The advice was simple. If anyone understands what the Washington Redskins have in running back Derrius Guice, it’s Clinton Portis. He was a back with breakaway ability who also picked up tough yards. He was a big personality off the field.

So for the team and for Guice, Portis’ advice can be summed up in a few words.

To Guice: Don’t change.

To the Redskins: Don’t change him.

Washington selected Guice in the second round, using the 59th overall pick. Many draft experts and teams rated Guice as a first-round talent. But with questions about him off the field, he ended up being the seventh running back chosen rather than the second (after Saquon Barkley).

Portis understands what Guice must be thinking; he was the 51st choice in the 2002 draft by Denver and the fourth running back selected. He also anticipated being selected earlier.

Portis went on to rush for 9,921 yards and 74 touchdowns and catch 247 passes for 2,018 yards and five more scores. Injuries shortened his career -- and he was never suspended.

“You can’t take his edge, can’t take his fire, his desire away from him,” Portis said. “You have to allow him to be who he is. Often you see it as they blanket guys from reality. You don’t have to blanket this kid. He’s experienced the worst so you don’t have to blanket him. You don’t need to baby grown men and a lot of that has happened over the years here.”

Portis was considered a more explosive back than Guice when he entered the NFL. But Guice offers good speed -- he was timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.49 seconds. And, like Portis, he also runs with a violent style. Guice has been compared to Oakland’s Marshawn Lynch, and Guice will likely provide the best combination of toughness and speed for the Redskins since Portis retired after the 2010 season.

“It’s reckless; he runs with reckless abandon,” Portis said. “You look at a guy that plays 100 miles an hour every play and you don’t get that out of running backs. That’s like old-school running backs like Fred Taylor, Edgerrin James, Corey Dillon. Especially with what [Guice] had to run behind. That LSU offense was horrible and for him to accept running into a brick wall constantly, with no passing game... he’s fearless, he’s tough, he’s a competitor and he already made up his mind, ‘S---, it’s a brick wall, I’m here, I got to run through it.’"

That’s how Portis was during his time in Washington. He arrived via trade in 2004 and the Redskins rarely had a strong passing game to complement him. So he routinely faced eight-man fronts.

But he flourished because of his mindset, he said -- and that’s what he likes about Guice.

“His mind is made up that he’ll be the best player on the field,” Portis said. “You can see that in his game. My competition on the field? I never gave a s--- about the other team. It was me and Sean Taylor. I’d talk to Sean before the game and tell him I’ll outplay you today. That was a competition.

“I think Derrius has that mindset. You see the determination when he’s running. You see it in that one tackle that a lot of kids can’t break. Man, this is a blessing for the Redskins.”

Portis said he recalled the knocks against him: that he was too small to be an every-down back, that there were off-field concerns because he had a brother in jail, that he was too flamboyant and too arrogant. He said Guice should use whatever concerns exist about him as motivation.

“It was only fuel for me,” Portis said. “I’m upset, I’m mad, I’m angry and for maybe the first five years in the NFL, everyone I faced I wanted to punish them.

“There are a lot of similarities when I look at him coming out. Back against the wall. Man, I’ve been talking about Guice and Dalvin Cook for the longest about being in this system. This is the type of back they need; they can get it done with less. Chris Thompson is a different breed. You can’t just run the offense through Chris; it’ll wear him down. You need a playmaking guy who can come on the field and thump.”

Portis never shied away from an opinion and from being a character. Sometimes he was in character, too. In 2005, Portis would dress up for his weekly media sessions, complete with alter egos such as "Sheriff Gonna Getcha" and "Southeast Jerome."

“Accept you,” he said. “This is a fan base that’s hungry for success, from the owner to the fan. You don’t need to make excuses. Can’t find many apologies, regrets or retractions. If it came out of my mouth, it’s what I felt and what I meant and I accept it. You got a fresh start. This is day one of forever, your new story. Your NFL story. Prove to these people you’re better than every back taken. If you go out with that mindset, this fan base will love him. He has a huge smile and that smile is infectious. That smile will carry you a long way with everything you’ve been through. Smile through it, play tough, hard-nosed football, don’t get into the business of politics and he’s gonna be great here.”

Portis said Guice shouldn’t try to be perfect and if something does happen? Own it, don’t point fingers and move on.

“I’m excited as a fan, excited as someone part of the organization, excited to see this caliber of player,” said Portis, who works on the Redskins’ preseason broadcasts. “Normally we’re afraid of these guys and we don’t take these chances.

“His coaches have to understand this is him. Don’t try to change this man. You drafted him for what you’ve seen, for the person you saw at LSU. That’s who he needs to be.”