yards and an INT. His play, or lack thereof, allowed the Redskins to stay in the game.

I want to take nothing away from Ladell Betts. He should start again next week in place of Clinton Portis. But Levi Jones made an immediate impact for the offensive line. His play in left tackle allowed Stephon Heyer to move to right tackle (his natural position), and the running game exploded.

I really do want Ladell Bettis on the team

Halfway through the NFL's first week of preseason games, the Redskins are the only team which has yet to score a single point.

Even Denver, which got some downright craptastic play from starting QB Kyle Orton, managed to get 16 points out of Chris Simms.

But, on the plus side, at least the Redskins don't have anyone named "Kyle Orton" on their roster.

I don't expect the Redskins to go another game without scoring a point (heaven help Jim Zorn if they do, even in preseason), but Zorn - as an offensive coach - probably is pretty frustrated right now.





So Ladell Betts was wearing a "Bettis" jersey for part of Thursday night. Too bad Betts didn't turn into Jerome Bettis -- on the field. That would have made Thursday night's game much more entertaining. As such, it was mostly a snoozer, sadly.

Here's what Betts had to say after the game:

"Actually, I do like Jerome Bettis, but I don't prefer to have his name on my back," he said. "I wasn't upset or anything. I think the equipment people felt bad, but I wasn't mad at them."

Nice to take the high road.

• I really don't want to see Brian Orakpo out in coverage. I think he's a tremendous pass rusher, but he looks stiff to me. And that's OK. He played a strict defensive end in college, and here he's being asked to do something different, and he's learning. I think, and sincerely hope, the team is looking at how Baltimore has used "linebacker" Terrell Suggs, which is to say, the basically call him a linebacker but use him as a pass rusher 90 percent of the time.

• I didn't mention Malcolm Kelly in Thursday's update, but it was really great to see the second-year receiver on the field and contributing. I'm still not sure if Malcolm is sure about his knee, but he didn't seem too unsure about it. He made one spectacular catch over the middle from Todd Collins that showed off why the team drafted him.

• I really hope kickers Shaun Suisham and Dave Rayner get more work next week. Like, really hope. I, yes, I, need to find out of Rayner can play. Not sure why the team is even considering keeping Suisham, as he finished dead last in field goal percentage last season. But I digress.
  

Some Redskins links

• Mark "Om" Steven breaks down Jason Campbell's six pass plays. Great writeup. Highly recommend.
  
• Six former team employees file suit over unpaid overtime wages.
• Team historian (I think it's fair to call him that?) Rich Tandler: There's no cause for alarm. If he says it, it must be true.
  
• Redskins blogger Matt Terl gets all excited about Thursday's game ... then remembers it's preseason.