McGee stands out as Bills’ premier player

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, May 25, 2006  |  Comments( 6 )

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Quick, name the Buffalo Bills' best player. Willis McGahee? No. Takeo Spikes? No. Nate Clements? No. Still not sure? Well, the answer's simple, it's Terrence McGee. The cornerback/kick-return dynamo has become the most electrifying player the Bills have had on their roster in a long time. Quietly, McGee stands out as perhaps the best two-way threat the NFL has to offer today.

Throughout his days as a football player, McGee has been viewed as an upstart. He attended little known Northwestern State in Louisiana, then entered the 2003 draft hoping a team would take a chance on him in the late rounds. Ex-Bills GM Tom Donahoe took that gamble in the fourth round, and it turned out as the best pick of his five-year tenure in Buffalo.

Nobody expected much out of the 5-9 McGee as a rookie, but he came into the Bills' fold late in the season and excelled defensively. McGee ended up accumulating 33 tackles and a pair of interceptions, including an acrobatic pick against the New York Jets' Chad Pennington late in the season.

2004 was McGee's year to burst onto the scene. He developed even more as a solid cornerback from the nickel and No. 2 position, racking up 92 tackles and a trio of picks. More importantly, though, he became the best kick-return man in the league. He overtook the Kansas City Chiefs' infamous returner, Dante Hall, to make his first Pro Bowl. McGee averaged 26.2 yards per return that season and took back three returns for touchdowns. The highlight of his season was a tremendous return in a Week 13 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, when he opened up a wild game by going end zone to end zone on the first kickoff of the Buffalo Bills' 42-32 victory.

In 2005, McGee's third season, he developed further as a viable defensive back. The Bills' coaching staff believed in him so much that they moved veteran cornerback and five-time Pro Bowler Troy Vincent to free safety permanently, allowing McGee to continue as a starting corner. The 25-year-old McGee was one of the few bright spots on the Bills' 29th ranked defense last year, piling up 72 tackles and a career-high four interceptions.

He turned in an epic performance in the second last game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, scoring two second half touchdowns in a 37-27 upset victory. McGee first returned a kick 99 yards in the third quarter to put the Bills up 20-17. In the fourth quarter, with the Bengals driving for a possible comeback victory, McGee intercepted a Carson Palmer pass and galloped 46 yards in the final minute of the game to clinch a Bills win. McGee became the first player in NFL history to score two touchdowns in a game by way of a kick return and interception return.

Despite his 31.0-yard return average, McGee was snubbed from making his second straight Pro Bowl. Instead, the Houston Texans' Jerome Mathis made it as the AFC's premier kick-return man, but it easily could have been McGee. Without question, he'll be back with a chip on his shoulder next season, ready to regain his throne.

In 2006, McGee may not just reemerge as the best return man in the league, but one of the game's elite playmaking cornerbacks. Although McGee has David size, he plays like Goliath. On a Bills team that has been weak for the last few seasons, McGee has been a shining beacon of stardom.

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

Get more Terrence McGee info at Realfootball365.com
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