Mum's the Word on Buffalo
Ravens' McGahee Plays Down His Comments Against His Former Team

By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 18, 2007

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Oct. 17 -- Willis McGahee had plenty of inflammatory words for his former city and team, the Buffalo Bills, when he left them during an acrimonious offseason. But now that he is a running back with the Baltimore Ravens, who are preparing to play the Bills Sunday, McGahee is trying to stay quiet.

He said he doesn't know what kind of response he will get when he steps on the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It's not going to feel strange to be back in Buffalo, which he described as "a nice city." He said doesn't have anything to prove there, and his legacy with the Bills was as "just a regular player, a regular person."

"I don't have a chip on my shoulder," McGahee said, as he fiddled with his gloves during a post-practice news conference. The Bills "didn't do anything to me. At the end of the day, we're all going to shake hands at the end of the game and go on about our business."

McGahee acknowledged during a conference call with Buffalo reporters that the crowd will probably be hostile. After all, there is one Web site urging Bills fans to "get ready for the return of Willis on 10/21/07" and is selling T-shirts with "Baltimore got our garbage because . . . Willis is trash" emblazoned on the front and back. (McGahee's response: "Do I get some of them proceeds?")

Buffalo Coach Dick Jauron said Wednesday that he enjoyed coaching McGahee, and that he found him to be a good teammate and a hard worker. He described the trade that sent McGahee to Baltimore in return for three draft picks as "really a good deal for everybody concerned."

For McGahee, he got a chance to join a team with playoff aspirations, a hole in its running game (the Ravens' all-time leading rusher, Jamal Lewis, signed with Cleveland), and a locker room that is used to outspoken players. For the Bills, as one columnist for the Buffalo News wrote, the trade was "purging the rot."

McGahee spent four seasons with the Bills, who made him the 23rd overall pick in the 2003 draft out of Miami. He didn't play during his first season as he rehabilitated a severe knee injury, and then he put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, becoming the fifth running back in franchise history to do so. But last year, he ran for a career-worst 990 yards.

He had started to alienate fans in Buffalo with his brashness; he often referred to himself as the best running back in the NFL, despite never having finished among the top five rushers in the league. But what really soured McGahee's relationship with the city was an interview he gave with Penthouse magazine, in which he suggested if the NFL wanted to put a team in Toronto, then it should "just bring the Buffalo Bills to Toronto. Case closed."

In response, two local taverns asked patrons to bring in McGahee's No. 21 jersey so that they could be ripped into bar rags, and offered $20 bar tabs in return.

"If the Buffalo Bills ever left that town, it would be the worst thing that could ever happen," said Baltimore defensive tackle Justin Bannan, who spent four seasons with the Bills. "The Bills are Buffalo. You're born and raised on [the Bills] in that town, and you live, eat, sleep and breathe that team."

On Wednesday, McGahee -- who also criticized the quality of Buffalo's restaurants, nightlife and women -- was asked if he wished he could take back some of the comments he made, particularly the one about the team moving. His reply: "Oh my goodness, who said that? I don't know what you're talking about. Right now, we got one thing in mind, and that's to win, baby."

McGahee is currently fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (525), and his 4.1 yards per carry is the best of his career. He scored his first rushing touchdown of the season last Sunday, a six-yard run against the St. Louis Rams. McGahee also has 22 catches for 152 yards; he needs seven more catches to surpass his previous season high.

"I think you've seen all of the things now that we saw and coveted Willis for," Coach Brian Billick said. "He's caught the ball well out of the backfield. You don't notice the protection, but he's very, very good at pass protection, which is a real bonus. The physicality and the tough yards in that third and fourth quarter against the eight- or nine-man box. . . . I think he's the complete package, and he's shown that."

Ravens Note: Cornerback Chris McAlister did not practice because of a strained right knee, and it is "very doubtful" he will play Sunday, Billick said. But the Ravens are optimistic McAlister will be back after the bye week and play Nov. 5 at Pittsburgh. "It feels better every day," McAlister said. "I woke up one day and could barely walk, and now I'm moving around just fine. I'll just have to see how things work out."