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Bills Worry about Henry's Poor Judgements
One of the more interesting reversals of the week was the about-face that Buffalo Bills tailback Travis Henry did on his position regarding the team's pick of Willis McGahee with the 23rd overall choice in the draft. Henry's initial reaction, certainly made out of frustration and bewilderment, was that the addition of McGahee was "a slap in the face" to him. After all, Henry rushed for 1,438 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2002, and clearly established himself as one of the league's best young backs.
By the end of the week, Henry had tempered his remarks considerably, and acknowledged the gamble by Bills general manager Tom Donahoe was an excellent one. And there's little doubt, even if McGahee never makes it onto the field this year (a distinct possibility, with Donahoe, given his prudence), the Bills made a wise call. One reason why: While he has matured much in the past year, Buffalo officials still worry some about Henry, and about some of his past poor judgments. The club recently signed him to a one-year extension, through the 2005 season, basically because Henry didn't have enough money to make it through the offseason. So he pocketed a $300,000 signing bonus, which ought to get him through training camp, and added a year to his original deal, at a team-friendly base salary of $1.25 million. Donahoe is nobody's fool. He knows that if McGahee rehabilitates his left knee, and becomes the player everyone felt he could be prior to the catastrophic injury, he will have a sweet situation. Two tremendous young backs. A superb 1-2 punch, each with a different running style, to confound AFC East defensive coordinators. Or, perhaps, one young and productive tailback to dangle in trade talks somewhere down the road.
By the end of the week, Henry had tempered his remarks considerably, and acknowledged the gamble by Bills general manager Tom Donahoe was an excellent one. And there's little doubt, even if McGahee never makes it onto the field this year (a distinct possibility, with Donahoe, given his prudence), the Bills made a wise call. One reason why: While he has matured much in the past year, Buffalo officials still worry some about Henry, and about some of his past poor judgments. The club recently signed him to a one-year extension, through the 2005 season, basically because Henry didn't have enough money to make it through the offseason. So he pocketed a $300,000 signing bonus, which ought to get him through training camp, and added a year to his original deal, at a team-friendly base salary of $1.25 million. Donahoe is nobody's fool. He knows that if McGahee rehabilitates his left knee, and becomes the player everyone felt he could be prior to the catastrophic injury, he will have a sweet situation. Two tremendous young backs. A superb 1-2 punch, each with a different running style, to confound AFC East defensive coordinators. Or, perhaps, one young and productive tailback to dangle in trade talks somewhere down the road.
And I also agree Romes about the fact that his $300,000 bonus should be PLENTY for the off season. I managed to live on $500 a week in one of the most expensive cities in the country. What in the world is this guy doing with all the dough??
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