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Portis, Moss Taking Over For Redskins

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 4, 2008

ASHBURN, Va. - Clinton Portis was his usual cutup self Thursday in the Redskins' locker room, cracking jokes at Santana Moss' expense.

Moss, sitting one locker to the right, was not amused.

Their personalities are so different, it's sometimes hard to imagine how they get along. Portis can be a flamboyant tease; Moss is friendly but rarely cracks a smile. What they have in common is a University of Miami bond that they also shared with the late Sean Taylor, whose locker sits undisturbed on the other side of Portis' locker.

And, in the four-game winning streak that put the Redskins into the playoffs, both recovered from early setbacks to produce some of their best numbers of the season.

"They've kind of taken over," assistant Joe Bugel said. "Those are big-play guys for us, and, boy, they're making big plays."

Portis missed the entire preseason with tendinitis in his knee. Moss battled injuries to his heel, groin and hamstring. Neither looked like his old self.

Now, they do - and Portis isn't bashful about his part of it.

"Right now, the shares for this stock - they're outstanding," he said, puffing his chest out and laughing.

Portis has more than 120 combined yards from scrimmage in each of the last four games. He's rushed for 1,200 yards for the fifth time in his six-year career, his 47 catches for 389 yards are career highs.

Finally healthy and able to practice regularly, Moss finished the regular season with three 70-plus-yard games and touchdowns in each of the last two.

After his eight-catch, 115-yard game Sunday against Dallas, he exhibited a rare bit of Portis-like humor, saying he didn't want his hands touched. "I want them to stay hot," Moss said.

OWENS UPDATE: Terrell Owens' two-week absence from practice because of a sprained left ankle hasn't caused any high anxiety for the Cowboys. Not yet, anyway.

Owens didn't practice again Thursday, the last workout for the NFC's top-seeded team before their three-day weekend.

When the Cowboys return Monday, they still might not know Owens' status for their Jan. 13 playoff game.

"Everything's been real positive with what I've heard again today. I heard some good things," Coach Wade Phillips said Thursday, though he didn't elaborate about the Pro Bowl receiver's status. "We'll see where he is next week."

Tribune wires

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