Because nobody loves him, it's true. Not like his mom does, at least. And hey, a Third joke! As in, he's about to quarterback his third team in five years after bolting from Florida to Maryland to California...of Pennsylvania. Thanks to fellow Fanhouser Bruce Ciskie, I now recognize them as the team that got worked something terrible in the D-II playoffs by Minnesota-Duluth. Before then, I knew it as the very same school that Virginia's own exiled QB, Kevin McCabe, shuffled off to after an unceremonious benching during the 2006 season.
And while McCabe got in Al Groh's doghouse during a rebuilding year for a couple of INT's (resulting in a longer leash down the line for turnover machine Marc Verica in the same situation?), Portis was basically a weapon that the Terps couldn't seem to find a use for, in spite of his rave-worthy athleticism. Even with Ralph Friedgen's rep as an offensive innovator, the steadier, if not somewhat uninspiring Chris Turner's progression led to a diminished need for the potential for Portis gadget plays. Portis attempted three passes all year and ran 36 times. Somewhere down the road, it's not unthinkable that his huge upside could land him in the "sleeper" territory in 2010's mock draft (similar to Rhett Bomar), but as for now, it's somewhat disappointing that a rare talent in quarterbacking didn't pan out in a conference that really needs it.
