McGahee doesn’t fit Levy’s “character” Bills

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, May 18, 2006  |  Comments( 43 )

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Since becoming the Buffalo Bills general manager in January, 80-year-old Marv Levy's biggest emphasis has been on the character of his players. At his introductory press conference, he was quoted as saying, "Ability without character will lose." At this point, the biggest name on the Bills' roster that seems to fit into that particular statement is Willis McGahee, Buffalo's starting running back. The 24-year-old has all kinds of talent and ability, but his attitude is a major question mark.

The former University of Miami star is most famous for his horrific knee injury in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which came on the heels of an absolutely magnificent 2002 regular season as he helped lead the Hurricanes to an 11-0 mark. Of course, McGahee's injury required absurd amounts of rehab, since he tore his ACL, MCL and PCL. Some wondered whether the incredible talent would ever play again. It was certainly a shame because McGahee was projected as a surefire top five pick at the time.

Thanks to a grueling rehab regimen, a fantastic personal workout, and some finagling by agent Drew Rosenhaus, McGahee maneuvered his way into the first round of the 2003 draft where he was selected 23rd overall by the Bills. It was a questionable pick at the time for Buffalo, but McGahee was too good to pass up according to the team's former GM, Tom Donahoe.

McGahee had to sit out the 2003 season because of more rehab, but he returned to football with a vengeance in 2004. Combined with steady play from his teammates, McGahee helped guide the Buffalo Bills from the doldrums to the brink of the postseason. The rookie rushed for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns, which had many of the Bills' faithful harking back to the days of O.J. Simpson.

In 2005, McGahee was projected as one of the best backs in the league going into the season. Surprisingly, he appeared too bulky and too slow, which along with lackluster offensive line play, led to his 3.8 yard per carry, five touchdown performance for the year. Although he rushed for 1,247 yards in the regular season, many questioned McGahee's effort. The fact that McGahee referred to himself as "the best back in the league" didn't help things either. His production was nowhere near the likes of Larry Johnson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander or Tiki Barber.

This offseason, McGahee initially impressed by coming to bitter-cold Buffalo in February and working out with a few of his Bills teammates. He even managed to lose some of his bulk, which is certainly a good thing. However, he's been absent from organized team activities, and has given some questionable interviews to different media outlets.

In a magazine article last week, McGahee came off as a typical hotshot from "Tha U," as he ran his mouth about different subjects such as cars and the Miami area as a whole. He came off as a bit of a troublemaker not worthy of Levy's restructured Bills. In an organization built around key character players such as Lee Evans, Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher and Troy Vincent, McGahee hardly fits the Bill--pun intended.

Naturally, a great 2006 season would be able to cure McGahee's "poor" character. In the NFL, terrific performances are often able to mask players' off-field personas. If McGahee becomes the dominant back the Buffalo Bills are hoping for, he can essentially continue with his current lifestyle. However, if he's unspectacular, his time in Buffalo may be all but over after this year. Since McGahee's a big city, warm weather guy, he may not even object.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com

Get more Willis McGahee insights at Realfootball365.com.
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CommentsComments: 43  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
uh... what?		07:28 AM
05/18/2006
this may be the most painfully retarded thing i've ever read. way to actually back up your critique on mcgahee's character. your...
No.2
seriously		07:33 AM
05/18/2006
what were you thinking? "ran his mouth about subjects such as cars" = "came off as a bit of a troublemaker"? ?
No.3
bfanindc		09:13 AM
05/18/2006
Cockiness? Yes. Character problem? Troublemaker? Hardly. The man works his tail off to overcome a shredded knee and you question...
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