k19
Active Member
- Messages
- 2,968
- Reaction score
- 18
Backup RB Battle Could Be Tight Race
Mark Ludwiczak, buffalobills.com
07/19/2005 3:31 PM
Willis McGahee will be the starting running back for the Buffalo Bills this season - that much we know.
But after that? Nobody knows for sure just yet.
The battle to become the primary backup to McGahee should be an interesting one to watch come training camp.
Especially considering the fact that the Bills recently traded Travis Henry to the Tennessee Titans for a third-round pick in next year's draft.
That means the backup running back spot is ripe for the taking.
The likely front-runner for the job is RaShard Lee, who signed with the Bills on May 16 as an unrestricted free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas released him less than two weeks earlier.
In his short time with the team, Lee has impressed Bills head coach Mike Mularkey, who said Lee made the most of his opportunity at some Organized Team Activies when both Henry and McGahee were missing.
"I think he's flashed [ability]," Mularkey said. "There's no question that there's something there. He's looked comfortable with some of the things that we're doing. He did not have very many mental mistakes for the number of times that he was in there. And just being in a no pads situation - it's still a fast tempo-type of drills - he was hitting the hole pretty good."
Lee rushed for 128 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries with the Cowboys in a reserve role, and although he's only 5-foot-10, he has the build and size the Bills are looking for to backup McGahee, a big running back himself.
"He's a big back," Mularkey said of Lee. "And if you look at him physically, [he's got] broad shoulders and he's a size we like for the physical part of it. Just watching him on tape, he fits our style and I thought it was a good pickup."
Several other running backs will be fighting for the backup job as well, including Shaud Williams, seventh-round pick Lionel Gates and Joe Burns, who has spent time at both running back and fullback with the Bills.
Williams is a shifty back who impressed the club enough in the preseason last year to make the squad as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama. At 5-foot-7, 193 pounds, Williams makes for a good change-of-pace back. He ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns during "garbage time" at the end of some Bills' victories late last year.
Gates split time at Louisville with several other running backs (including Eric Shelton, who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of this year's draft). Listed as 6-foot, 220 pounds, Gates may not have the ideal speed of an NFL back, but he has the strength and power to run between the tackles.
One advantage Gates has over some other rookies heading into the league is the pro-style offense he played in at Louisville.
"That offense was extremely complicated to learn, but I picked up on it real well," Gates said. "I stayed out there, watched film and made sure I studied my playbook on a regular basis. I'm a student of the game. So [I will do] anything I have to do to get that edge, to get ahead and to make it that much easier on the field on gameday. With that and the offense that I was in, it will be easier to pick up on the NFL level."
Not to be forgotten is three-year veteran Joe Burns. Burns made the club as an undrafted free agent in 2002 and has been a valuable member of the team ever since, handling both special teams and backup running back chores. He also served as a backup fullback last season, showing his versatility and dedication to do whatever he could to help the team.
Henry may not be a Bill anymore, but the race to replace him is just starting to heat up.
Mark Ludwiczak, buffalobills.com
07/19/2005 3:31 PM
Willis McGahee will be the starting running back for the Buffalo Bills this season - that much we know.
But after that? Nobody knows for sure just yet.
The battle to become the primary backup to McGahee should be an interesting one to watch come training camp.
Especially considering the fact that the Bills recently traded Travis Henry to the Tennessee Titans for a third-round pick in next year's draft.
That means the backup running back spot is ripe for the taking.
The likely front-runner for the job is RaShard Lee, who signed with the Bills on May 16 as an unrestricted free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas released him less than two weeks earlier.
In his short time with the team, Lee has impressed Bills head coach Mike Mularkey, who said Lee made the most of his opportunity at some Organized Team Activies when both Henry and McGahee were missing.
"I think he's flashed [ability]," Mularkey said. "There's no question that there's something there. He's looked comfortable with some of the things that we're doing. He did not have very many mental mistakes for the number of times that he was in there. And just being in a no pads situation - it's still a fast tempo-type of drills - he was hitting the hole pretty good."
Lee rushed for 128 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries with the Cowboys in a reserve role, and although he's only 5-foot-10, he has the build and size the Bills are looking for to backup McGahee, a big running back himself.
"He's a big back," Mularkey said of Lee. "And if you look at him physically, [he's got] broad shoulders and he's a size we like for the physical part of it. Just watching him on tape, he fits our style and I thought it was a good pickup."
Several other running backs will be fighting for the backup job as well, including Shaud Williams, seventh-round pick Lionel Gates and Joe Burns, who has spent time at both running back and fullback with the Bills.
Williams is a shifty back who impressed the club enough in the preseason last year to make the squad as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama. At 5-foot-7, 193 pounds, Williams makes for a good change-of-pace back. He ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns during "garbage time" at the end of some Bills' victories late last year.
Gates split time at Louisville with several other running backs (including Eric Shelton, who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of this year's draft). Listed as 6-foot, 220 pounds, Gates may not have the ideal speed of an NFL back, but he has the strength and power to run between the tackles.
One advantage Gates has over some other rookies heading into the league is the pro-style offense he played in at Louisville.
"That offense was extremely complicated to learn, but I picked up on it real well," Gates said. "I stayed out there, watched film and made sure I studied my playbook on a regular basis. I'm a student of the game. So [I will do] anything I have to do to get that edge, to get ahead and to make it that much easier on the field on gameday. With that and the offense that I was in, it will be easier to pick up on the NFL level."
Not to be forgotten is three-year veteran Joe Burns. Burns made the club as an undrafted free agent in 2002 and has been a valuable member of the team ever since, handling both special teams and backup running back chores. He also served as a backup fullback last season, showing his versatility and dedication to do whatever he could to help the team.
Henry may not be a Bill anymore, but the race to replace him is just starting to heat up.
