Clinton Portis practiced again Thursday and believes he will be entirely ready for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. "They can expect a full-throttle Portis," Portis said. "It's no setbacks or limited plays for me."

Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs ruled Clinton Portis out for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, an announcement that surprised Portis and created yet another twist in the running back's injury saga. "He didn't practice today. ... If a guy doesn't practice, he's not going to play," Gibbs said.

Clinton Portis intends to play Sunday night at Dallas, despite being 'pretty sore' and spending much of Thursday in the weight and conditioning room. Portis had 10 carries and two receptions against Minnesota -- his first action since partially dislocating his left shoulder Aug. 13 at Cincinnati. "As far as I know, I'm playing unless something changes between now and Sunday," he said. "I'd love to start. I'd love to do everything, but at the same time, we have a deep roster." Portis is listed as questionable on the team's injury report.

The Minnesota Vikings have a new coach, a new attitude, and an old quarterback who knows how to win. Brad Johnson led a 54-yard fourth-quarter drive, capped by Ryan Longwell's 31-yard field goal with one minute remaining, to give the Vikings a 19-16 victory over the Washington Redskins on Monday night.

In a surprise announcement, coach Joe Gibbs said Saturday he thinks Clinton Portis will be a backup in the Redskins' Monday night opener against the Vikings. Gibbs was testy as he wrapped up a week of mystery over whether his star running back had recovered sufficiently from a partially left dislocated shoulder. Portis was upgraded from questionable to probable on the injury report, although Ladell Betts remains set to start.

On Thursday, Clinton Portis said he would like to take the decision of whether he will play right up until game time, but added that he could not consider playing in a limited capacity. "I'd like to take that shot, but at the same time I have to do what's best for this team. T.J. [Duckett], Ladell [Betts] and Rock [Cartwright] are working hard enough to get us to this point and it's not right for me to just jump in and try and take over after what they've done. I still need to get back into football shape." "I'm going to say it is strictly day-by-day unless he really comes around," said Joe Gibbs. "The decision will be up to him."

Washington Redskins offensive lineman Jon Jansen said that "maybe 15, 20 percent" of NFL players use performance-enhancing drugs and that their use is "on the rise now" because of human growth hormone treatments that are undetectable by the NFL's testing method. "You know guys that are doing it," Jansen said on the HBO program "Costas Now" that aired Wednesday night. "You know that they're cheating and you know that they're trying to get by with something."

Running back Clinton Portis and cornerback Shawn Springs didn't practice Tuesday, and their availability for Monday night's regular-season opener against Minnesota was uncertain. Portis, who partially dislocated his shoulder in the preseason opener against Cincinnati, was the only player not on the field at the start of the workout but arrived to watch before it was over. Springs, recovering from abdomen surgery, and backup defensive end Renaldo Wynn (sprained ankle) also watched from the sidelines.

Former Pro Bowl running back Stephen Davis agreed to a contract with St. Louis on Friday after playing last season with Carolina. The Rams plan to use him as a backup to Steven Jackson . Davis worked out for the Rams two weeks ago, days after spending time with the Eagles. Washington also reportedly showed interest in the back who was drafted by the Redskins in 1996 out of Auburn.