Baltimore Ravens Welcome Willis McGahee

The Ravens answered any questions about their open running back spot Thursday, acquiring football player Willis McGahee via trade with the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore sent three draft picks - two this year and one in 2008 - to the Bills for the highly-regarded fifth-year running back.

Pending a physical early Friday morning, McGahee's hard-nosed, physical style could be a perfect fit in the Ravens' offense, which thrives on grinding the ball on the ground and utilizing receivers out of the backfield.

"This is a runner who can make people miss and has the explosion and speed to take it the distance," said general manager and executive vice president 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."

After being selected by the Bills with the 23rd-overal pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, McGahee sat out his rookie season while rehabilitating a serious knee injury in his final collegiate game - the national championship against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Since then, the University of Miami product bounced back to rush for 3,365 yards and 24 touchdowns. His most prolific season came in 2004, when he totaled 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns on 284 carries, a campaign followed by his 1,247 yards and five scores on 325 carries in 2005.

Last year, McGahee racked up 258 carries for 990 yards and six touchdowns.

But at 25, McGahee is two years younger with less wear and tear than the back he replaces, eight-year veteran Jamal Lewis, who signed with the Cleveland Browns yesterday. And, at 6-feet, 228-pounds, McGahee is big enough to bowl over defenders, but agile enough to make shifty cuts in traffic.

Lewis earned NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2003 for a 2,066-yard campaign, but the statistics have certainly tailed off in the meantime. In the three following years, McGahee has averaged 107 more rushing yards per season than Lewis.

Ravens head coach Brian Billick is hoping that a change of scenery for McGahee, as well as some familiar faces in fellow Miami alumni Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, will jump start the running back. In turn, Baltimore's rushing attack could improve on last season's 25th-rated ground game now and into the future.

"We're getting a dynamic back who has the potential to diversify our running game," said Billick. "We've studied him, and he brings the same passion and preparation that is common to Miami players, like our Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

"Getting a player as good as Willis is another example of how Ozzie and his department size up the market and use our resources well."

Ray Lewis agreed: "From what I have seen of Willis, he is a heck of a warrior. The way he runs and the passion he plays with is contagious. He plays the game the way it is supposed to be played. I am truly excited to have him as a teammate and look forward to a great season."

McGahee, who left Buffalo late Thursday night to take a physical, is scheduled for a press conference later this afternoon. - SOURCE: Baltimore Ravens News