Redskins-Cowboys: Alfred Morris is low key off the field, making a big mark on it

For a record price that most NFL executives would gladly pay in retrospect, the Washington Redskins’ drafting of quarterback Robert Griffin III has rehabilitated the rash-spending reputation of owner Daniel Snyder, revitalized a long-suffering fan base and reversed the fortunes of Coach Mike Shanahan, whose teams stumbled to an 11-21 record his first two seasons in Washington.

But the more surprising payback came far deeper in April’s college draft, when the Redskins plucked an unheralded running back from a small Sun Belt program in the sixth round and signed him to a rookie deal worth roughly $390,000. There was little to commend Florida Atlantic’s Alfred Morris, characterized in NFL.com’s draft prospectus as “a serviceable runner” who, at 5 feet 9 and 219 pounds, was deemed “not big enough to be imposing at the next level.”

Video

The Post Sports Live crew debates whether or not Redskins’ rookie running back Alfred Morris will gain more than 104 yards to break Clinton Portis’s single-season rushing record on Sunday night against Dallas.

More NFL coverage

13 years on, a killing’s heavy baggage

Kent Babb

Ravens star Ray Lewis has moved on from the January 2000 stabbings — after settling a pair of civil suits — but one victim’s family has not.

Ravens well aware of options

Mark Maske

Experience of facing Robert Griffin III may help Ravens as they prepare to face San Francisco’s attack.

Complete coverage

Today, the Redskins are one victory from clinching their first NFC East title in 13 years. Morris, 24, is a chief reason why, spearheading the NFL’s most potent rushing attack (162.3 yards per game).

The most prolific rookie running back in Redskins history, Morris (1,413 yards) is currently the NFL’s fourth-leading rusher, behind Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch and Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles. And with the division title at stake Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, he’ll break Clinton Portis’s single-season Redskins rushing record with another 104 yards — a feat that’s clearly within reach, given that Morris churned out 113 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s 38-31 victory over Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.

Uncomfortable in spotlight

For all his on-field heroics, Morris takes pains not to be the center of attention.

He doesn’t seek out TV cameras or entertain the media with mid-week costume changes, as Portis famously did. His car, a 1991 Mazda 626 that has logged more than 125,000 miles, is as no-nonsense as his running style. And though unfailingly polite, Morris has grown uncomfortable in the spotlight’s glare as his accolades mount, apologizing for his brevity with reporters this week as he anxiously eyed the clock in the locker room, explaining that he didn’t want to be late for the running backs meeting.

“I only have five minutes,” Morris said before accepting congratulations for his selection as a Pro Bowl alternate.

“I guess that’s an accomplishment, being a rookie,” he conceded, “but that was never a goal for me. The only thing I was thinking about was one win at a time.”

It’s that combination of professionalism and humility that goes a long way toward explaining Morris’s standout rookie season, tight end Chris Cooley believes.

“He has the best work ethic of anyone I’ve ever been around,” Cooley said. “We can have a walk-through practice, and Alfred has his cleats taped up and is going full speed. He’s almost running into the linemen’s backs in walk-through practice because he’s full speed. He wants so much to do everything right.”

Just four months ago, Morris was simply grateful to be picked in the late stages of the draft, 173rd overall. “My first individual goal was to make the team,” he recalled. “After that, it was to just climb the depth chart. And I was able to do that faster than expected in the preseason.”