The first time he touched the ball, a stadium filled with boo-birds began its game-long chorus.
The second time he touched the ball, he lost it on a bad exchange with quarterback Mark Brunell.
Five plays later, he watched his old jersey travel 34 yards for a Broncos touchdown with somebody else wearing it.
In his first visit to Invesco Field at Mile High since being traded to Washington last year, Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis was booed, battered and bettered Sunday. But he handled it like a veteran, rushing for 103 yards on 20 carries (his second 100-yard game of the season) and helping the Redskins give the Broncos everything they could handle before graciously accepting a 21-19 loss, Washington’s first of the season.
He might have felt a little unappreciated for the two 1,500-yard seasons he gave to Denver, but “that’s football,” Portis said.
“Certain fans are going to appreciate it, certain fans (won’t),” he said. “But overall, I think it would be pretty hard to come in here and cheer for the visiting team. My fans don’t boo me in Washington, so that’s where I’m heading.”
What was more frustrating were the game’s what-ifs.
What if he hadn’t fumbled the exchange when the Redskins took the opening kickoff to midfield? What if Nick Novak’s 54-yard field goal at the end of the first half hadn’t been nullified by an illegal procedure penalty? What if the Redskins had converted that last two-point conversion? And, of course, what if that safety hadn’t been reversed when officials ruled it an incomplete pass instead of a fumble?
“But you can’t wonder about those,” Portis said. “You can’t live your life on what-ifs.
“What if you would have turned left instead of turned right? What if you’d have dropped out of high school? That’s what happened; there ain’t no looking back. We’ve got Kansas City next week.”
So gracious was Portis, he even said Broncos running back Tatum Bell, who rushed for 127 yards and two long-distance touchdowns on 12 carries, looked good in his old jersey.
“You know Tatum was drafted in the second round, a guy they brought in to make plays, and he did,” Portis said. “That was big. That hurt us.
“He had a couple of TD runs on third down that ended up winning the game for them. So you just tip your hat to him.”
The 103 yards he got, Portis said, were among the toughest he has ever rushed for, especially with linebacker Al Wilson looking for him on every play.
“That was just determination, man,” Portis said. “Nobody’s going to dictate our game plan. What can you say? We got behind. We stayed poised. We stayed calm, and we continued to execute our game plan.
“You don’t expect to go through an NFL season undefeated. You hate to lose, but once you do lose, you tip your hat to the other team and move on to the next game.”
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
