ganesh Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 I was reading this 100 predictions, this writer did before the 2006 season...It is actually pretty interesting....One of the things I read was about McAllister and Bush co-existing..... 62. According to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, Deuce McAllister spoke to former Steelers great Jerome Bettis about dealing with a reduced role in the Saints' offense. If McAllister really listened to the wise Bettis, then the Deuce/Reggie tag team will work fine. Correct. Good guy McAllister didn't pout, and the Saints reached the NFC Championship. Considering that so many teams have gone to the 1-2 punch....Dillon/Maroney, Thomas Jones/Benson, Bush/McAllister, it would have been really nice if we had a Henry/McGahee duo... Linky to that article
YOOOOOO Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Yes it would have been.....to bad they couldnt co exist....
tennesseeboy Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 I'd have been happy with a Travis Henry one-o and a better use of a first round draft choice.
Max997 Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 McGahee should have never been selected by the Bills....Steinbach was the better pick
Beerball Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 That's like comparing apples and avocados though. Willis was drafted for one reason...to replace Travis and everyone knew it, even Travis. Bush is a supplement on that team. Deuce did have to 'allow' Bush to get all the press, air time, endorsements etc. but he is still the main running threat on that team. That said...the fact that he was able to carry on without bitching is unusual in today's world.
marauderswr80 Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Seriosuly, if I was a bigtime RB in the NFL id have NO problem at all splitting time with another stud RB. It saves the pounding your body takes and to be honest you last longer in the NFL. Your still getting paid the big bucks, your still a star.... But.... I think the there is more pressure for you to perform also, cause if you falter they will call for the other guy full time. If RB's can co-exist they can be a deadly force. Look at the teams that were in the playoffs this year. Most had RB that split carries. Look at the teams in the Super Bowl, they both have split RB's Colts - Addai & Rhodes Bears - Jones & Benson I think 2 RB's that are very hard for a defense to stop. Both backs are rested and always hitting the holes full speed without being tired, to me it seems like that can take a major toll on a defense, especially late in games. Id love to see Buffalo have a RB to go with McGahee.....not sure if he would like it, but who cares what he thinks!
DrDawkinstein Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 i dont think Travis would have had a problem splitting time if the situation woulve been handled properly from the beginning. but thanks to the great front office we had at the time (TD and the Gregg) I'm guessing there was little to no communication about it and they never were smart enough to come up with the idea to have them split time. right from the time of the McGahee pick, the front office made it seem like it was one or the other. no sharing. i dont blame that on Travis at all.
YOOOOOO Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Colts - Addai & RhodesBears - Jones & Benson I think 2 RB's that are very hard for a defense to stop. Both backs are rested and always hitting the holes full speed without being tired, to me it seems like that can take a major toll on a defense, especially late in games. Id love to see Buffalo have a RB to go with McGahee.....not sure if he would like it, but who cares what he thinks! Marshawn Lynch and Willis Mcgahee would be a great combo
bartshan-83 Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 One MAJOR difference...in fact maybe TWO: 1. Deuce was PAID. Less than one year before he had just inked a $50 million deal that made him the highest (or at least top 3) paid RB in the game. Dude was set and had no need to prove himself with stats for his next (and most likely ONLY) big contract. Travis was in the midst of building a pro-bowl reputation and compiling 1300 yd seasons in ANTICIPATION of that big contract. All he needed was another couple of big seasons with big numbers and he was going to get his dough. Splitting time with Willis would have jeopardized all that and he knew it. RBs usually get only ONE shot at that big payday...and as it turns out, Travis never got it. Couple that with the financial problems he was already having, and I would say that he was far more agitated and stressed than Deuce ever was. 2. Deuce was coming off of an ACL injury directly after signing his mega-deal. He had no room to pout. He had just signed the largest contract in the team's history and then promptly had a season ending injury that often ruins the careers of most RBs. How was he possibly going to challenge the team's decision to draft the most exciting college prospect in 20 years especially after there was no guarantee that he would ever be able to live up to the contract he had just signed. He was banged up and over-paid. Travis on the other hand watched as we drafted a RB who couldn't even run full speed...in the FIRST ROUND no less! He had just compiled his first very successful season and instead of making a move to help the team (or him directly...Steinbach), they made a move to replace him. I'm not taking anything away from HOW Deuce handled it. He did it like a man and obviously he and his team reaped the benefits. But to say that his situation closely mirrors Travis-Willis is a little bit of a stretch in my mind.
marauderswr80 Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Lynch & McGahee would be a nice combo if we had a luxury pick we could spend it on. Unfortunately we dont have any of those this year. We have way too many needs right now. RB would have to be near last on the list of needs, at least I think so. Others probably feel different after what McGahee has said recently within the media. But with the possible holes at LB, CB and a OL thats still suspect, RB is down on the list of needs, id have to put WR ahead of RB spot right now. But I do agree Lynch & McGahee would be a great combo. But does Willis think that? I dont think so, I also dont think he would go for it. In order to have a RB duo, you have to have 2 guys that are willing to put TEAM first, McGahee is not that guy! You need 2 RB's that KNOW their jobs, ones the HR threat and the other is the wrecking ball to setup the HR threat. Offenses that have 2 RB's that split time are Dangerous. Dont get me wrong, teams with one RB do well also......But look at the playoff teams from 2006.... All but 3 have a RB duo....KC, SD & Seattle had mainly one RB, I guess you can argue Seattle cause they had Morris to spell Alexander on a few plays, but hes not capable of the things, Bush, Maroney, Rhodes can do.... So it does take selfish players to have a RB duo....Thats the reason I dont see it happening until McGahee leaves. Bottom Line......Buffalo has way too many needs to draft a RB now. Maybe they can later rounds, but...atleast in the first 4 rounds I doubt they will, but I could be wrong and its not the first time ive been wrong..... Good post though about Lynch & McGahee!
Kelly the Dog Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Too bad none of those duos were really by design. The Bears drafted Benson because they didn't like Jones, and then found they didn't like Benson even more, and Jones started to play well. The Saints drafted Bush because he was Reggie Bush and couldn't pass him up, and the fact that he is a better receiver than runner makes it easy for them to keep Deuce happy. The Patsies drafted Maroney to replace Dillon, which may happen as quick as next month. The Colts drafted Addai because they didn't think Rhodes could be the workhorse not because the new trend is to have two. Granted, that's not saying that it's not great to have two, but there isn't a lot of history of keeping two starting quality RBs happy on your team.
marauderswr80 Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Too bad none of those duos were really by design. The Bears drafted Benson because they didn't like Jones, and then found they didn't like Benson even more, and Jones started to play well. The Saints drafted Bush because he was Reggie Bush and couldn't pass him up, and the fact that he is a better receiver than runner makes it easy for them to keep Deuce happy. The Patsies drafted Maroney to replace Dillon, which may happen as quick as next month. The Colts drafted Addai because they didn't think Rhodes could be the workhorse not because the new trend is to have two. Granted, that's not saying that it's not great to have two, but there isn't a lot of history of keeping two starting quality RBs happy on your team. While thats a good point, history does show teams that have a 2 headed running attack are very successful......
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 I was reading this 100 predictions, this writer did before the 2006 season...It is actually pretty interesting....One of the things I read was about McAllister and Bush co-existing..... 62. According to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, Deuce McAllister spoke to former Steelers great Jerome Bettis about dealing with a reduced role in the Saints' offense. If McAllister really listened to the wise Bettis, then the Deuce/Reggie tag team will work fine. Correct. Good guy McAllister didn't pout, and the Saints reached the NFC Championship. Considering that so many teams have gone to the 1-2 punch....Dillon/Maroney, Thomas Jones/Benson, Bush/McAllister, it would have been really nice if we had a Henry/McGahee duo... Linky to that article What's ironic is that I recall Deuce being on ESPN's draft day team when Willis was selected. He was ticked off about it, criticizing the Bills because they already had Travis Henry and how you can't do that to Travis Henry, etc. Then when it comes his turn, he takes it stride. Weird.
Kelly the Dog Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 While thats a good point, history does show teams that have a 2 headed running attack are very successful...... Depends on what you're talking about. I don't think you can group teams, like, say, the 2005 Steelers as one of them. That's a unique situation because Bettis was well past his prime and couldn't possibly be a starter. He also excelled at one thing, short yardage. So that was the perfect duo. But you couldn't draft that, and it's very hard to fill that in FA, too. Bettis was kind of an anomaly. I doubt the redskins are going to be able to play Betts and Portis. The Bills in their heydey had Kenneth Davis but he was clearly a back-up, not a second starter. I am not belittling the second RB idea, which is fabulous to have. I just don't think you can look for it and draft it because it has to be another unique situation. No RB is going to be happy not playing for more than a year or so, unless they are not capable of starting, like Bettis, or are not capable of doing everything, but are just solid third down backs or short yardage or whatever.
ganesh Posted January 30, 2007 Author Posted January 30, 2007 That's like comparing apples and avocados though. Willis was drafted for one reason...to replace Travis and everyone knew it, even Travis. Bush is a supplement on that team. Deuce did have to 'allow' Bush to get all the press, air time, endorsements etc. but he is still the main running threat on that team. That said...the fact that he was able to carry on without bitching is unusual in today's world. That is only one instance....I think Benson was selected to replace Thomas Jones....Maroney has been drafted to replace Dillon....But the years they have played, they have played well together...
ganesh Posted January 30, 2007 Author Posted January 30, 2007 If RB's can co-exist they can be a deadly force. Look at the teams that were in the playoffs this year. Most had RB that split carries. Look at the teams in the Super Bowl, they both have split RB's Colts - Addai & Rhodes Bears - Jones & Benson I think 2 RB's that are very hard for a defense to stop. Both backs are rested and always hitting the holes full speed without being tired, to me it seems like that can take a major toll on a defense, especially late in games. Bettis and Willie Parker were an awesome combination that won SB XL.
ganesh Posted January 30, 2007 Author Posted January 30, 2007 i dont think Travis would have had a problem splitting time if the situation woulve been handled properly from the beginning. but thanks to the great front office we had at the time (TD and the Gregg) I'm guessing there was little to no communication about it and they never were smart enough to come up with the idea to have them split time. right from the time of the McGahee pick, the front office made it seem like it was one or the other. no sharing. i dont blame that on Travis at all. Where did you get that....I remember Williams explicitly calling Henry and letting him know why they made the pick. Plus McGahee was not even going to play for another year. Travis just did not handle the problem in the right way.
tennesseeboy Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Get real. Travis played backup to Jamal Lewis at Tennessee and more recently to Chris Brown at the Titans. He played for the Bills for two yearsafter McGahee was drafted, and preferred to be the starting back or have a fair chance to be a starting back somewhere. Chose the Titans and it worked out fine. Drafting WM was a mistake given our needs and the fact we had a perfectly good (pro-bowl in fact) running back at the time. Just to be fair to WM I think we would make exactly the same mistake (only with a lesser running back) if we drafted a RB in the first round this time.
DrDawkinstein Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Where did you get that....I remember Williams explicitly calling Henry and letting him know why they made the pick. Plus McGahee was not even going to play for another year. Travis just did not handle the problem in the right way. i remember reading the articles where travis stated he heard about the RB pick through friends first. and ONE phone call to an already pissed off person does not make good communication. either way, the Bills never had any plan to use them both. and if they did, they never implemented it. Travis got ALL the carries when he was in. then Willis got ALL the carries when he came in as a starter. there was never a game where both backs had 20 and 15 carries. we were too busy throwing the ball under gilbrides offense to be able to hand off that many times anyways. if travis is such a pouter, and gregg handled things so perfectly, why did he seem so content going to Tenn where he was 1 of 3 starting running backs?
cale Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 i remember reading the articles where travis stated he heard about the RB pick through friends first. and ONE phone call to an already pissed off person does not make good communication. either way, the Bills never had any plan to use them both. and if they did, they never implemented it. Travis got ALL the carries when he was in. then Willis got ALL the carries when he came in as a starter. there was never a game where both backs had 20 and 15 carries. we were too busy throwing the ball under gilbrides offense to be able to hand off that many times anyways. if travis is such a pouter, and gregg handled things so perfectly, why did he seem so content going to Tenn where he was 1 of 3 starting running backs? Let's be honest - the previous regime didn't believe in communication. Just masters and serfs...I seem to recall a bunch of incidents like that over TD's tenure. But come to think of it most of them occurred during the GW era. How many times did you hear potential free agents say - we haven't heard from the front office etc. etc. The OL coach who just left said how much Levy and Jauron have brought back the warmth to One Bills Drive. It's not what you do - it's how you do it...I believe a two back team will work with this administrative team. But I have a funny feeling Willis has punched his ticket out of Buffalo. If not this season, then next... Another thing, If Mort's buddy is so great, how come he wasn't even on anybody's interview list this year... C
Recommended Posts