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Orchard Park, NY – Some may ponder if Thursday October 28th was the start of the end for Travis Henry’s career with Buffalo, when Head Coach Mike Mularkey handed the running game to Willis McGahee, but the incumbent running back’s demise began much earlier.
As early summer approached last year and the words “With the 23rd selection in the 2003 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select running back Willis McGahee” echoed through the ears of Henry, as well as an anxious horde of Bill-lovers, the clock commenced on the changing of the guards.
Sunday, as the Bills played host to the visiting Arizona Cardinals, Henry’s future as a Bill took another hit.
The outdoor climate was cold, clammy, and foggy. Henry’s inner sentiments were comparable.
McGahee was named the starter on Thursday in order to spark a dormant offense that had not tallied a rushing touchdown in the last 10 games. In the first start his young career only two weeks ago, McGahee inspired the Bills to their first win of the season against the Dolphins.
Versus , McGahee was the healthiest option available. In his second opening, with Henry perfectly fit, he was given a more apparent opportunity to commensurate the faith that the fans and the franchise placed in him as he rehabilitated a damaged knee during his rookie season.
Late in the first quarter, after McGahee dazzled the fans with 23-yard and 24-yard runs he completed the team’s second possession, accounting for all 45 yards on the drive and six of the seven points registered.
"When you see him shucking guys downfield, it gets you excited," guard Chris Villarrial said. "You just want to keep pounding the ball. ... I'm proud of Willis stepping in."
After persevering through a year of treatment and remedy, it would have been acceptable for McGahee to greedily relish his first notable major. Instead, he graciously handed the football from his first NFL touchdown to fullback Daimon Shelton, who helped spring the play.
"It was a great feeling," Shelton said. "It was very classy for him to do that."
The former Miami standout was all smiles on Sunday, consistently in close quarters with offensive leaders such as Drew Bledsoe and Eric Moulds.
In the fourth frame, McGahee darted into the end-zone for a second time apparently placing the proverbial maraschino cherry on top of an already remarkable day, but this score was immediately nullified because of a holding penalty called on rookie tight-end Tim Euhus.
On the next play Euhus caught a ball in the right flat, and 12 yards later had his first NFL touchdown. As he neared the sidelines tightly grasping the pigskin to keep as memorabilia, the initial congratulator was none other than McGahee, dissipating any possible rancor.
Prior to Sunday, the Bills’ offense averaged a miniscule 13 points per game, but dropped nearly three times that amount on the Cardinals this week.
McGahee would find pay dirt once again on a one-yard plunge midway through the fourth quarter, putting the finishing touches on an excellent day.
Henry’s presence, as it has been since the start of this season, was subtle. His one carry for two yards on Sunday did not ameliorate his diminishing status.
In a league of ‘what have you done for me lately?’ Henry, his 3350+ yards, and 25 touchdowns in the previous two seasons appear as plain as a flavorless buffalo wing when contrasted to Buffalo’s new spicy breast of chicken – Willis McGahee.
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