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By Edward Lee and Edward Lee,SUN STAFF | May 2, 2004
ASHBURN, Va. - The numbers are impressive. Only the third running back in NFL history to gain 1,500 yards in each of his first two seasons. Eighteen 100-yard rushing games during that span. One yard shy of 3,100 rushing yards, 678 receiving yards and 31 combined touchdowns. And yet Washington Redskins tailback Clinton Portis finds himself concerned about an entirely different number: that of his uniform. Portis, who wore No. 26 with the Denver Broncos during his first two seasons, slipped into a jersey with the No. 3 during Washington's first minicamp last month.
SPORTS
December 29, 2003
Coming in handy The Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson became the first halfback in NFL history to catch 100 passes. And he broke his own club record for combined yards with 2,370. He has four 200-yard rushing games, tying him for second place on the career list with Jim Brown, Earl Campbell and Barry Sanders. The record is six, by O.J. Simpson. Five-digit man The Titans' Eddie George is the 17th NFL player with 10,000 career rushing yards. The other active running backs over 10,000 yards rushing are Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin and Marshall Faulk.
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By Brent Jones and Brent Jones,SUN STAFF | September 25, 2002
Kelly Gregg and his fellow Ravens defensive linemen did extra wind sprints after yesterday's practice in preparation for Monday night's game against the 3-0 Denver Broncos. Afterward, an out-of-breath Gregg offered himself up as an example of how great a challenge the Ravens face in trying to contain the Broncos' running game. "Their offensive line is so good," said Gregg, 6 feet, 285 pounds, "I think I could run behind it." Denver's offensive line has been a team strength since the mid-1990s, but the unit has had a couple of its toughest days against the Ravens.
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By Jamison Hensley and Jamison Hensley,SUN STAFF | April 30, 2001
As the Ravens' minicamp ended yesterday, their title defense officially began. The Super Bowl champions are still a long way from ending their celebrations, but they weren't shy about revealing their motivation to repeat. "There's still the fact that we're underappreciated as the world champion," cornerback Chris McAlister said. "Considering that we don't get that national exposure, it doesn't really feel like we've won it. We really have to go back to prove something." While it's an overused angle, the Ravens can back it up. When they turn on the television, they often see two previous Super Bowl MVPs - the Rams' Kurt Warner and the Broncos' Terrell Davis - in soup commercials.
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By Jamison Hensley and Jamison Hensley,SUN STAFF | December 28, 2000
It's the running back factory vs. the running back's nightmare. The Denver Broncos can measure their running success in triplicate. The Ravens can prove their run-stopping ability in records. So, can the Ravens force the Broncos to become one-dimensional by stuffing the run? Or can Denver remain balanced and become the first team in two years to run the ball against the Ravens? Besides the Los Angeles Rams in the '80s, the Broncos are the only other NFL team to produce different 1,000-yard rushers in three consecutive years - Terrell Davis in 1998, Olandis Gary in 1999 and Rookie of the Year favorite Mike Anderson this season.
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By Patrick Saunders and Patrick Saunders,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | December 28, 2000
During the Denver Broncos' 2000 training camp, Mike Anderson was a nice human interest story. Here was a soon-to-be 27-year-old rookie who had spurned high school football, choosing instead to play drums in the school band. Here was a 6-foot, 235-pound running back who learned life's lessons not running between the tackles but crawling through the underbrush at Marine boot camp on Parris Island, S.C. No doubt about it, Anderson made for good copy during the dog days of August. But no one, not Anderson or Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, could imagine what fate had in store for the unheralded sixth-round draft choice.