Bob's your Information Minister
10-22-2005, 06:26 PM
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/10/22/SPGOKFCEK31.DTL
Willis McGahee knows all about LaDainian Tomlinson's impressive go-for-the-cycle performance last week against the 1-4 Raiders. How the Chargers running back, who ran for a touchdown, caught for another and even threw a touchdown pass in last week's rout, already has 652 yards rushing on 133 attempts through Week 6.
In McGahee's mind, there is no comparison between him and Tomlinson.
"I'm the best back,'' the Buffalo Bills starter said this week. "Case closed.''
Truth is, McGahee has five more carries and 48 less rushing yards than Tomlinson, making him the NFL's fifth most productive running back as the 3-3 Bills head into Sunday's contest against the 1-4 Raiders at the Coliseum.
If will and strength of mind factor into the equation, McGahee might have a valid point.
He sweated and worked to recover after three ligaments in his left knee were torn in his final college game at Miami, the Jan. 2003 Orange Bowl national championship contest. The Bills took a chance and made him a first-round draft pick, allowed him to sit out the season to rehab, then made him a permanent starter ahead of veteran Travis Henry in '04, a move that sparked the Bills from an 0-4 start to a 9-7 finish.
It was last season's revival that prompted the supremely confident McGahee to have a message tattooed on the back of his neck: "Guess Who's Back".
McGahee said the adversity is part of what drives him to be the best.
"Oh, yeah, your character, your heart, and I've got a very strong mind, so I'm not going to let anything bring me down,'' said the second-year back, who turned 24 on Friday and has posted rushing touchdowns in each of Buffalo's last four games.
Is McGahee better than Tomlinson?
"I'm not even getting into that one. That one I'm going to leave (alone),'' said Bills coach Mike Mularkey, who has turned his offense over to McGahee and veteran quarterback Kelly Holcomb. "I'm never going to compare players. No players. Never will do that."
This week, McGahee emphasized his importance to his team -- Buffalo is 9-1 when he rushes for 100 or more yards -- by running around the practice field in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Wednesday, smacking himself with an imaginary riding crop after scoring a TD in a drill.
"I'm a workhorse, a fine breed!'' McGahee said. "You're not going to find too many like this.''
Mularkey believes his running back is stronger than he was in 2004, when McGahee finished with 1,128 rushing yards -- second-most in franchise history for a first-year running back -- and amassed over 100 yards in seven of his 11 starts.
"With Willis, it's two different years -- one year, he's still coming back from an injury where he was still testing it and he hadn't been tackled in a couple of years. He was still feeling his way through holes in training camp,'' Mularkey said. "This year, without Travis Henry here, he came in and knew he was the starter.
"He came in here with some confidence in his health. And I think the health thing made his offseason workouts even better. I think he's stronger and faster."
Willis McGahee knows all about LaDainian Tomlinson's impressive go-for-the-cycle performance last week against the 1-4 Raiders. How the Chargers running back, who ran for a touchdown, caught for another and even threw a touchdown pass in last week's rout, already has 652 yards rushing on 133 attempts through Week 6.
In McGahee's mind, there is no comparison between him and Tomlinson.
"I'm the best back,'' the Buffalo Bills starter said this week. "Case closed.''
Truth is, McGahee has five more carries and 48 less rushing yards than Tomlinson, making him the NFL's fifth most productive running back as the 3-3 Bills head into Sunday's contest against the 1-4 Raiders at the Coliseum.
If will and strength of mind factor into the equation, McGahee might have a valid point.
He sweated and worked to recover after three ligaments in his left knee were torn in his final college game at Miami, the Jan. 2003 Orange Bowl national championship contest. The Bills took a chance and made him a first-round draft pick, allowed him to sit out the season to rehab, then made him a permanent starter ahead of veteran Travis Henry in '04, a move that sparked the Bills from an 0-4 start to a 9-7 finish.
It was last season's revival that prompted the supremely confident McGahee to have a message tattooed on the back of his neck: "Guess Who's Back".
McGahee said the adversity is part of what drives him to be the best.
"Oh, yeah, your character, your heart, and I've got a very strong mind, so I'm not going to let anything bring me down,'' said the second-year back, who turned 24 on Friday and has posted rushing touchdowns in each of Buffalo's last four games.
Is McGahee better than Tomlinson?
"I'm not even getting into that one. That one I'm going to leave (alone),'' said Bills coach Mike Mularkey, who has turned his offense over to McGahee and veteran quarterback Kelly Holcomb. "I'm never going to compare players. No players. Never will do that."
This week, McGahee emphasized his importance to his team -- Buffalo is 9-1 when he rushes for 100 or more yards -- by running around the practice field in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Wednesday, smacking himself with an imaginary riding crop after scoring a TD in a drill.
"I'm a workhorse, a fine breed!'' McGahee said. "You're not going to find too many like this.''
Mularkey believes his running back is stronger than he was in 2004, when McGahee finished with 1,128 rushing yards -- second-most in franchise history for a first-year running back -- and amassed over 100 yards in seven of his 11 starts.
"With Willis, it's two different years -- one year, he's still coming back from an injury where he was still testing it and he hadn't been tackled in a couple of years. He was still feeling his way through holes in training camp,'' Mularkey said. "This year, without Travis Henry here, he came in and knew he was the starter.
"He came in here with some confidence in his health. And I think the health thing made his offseason workouts even better. I think he's stronger and faster."