Willis Mcgahee

Travis Henry will be the Buffalo Bills' starting running back on opening day vs. Jacksonville, leaving Willis McGahee to settle for a backup role. McGahee said yesterday he can live with the role, but he doesn't have to like it. Henry is coming off his second straight 1,300-yard rushing season. McGahee, the Bills' first-round pick in 2003, missed all of last year recovering from a severe left knee injury. Bills safety Lawyer Milloy could miss two games because of a broken right forearm.

Miami tailback Willis McGahee took out a $2.5 million insurance policy 2 weeks before he was injured in the Fiesta Bowl and can collect after a year if the injury prevents him from returning to football, a Florida newspaper reported. Insurance agent Keith Lerner, of Gainesville, told Florida Today that the policy was signed and put into effect just before the national championship game, the newspaper said in a story published today. That last-minute decision could end up securing McGahee's financial future if he's unable to play again.

Willis McGahee likes to refer to himself as the NFL's best running back. Let's see how he does replacing Jamal Lewis in Baltimore. The Ravens acquired McGahee in a trade with the Bills yesterday, a day after Lewis signed with the Browns. The Bills received third- and seventh-round picks this year and a third-rounder next year. The Ravens are expected to attempt to negotiate a contract extension with McGahee, who is entering the final year of a 5-year deal. Buffalo's first-round pick in the 2003 draft, McGahee had been seeking an extension.

The NFL found no evidence that Cleveland Browns defensive players intentionally gouged the eyes of Baltimore running back Willis McGahee during the Ravens' 28-10 win last Sunday. Ravens coach John Harbaugh sent tapes to the league's office in New York earlier this week asking for a review of two separate incidents. McGahee was cut on his right eyelid and was poked in the left eye. He was forced to leave the game twice. League spokesman Greg Aiello said there was no evidence to support the Ravens' claims that the Browns tried to injure McGahee.

The Miami Dolphins have asked Ricky Williams to return $8.6 million they say the running back owes the team because he has decided to retire, the Miami Herald reported yesterday. The star running back shocked the Dolphins by announcing before the start of training camp that he was retiring at age 27. The Dolphins had been hinting that they would ask for the money but only recently made the request formal in a letter to the player and his agent, Leigh Steinberg. The Dolphins and Steinberg both declined comment.

If you're not yet on the Tim Tebow bandwagon, listen to the words of Denver running back Willis McGahee. Midway through the second half of Sunday's 16-13 overtime win against San Diego, McGahee approached Tebow in the huddle and said: "Me and you gotta win this game. " McGahee ripped off 117 yards on 23 carries and his 24-yard run in OT set up the winning field goal. McGahee told SI.com that Tebow's presence at quarterback has infected the entire team in a positive way. "All we know is, if it's close at the end, we're gonna win. "   History lesson Oakland drafted both super-kicker Sebastian Janikowski and NFL punting leader Shane Lechler in 2000.

With each carry, Travis Henry delivered a message to Willis McGahee: I'm still the starter. Henry ran for a career-high 167 yards and scored two touchdowns, providing a spark for a sputtering offense in Buffalo's 24-7 victory yesterday over visiting Washington. All at once, Henry made a case for himself and defused the criticism directed at Bills coach Gregg Williams, who attracted much of the blame for his team's recent poor efforts. And the Bills (4-3) were in need of help after having lost three of their previous four, including last weekend's 30-3 defeat against the New York Jets.

This is what everyone was waiting for from Willis McGahee. After 19 months of recuperation and countless questions about the strength of his left knee, the Buffalo Bills running back finally provided some answers. McGahee had the go-ahead score on a 1-yard run in his NFL preseason debut, helping the Bills to a 16-6 win over the visiting Denver Broncos yesterday. McGahee finished with 13 carries for 58 yards and two catches for 25 yards, continuing to show that he's ready to play after missing all of his rookie season recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.

Running back Willis McGahee could get his chance to be the Buffalo Bills' starter sooner than anticipated. Travis Henry is listed as day to day, with bruised ribs, after missing practice yesterday. That means McGahee could make his first start in Buffalo's preseason game at Indianapolis on Saturday. While Henry's injury is not described as severe, coach Mike Mularkey said he could keep him from playing as a precaution. "It's not official, but I'm not going to push him to play if there's any pain at all," Mularkey said.

First-round pick Willis McGahee and the Buffalo Bills agreed to a five-year deal yesterday that could potentially be worth $15.5 million. The contract includes a guaranteed two-tiered $4.15 million bonus, the second part of which will be paid at the end of the season. The deal is also heavily laden with incentives that more than double a base contract worth just over $7 million, including bonuses. The question now is when the Miami running back will be able to play, as he is still recovering after tearing three ligaments in his left knee during the school's loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in January.

If you're not yet on the Tim Tebow bandwagon, listen to the words of Denver running back Willis McGahee. Midway through the second half of Sunday's 16-13 overtime win against San Diego, McGahee approached Tebow in the huddle and said: "Me and you gotta win this game. " McGahee ripped off 117 yards on 23 carries and his 24-yard run in OT set up the winning field goal. McGahee told SI.com that Tebow's presence at quarterback has infected the entire team in a positive way. "All we know is, if it's close at the end, we're gonna win. "   History lesson Oakland drafted both super-kicker Sebastian Janikowski and NFL punting leader Shane Lechler in 2000.

FROM HEALTHY, first-place surprise to battered and struggling, the Washington Redskins had their fortunes take another dive yesterday when running back Tim Hightower was declared out for the season with a torn ligament in his left knee, and receiver Santana Moss underwent surgery on his broken left hand that is expected to sideline him for 5-7 weeks. Both were injured in Sunday's loss to Carolina. That makes five starters lost to significant injuries over the last 2 weeks, coinciding with a two-game losing streak and a quarterback switch.

The following is a partial transcript from yesterday's fantasy football chat with John Gonzalez on Philly.com Gonzo, pick three to start: Maurice Jones-Drew, Steve Slaton, Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson and Ahmad Bradshaw (ridiculous team I know). Gonzo: MJD for sure. He's up against St. Louis. Beyond that, don't forget - Start Your Studs. Cedric Benson is having a killer year. He's in, too. And I like Steve Slaton's matchup this week even though Cincy is way better than they were last year.

The NFL found no evidence that Cleveland Browns defensive players intentionally gouged the eyes of Baltimore running back Willis McGahee during the Ravens' 28-10 win last Sunday. Ravens coach John Harbaugh sent tapes to the league's office in New York earlier this week asking for a review of two separate incidents. McGahee was cut on his right eyelid and was poked in the left eye. He was forced to leave the game twice. League spokesman Greg Aiello said there was no evidence to support the Ravens' claims that the Browns tried to injure McGahee.

Willis McGahee likes to refer to himself as the NFL's best running back. Let's see how he does replacing Jamal Lewis in Baltimore. The Ravens acquired McGahee in a trade with the Bills yesterday, a day after Lewis signed with the Browns. The Bills received third- and seventh-round picks this year and a third-rounder next year. The Ravens are expected to attempt to negotiate a contract extension with McGahee, who is entering the final year of a 5-year deal. Buffalo's first-round pick in the 2003 draft, McGahee had been seeking an extension.

Willis McGahee will start at running back Sunday for the Buffalo Bills in hopes of igniting a sputtering offense. "He's made some more yards after first contact," coach Mike Mularkey said in announcing that the second-year back will start ahead of veteran Travis Henry when the Bills host Arizona. "We are just trying to get a spark. It's not the only position that that may happen to. But right now that's the one that it is. And hopefully that's the spark in the run game that gets us rolling.

Running back Willis McGahee could get his chance to be the Buffalo Bills' starter sooner than anticipated. Travis Henry is listed as day to day, with bruised ribs, after missing practice yesterday. That means McGahee could make his first start in Buffalo's preseason game at Indianapolis on Saturday. While Henry's injury is not described as severe, coach Mike Mularkey said he could keep him from playing as a precaution. "It's not official, but I'm not going to push him to play if there's any pain at all," Mularkey said.

The Miami Dolphins have asked Ricky Williams to return $8.6 million they say the running back owes the team because he has decided to retire, the Miami Herald reported yesterday. The star running back shocked the Dolphins by announcing before the start of training camp that he was retiring at age 27. The Dolphins had been hinting that they would ask for the money but only recently made the request formal in a letter to the player and his agent, Leigh Steinberg. The Dolphins and Steinberg both declined comment.

This is what everyone was waiting for from Willis McGahee. After 19 months of recuperation and countless questions about the strength of his left knee, the Buffalo Bills running back finally provided some answers. McGahee had the go-ahead score on a 1-yard run in his NFL preseason debut, helping the Bills to a 16-6 win over the visiting Denver Broncos yesterday. McGahee finished with 13 carries for 58 yards and two catches for 25 yards, continuing to show that he's ready to play after missing all of his rookie season recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.