Rams' Steven Jackson vs. Chiefs' Larry Johnson

[HolmeZz]

Originally Posted by jcroft

As much as I'd like to use this against Johnson, I think it says more about how strongly the Bills felt about McGahee than about how poorly they felt about LJ. They had a very decent starting RB (Henry) and drafted McGahee anyway because they believed he could be an uber-stud in the future. Very different situation than us, who drafted a RB because Priest was hurt and he may need to be able to step and play right away.

There was a very good chance that McGahee would've never even played a down though. If LJ was that good, they would've taken him over a guy who had just tore his ACL.

[jAZ]

Originally Posted by HolmeZz

There was a very good chance that McGahee would've never even played a down though. If LJ was that good, they would've taken him over a guy who had just tore his ACL.

Buffalo was in a position to get a #1 overall quality RB at the end of the 1st round. The only risk was that they would have to rely on one of the best RBs in the league if things don't work out.

Solid move on their part, IMO.

[Ralphy Boy]

Originally Posted by HolmeZz

There was a very good chance that McGahee would've never even played a down though. If LJ was that good, they would've taken him over a guy who had just tore his ACL.

"a good chance that McGahee would've never played a down.."
That isn't even close to the truth. EVERYTHING I saw prior to the draft was that McGahee had made a very suprising & strong recovery, it was just a matter of WHEN, not IF, he'd be ready to play.

Having said that, most everyone was shocked that Buffalo took him because they did have Henry and needed help in other positions and many fans were unhappy about it at the time.

Like someone else said, it wasn't a dig at LJ that they didn't take him, but rather showed just how highly they thought of McGahee. Everyone thought he'd be the #1 or #2 pick in the draft prior to his injury and he was considered an all world talent. Given that they had Henry, they could afford to give McGahee time to heal and now they are damn glad they did.