McGahee back to form
DETROIT – Willis McGahee has one heck of a left knee, a simply incredible left knee. It is a famous one, too, and not for being one of two knees that once made him the most feared running back in college football, but for being the knee that was gruesomely injured in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
That night Ohio State's Will Allen broke McGahee's left knee every which way; ending his historic season at the University of Miami; dropping him in the 2003 NFL draft; costing him the ensuing season; and providing masochists a favored sports clip on YouTube.
You watched that knee get smashed and it wouldn't surprise you if McGahee never walked straight again, let alone rush for consecutive 1,000 yard seasons in the NFL.
And that, really, is why McGahee's left knee is most remarkable. It's not that it got slammed. It's not that it even got rehabilitated. It’s that, if you want to be honest about it, the knee has never performed the way it once did yet it was still special enough to gain nearly 2,400 yards and score 18 touchdowns behind lousy Buffalo Bills offensive lines.
McGahee, three seasons removed from that injury, is a certifiable, proven NFL featured running back. And he has never had the speed that originally made him such a tantalizing prospect.
Until, he says, now.
"I think I am faster than I was," said McGahee Thursday after scoring a touchdown in the Bills 20-13 preseason victory over the Lions. "I think I am faster than ever."
The old McGahee was a highlight film waiting to happen, needing a small crease to explode into daylight where he would blow by cornerbacks as he ran from one end of the field to the other.
The McGahee of the past two years, however, was a workhorse, grinding out four-digit rushing totals three, four and five yards at a clip, 27, 29, 31 attempts a game.
The old McGahee rewrote the UM record book in his lone season as a starter, besting Edgerrin James in single-season yardage (1,746) and touchdowns (28). His TD total is third best of all-time, behind only Mike Rozier and Barry Sanders. It included three heart-stoppers from outside 60 yards and another from 48. He was a first team All-American and Heisman finalist.
The McGahee of the last two years had none of that world class speed – his longest run last year was 27 yards. He's been good, but hardly thrilling. He understood his job and did it – "move the ball, move the chains" – but he no longer left people with chills.
He swears that might be possible again. His teammates and new coach Dick Jauron seem convinced as well. McGahee may line up at times as a receiver to get him more touches in the open field where, as he put it, he'd be "devastating."
He played only one series here against Detroit, and while he didn't break off a 61-yarder as he did two weeks ago against Cincinnati, he did have a 20-yard gain and showed bursts of that old speed.
"I liked the sharp cuts, the north and south, he makes people miss and he is by them pretty quick," said Jauron. "And I am glad he feels good because we intend to give him the ball and we are counting on him having a pretty big year for us."
Look, the Bills are no one's pick to win the AFC. They will probably be no one's pick to even win the opener at New England or at Miami the week after, for that matter. Coming off a divisive and disappointing 5-11 season, the Bills are the Bills – "as far as I am concerned we are rated last in the AFC," said McGahee.
But what if Willis McGahee is the real Willis McGahee?
What if "good" goes to "great?"
A couple things – besides health – are working in McGahee's favor this season. First off, the offensive line looks better, which is not saying much from last year's dreadful unit, but it does mean something.
"We are a whole lot better than we were last year," said McGahee.
Second, while quarterback J.P. Losman is not going to remind anyone of Peyton Manning, he too is improved and possesses more confidence and a better grasp of the offense. He went 5-5 for 52 yards on Thursday.
"Every week we are getting better," said Losman.
So McGahee isn't going to have to go it alone. Though he certainly seems capable of carrying the offensive load.
"He looks better, he looks faster, he looks quicker and more comfortable," said Losman. "He knows what is going on. He knows the plays.
"He is ready to roll."
On one heck of a left knee that, even at less than perfect, was good enough for a lot of yards. On one heck of a left knee that, perhaps, is truly back.
