What's it been like for you playing in Washington for a Hall of Fame coach and with such a diehard fanbase cheering you on every Sunday?
That's been my greatest experience, playing for Coach Gibbs and playing for the Washington Redskins, which may be the biggest sports franchise in any league. The fans come out and support them, week in and week out - win, lose or draw. When I was in Denver I really didn't think it got any bigger or better than the Denver Broncos fans, but then I got here and realized that everyone you run into is a Washingtonian or a Redskins diehard who remembers this time or remembers that time.

I would love to help this team get back to prominence and the level of dominance from that era, especially for Coach Gibbs. You really can't find a better person, not just a coach, but a better person that lives the way he lives and believes the way he believes. That's really how every man wants to be.

Last year you were injured while making a tackle during a meaningless preseason game. If you were commissioner for the day, how would you fix the current system? Would you shorten the preseason? Eliminate it completely?
Man, you know, if I was the commissioner I'd do a lot different. Like the individuality of the game - you want to sell that to the fans, but you're really not letting the players be individuals. I would change that first and let players go out and have fun. A lot of the things that separate players and show the individuality of players is taken away - like celebrations or the dress code. I understand you want to make everyone look the same, but everybody is not the same. The way they market the NFL they're making major money and that's what it all boils down to, making money. They gotta get their money, but how much money can you make?

I say let the people go out and have fun. And I think the preseason should be about letting the people who are coming in, looking for a shot, have that opportunity. A lot of teams don't do that. You don't get the opportunity to go out and showcase your talent. You might get to play in one game or you might not. If you don't even get into your first game then no one will ever know if you can play.

Because your season was cut short last year, it seems like critics are down on you. What's your mindset heading into this season and what can the fans expect from Clinton Portis and the Washington Redskins in 2007?
You can expect C.P. to be back in the zone. I know no one is for me, everyone is against me. The people that are for me are probably the people that I sit down and have dinner with, and that's it. That's my family, my close friends and my teammates. Outside of them, it's always "What have you done for me lately?"

People like negativity. They want to see you rise and see you fall. I know I didn't fall, I got injured. I got injured doing something I love to do and that's being aggressive and giving my all. Whether it's preseason or not, I give it my all. When they turn the lights on, I go out there knowing I can't give them garbage. I go out and play football - preseason, regular season, playoffs, anything. I got hurt putting myself on the line and people act like I fell off. I didn't fall off, man. I was out there busting my ass in a game that wasn't even meaningful. Once I get out on the field, I'm gonna go full speed. I think the whole thing was just a wake-up call. You're only as hot as your last move and my last move it seems like was two years ago, so I ain't that hot right now.

On the May 14th episode of Ballers on BET, you guaranteed that the Redskins would make it to the NFC Championship Game. Are you still standing by that guarantee?
You know, I really feel that way. Coach isn't high on us making those kind of comments.

Well, it's not like Coach is watching BET ...
But it got back to him because I heard about it like two days after the show aired. Coach isn't really high on you making predictions, he wants you to go out and play football. For myself, I feel like with the talent we've got here - we went to the playoffs when I was in Denver and the talent level that we had in Denver compared to what we have here is not even close. You had a bunch of guys in Denver who played great in that system or players the coaches knew how to play well in the system, but only a few standout guys like Al Wilson, Trevor Pryce, Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe, but it's not like everyone on that team was a Hall of Famer.

On this team you've got the possibility that as many as 10-15 guys could end up in the Hall of Fame. The possibility, the talent and the opportunity are there. Our record is 0-0 and it's up to us.

You also appeared on an episode of MTV Cribs a couple years back that people still talk about today. Your basement has reached legendary status - with the glowing beds, mirrors on the ceiling, red hot tub and the stripper pole. Where was that house and do you still own it? If not, does your current pad compete with that one?
That was actually my house in Denver and I still do own it. I ended up seeing that, probably about a year ago, I was watching Cribs one day and then when they got to me and got to my basement, my eyes lit up. My phone started ringing and people were like "Oh, they're showing your house on Cribs!" I had to tell them that it was from when I was in Denver - you see how small I was, you see how old that was. But everyone was still excited.

Photo by Brian Murphy

I only had a little bit of money back then, and I felt like I really worked for what I had. I designed it, I decorated it, I came up with the color scheme and I came up with all the ideas. I didn't call anyone, it was just me sitting down in the basement figuring out what I wanted to do and that's what I came up with. To this day I'm still proud of that place, but right now, what I'm doing to my basement will top anything you've ever seen on that program.

The Mad Scientist, Southeast Jerome, Dr. I Don't Know, Sherriff Gonna Getcha, Dolla Bill, Reverend Gonna Change, Kid Bro Sweets, Inspector 2-2, Angel of Southeast Jerome, Coach Janky Spanky and Dolemite Jenkins. Which one was your favorite character and is there any chance we'll see a new identity this season?
I enjoyed all of my characters. I really can't say I have a favorite one because week in and week out the characters that I came up with just seemed to fit with whatever we were going through. I really think that got us through some tough times here. We had lost a bunch of games consecutively and we really needed to find a way to win. I think once that came along and once that got hot, players came in with a different attitude.

When I first started, I remember a few people in the locker room looking at me like I was crazy. They were thinking "What the hell is he doing and why is he doing this?" By the end of the year, there wasn't a player in the locker room that wasn't in my locker trying to find what I was wearing or what I was doing or had some kind of idea to give me. That just shows how the team came together. The first time I did it, only three or four people were sitting around the locker room laughing while everyone was thinking "Why the hell is this dude doing that?" But by the end, everyone was involved, even bringing in different parts for my outfits.

Toughness runs in your family. Two seasons ago your mother ended up punching a Philadelphia Eagles fan in the stands during a game. Were you at all surprised that your mom was ready to throw down and that an Eagles fan was involved?
To this day, that is still in the air. I wasn't in the stands, but toughness does run in my family. I can't say that my mom did do that because I wasn't there in the stands. I think that fan is full of shit, and was in the wrong. This is a lovely game and we need to keep it lovely. It's okay to jaw jack, but never get personal when you're cheering for something you have no control over. No fan can control an NFL game. No fan at all. I think the game should be enjoyable and the fans should come out and have a good time - if you want to come out and get drunk and talk trash, keep it friendly. But once you take it personal and have to come to blows and hit someone in the face, it's not worth it.

Which current player would you pay money to see play, and which offensive player gives you the biggest challenge when you line up against them on Sundays?
Right now it would have to be Sean Taylor, Frank Gore or LaDainian Tomlinson. You know, I really would pay to go watch LaDainian. From watching film and seeing him on TV, the things he does are exciting. How he manages to stay scot-free on so many plays is exciting because I'm in the same position and I can't find a way to go through a hole untouched like that.

Madden 2008 just came out. Are you a Madden guy? Do you play the game?
Yeah, I played it for the first time today. I actually played with San Francisco, but I gotta go get the Playstation 3. That's what everyone was telling me to go get because it's the sweetest. I think they kind of downgraded the Playstation 2 version just so everyone had to go out and buy the Playstation 3. I was never gonna leave the Playstation 2, but now that everyone is raving about Madden on PS3 being so much better, I gotta leave my Playstation 2.

Photo by Brian Murphy

Actor Anthony Anderson sported your jersey in the summer-blockbuster Transformers. So we have to ask, when can we expect to see you make your Hollywood debut and which actors or actresses would you like to work with?
Man, it's time. I want to work with all actresses; I don't want to work with actors. (Laughs).

Put me in a movie with all actresses, like Sanaa Lathan, like Kerry Washington ... you know, Jamie Foxx could even hang out. I figure if he could get them to laugh on set it'll make my job much easier and I could just flirt the whole time.

And finally, when they make a movie based on your life who would play you and what will the name of the movie be?
I don't know. It would have to be someone with personality, like Jamie Foxx or Cat Williams. Cat Williams would be a good one because of his sense of humor. What it would be called, who knows? The Mysterious Life of Clinton Portis or something. Maybe The Life and Times of Spanky Janky. (Laughs).

Interviewed by Brian Murphy, August 2007.