Portis, Zorn at odds on practice

A debate that has gone on beneath the surface at Redskins Park became public in the second half of a 24-10 loss to the Ravens Sunday.

Running back Clinton Portis and coach Jim Zorn have gone back and forth on whether Portis needs to participate in weekly practices before playing on Sundays. Zorn said that Portis didn't play most of the second half because he wasn't familiar enough with the team's pass plays to run them as well as backup Ladell Betts.

And that's not the only part of the offense Zorn will have to rebuild this week. The offensive line is falling apart because of injuries, which will force major adjustments.

Both offensive tackles went down Sunday, with left tackle Chris Samuels out for the season because of a 50 percent tear in his right triceps. Right tackle Jon Jansen has a sprained MCL, but won't rule himself out for Sunday.

This triggers a domino effect that means a heavier load for the remaining offensive linemen, who will also have to work on communicating with the young replacements.

"Many times I see Chris right next to me, and I just assume he's seeing a play the way I see it," left guard Pete Kendall said. "Now it's different. We'll have to make more calls."

Stephon Heyer will fill in as the left tackle, a crucial spot because the position protects quarterback Jason Campbell on his blind side. Heyer has been used as an all-purpose replacement, and was shifted around the line on Sunday night.

"It's just a matter of changing the plays around in your head," he said. "You have to be prepared to change your technique a little bit on the other side."

Heyer added that he struggled with that at times, so he will welcome the move to a steady position. On the right side the position will be filled by either Jason Fabini, Chad Rinehart or Devin Clark, depending on performance in workouts this week. Clark was called up from the practice squad after Samuels was placed on injured reserve.

Rinehart is a rookie out of Northern Iowa who will bring some youth to a veteran offensive line. He said he's anxious to see how he adjusts to an NFL game situation, something that isn't always easy to judge during practices.

How those linemen hold up will play a big part in the success Portis is able to have down the stretch.

The running back was held out of the second half after botching his role in some first-half passing plays. Zorn said that he would have used Portis in running situations, but that the passing game favored Betts.

"Ladell practiced all those protection schemes," Zorn said. "He played well in what we called him to do."

Portis hasn't had a full-participation midweek practice in the last month, but has maintained that wouldn't affect his running. He has battled numerous injuries during that time.

Zorn has limited his public comments, saying only that he'd like to see Portis on the practice field. Yesterday he indicated that by keeping Portis out of the game he'd be able to achieve that goal this week.

"Even though he sat on the bench and was frustrated, he's going to be far more healthy and be able to practice all week which is going to help him down the stretch run," Zorn said. "We were all frustrated. . . . I didn't check with Clinton after the game to see how disgruntled he was."

Portis left the Redskins locker room in the seconds before it was opened to the media.

Betts said he was going to stay out of the fray, speaking only about his own game. After missing four weeks due to injury, taking the snaps with the practice team all week has helped him out.

"It wears you down over the week sometimes," he said. "But at the same time I needed it, because I missed those four weeks, so I was a little out of rhythm."

Also on the injury list this week is safety Chris Horton. The rookie has a shoulder sprain and is day-to-day.

His replacement is Mike Green, who was signed midway through the season to fill in for Reed Doughty.

"This is my chance," Green said. "I feel like I'm ready to keep doing what I've been doing and help this team make it to the playoffs."