McGahee to The Ravens

Bills Trade Willis McGahee to Ravens- Oh BoY!!!!Hot off the Press....
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer



ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Running back Willis McGahee was traded to the Baltimore Ravens by Buffalo for three draft choices Thursday, a day after Jamal Lewis signed with Cleveland.

Two of the picks will be in this year's draft and another one next year.

McGahee, with whom the Bills had become dissatisfied, is to travel to Baltimore to meet with team officials later in the day. McGahee had one year left on his five-year contract with Buffalo, and had been seeking an extension.

"This is a runner who can make people miss and has the explosion and speed to take it the distance," said Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome. "He also has the power and size to run inside. He's a viable receiver out of the backfield and is a good pass blocker, not something every back can do.

"He also plays physical and with toughness, which are things we pride ourselves on here."

Lewis, whose productivity had been declining, was released last week by the Ravens.

McGahee will take over as the No. 1, ahead of veteran backup Mike Anderson and Musa Smith, who has primarily been used on special teams.

The Bills were not immediately available for comment.

Buffalo's first-round pick out of Miami in 2003, McGahee is coming off a season in which he finished with a career-low 990 yards rushing, but led the team with six rushing touchdowns in 14 starts.

In 2005, he had ran for 1,247 yards and five touchdowns in 15 starts. He established himself as the Bills starter in 2004 with 1,128 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in 11 starts. That performance led the team to trade Travis Henry to Tennessee the following summer.

McGahee sat out his rookie season recovering from major knee surgery.

The Bills are now left searching for a starting running back to play in front of a revamped offensive line that features two new starters -- guard Derrick Dockery and tackle Langston Walker -- signed on the first day of free agency last week.

Third-stringer Shaud Williams is the only experienced running back currently on the team's depth chart.

The Bills have expressed interest in at least two free agents, meeting this week with Chris Brown, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, and Dominic Rhodes, a member of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.

Brown spent the past two days visiting the team's Orchard Park headquarters, but left for Detroit on Thursday without a deal.



So I guess he Giants can forget getting a Runingback. McGahee is a good Move for Baltimore though. Billick is Smart