Each of the last two years, before the Redskins' first game with the New York Giants, Clinton Portis introduced wild personas and wacky costumes for his weekly media session.
Remember Southeast Jerome in 2005? Or Dolemite Jenkins in 2006?
Not this year.
Asked on Thursday if it would take a winning streak for him to wear costumes again, Portis replied with a serious tone: "It's one at a time. I can't look ahead four or five or six games. We play Sunday. It's one game at a time. That's the only way we'll be able to win.
"Any time we get ahead of ourselves and look past [the next opponent], it never falls through. Being that every year at this same time the Giants are in the same situation and we're sort of in the same situation, they come in and dominate us.
"This year, we have to stay focused, stay poised and find a way to win."
So, it looks like Clinton's characters will remain sidelined.
Since the start of training camp, Portis has carried himself with a more restrained demeanor than in years past.
After missing all of training camp and preseason to rest knee tendonitis, Portis has come out and been a solid performer in the Redskins' first two games.
He leads the Redskins' ground game with 34 carries for 167 yards, an impressive 4.9 yards-per-carry average, and two touchdowns.
His 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of Monday's 20-12 win over Philadelphia proved to be too much for the Eagles to overcome.
Despite the injuries along the offensive line, the Redskins' rushing game has not missed a beat. The offense is ranked fourth overall in rushing offense--the same ranking the unit finished at last season--and is 11th overall.
No matter if it's Todd Wade, Randy Thomas, Jason Fabini or Pete Kendall, Portis and Ladell Betts have found room to run.
"I think everybody is just falling in to the system," Portis said. "Guys are trying to go out and keep it going. When you buy in to team, that's when the people around you become accountable.
"If everybody is accountable for themselves and you know you have other people depending on you, then I think guys buy in to it."
Portis wants to keep the Redskins' winning momentum going, especially with the Week 4 bye approaching after the Giants game.
"To get a win going into the bye week would be even more special," he said. "The bye week probably wouldn't be as critical as if we were to lose. You'd get that whole week to enjoy yourself. Or you'd get the whole week to think, 'Well, we won our last game,' as compared to wanting to get back on the field to get that bitter taste [of defeat] out of your mouth."
