Two Bills Drive

‘"I was shocked," Henry said Saturday night. "I really look at it like a slap in the face. You don’t draft a running back in the first round to be a backup. Maybe they are trying to tell me something. I don’t know. I’m at a loss for words."’

‘And a year from now, it might turn out that Donahoe walked out with the shiniest toy in the store.’

‘”Our people feel the surgery was a success,” Donahoe said. “It was a good reconstruction, a solid surgery and Willis is way ahead of schedule on his rehab. But we’re not going to do anything to jeopardize this young man’s future because his future is our future.”‘

‘”I’m just happy to be in this situation. It was never guaranteed I’d be a top 5 pick (anyway). Things happen for a reason. I’m just happy to be here right now.”‘

‘A stroke of genius? Or sheer lunacy? Time will tell.’

‘Unless, of course, the Bills already felt the pieces to their Super Bowl puzzle were in place. Or have a plan we don’t know about.’

‘”He’s defied odds a lot of times in his life,” coach Gregg Williams said.’

‘”This was our opportunity to get one of the elite players in the draft,” Bills general manager Tom Donahoe said after emerging from his team’s draft-day war room. “We are prepared to wait. If he doesn’t play this year, that’s fine.”‘

‘The University of Miami once again dominated the first round of the NFL draft, with four players selected Saturday, including star running back Willis McGahee, taken 23rd by Buffalo.’

‘Can you imagine a little thing like snow stopping someone who has beaten the odds McGahee has? I can’t.’

‘Did any of this sway Buffalo into grabbing McGahee with the 23rd pick, a position not even mentioned weeks ago? Buffalo never checked McGahee’s knee beyond the two NFL-scheduled dates. Never had a personal workout. Never called his doctor, his physical therapist or Rosenhaus. Maybe it was playing a silent game of its own. Or maybe in a stage full of stooges, it just became the final one.’

‘Before long, McGahee is back to being the tough guy. He’s wearing a Buffalo Bills cap, but it’s twisted sideways. He has a smile for the ESPN cameras, but a warning, too. “You should ask the Dolphins if they’re worried about that,” McGahee says when asked about playing his hometown team twice a year. “They ain’t going to be too happy. It’s bad news, too, for everybody else that didn’t pick me.”‘

‘Buffalo head coach Gregg Williams said he was excited about getting Kelsay. “When he hits the ground here Thursday his motor will be running,” he said. “He’s a high-energy player. He’ll jump on grenades from sideline to sideline. He lays his body on the line and he fits into the style and kind of player that we want here with that relentless attidude.”‘

‘Crowell was picked by the Buffalo Bills with the 94th overall selection at about 8:45 p.m., with McMullen going to the Philadelphia Eagles moments later. Neither player was available to comment late Saturday, but it was surely a day of high anxiety for both of them. The draft began at noon and the third round ended shortly after 9 p.m. with 97 players picked. The final four rounds will be held today.’

‘”I’m not one to sit on the bench and watch others run the ball, but I’m willing to do whatever they want,” he said. “I expect to play, but it’s up to the coaches.”‘