[Blogs] ‘Absolutely No Way’ Willis Will Be Traded

[BR News]

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Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh said in his Monday press conference that running back Willis McGahee will not be traded this year.

All offseason, pundits speculated whether the former Pro Bowler would be traded since Ray Rice took over the full-time starting role. Then when McGahee didn’t see one snap Sunday against the New England Patriots Sunday, the fires were stoked even more.

With Tuesday marking the NFL’s trading deadline, Harbaugh tossed a bucket of water on those thoughts.

“There is no Willis trade talk,” Harbaugh said. “Unless there is something I don’t know about — which is almost impossible — there is absolutely no way he’s being traded. He will be on our team this week and for the rest of the season. He will be a key part in what we’re doing.”

Harbaugh also dismissed any notion that McGahee’s absence from the game plan was a disciplinary action.

“Willis has been great. Willis is 100 percent on top of everything and he’s been working really hard,” Harbaugh said.

McGahee owns 40 rushes for 143 yards and three touchdowns this year, but he has relinquished some of his trademark goal-line carries to Rice in recent games.

Rice ran for 88 yards on 28 carries in New England, adding eight catches for 38 yards.

“The biggest thing was we felt good about Ray,” said Harbaugh. “It wasn’t a defined plan that Willis wasn’t going to see the field by any stretch. I think we all felt that Willis was going to play. As we started calling the plays and Wilbert [Montgomery, Running Backs Coach] and Cam [Cameron, Offensive Coordinator] were rotating the backfield, they just felt like Ray was going.

“The plays they were calling were good for Ray. The team we were playing and the surface we were one were good for Ray. We just decided to stick with Ray, but you’ll see plenty of Willis.”

[url=http://blogs.baltimoreravens.com/2010/10/18/absolutely-no-way-willis-will-be-traded/]View the full article[/url]

[ravenomics]

THEN PLAY THE MAN!!! I know it would have been good the red zone. All these toys and no one plays with them!

[DeezBirdz]

Great! So, we'll never know if there *were* any thoughts of trading Willis before we gave the game away yesterday. Now that the rumor's settled...

Given the evident 'run fetish' you guys had, there's NO EXCUSE for not having Willis out there to help Ray at the end. Or was there a collective brain fart about how well the pair of them worked against Denver?

Willis didn't bulk up into a beast during the offseason just to be your damn 'hangar queen'!

[ravens626]

willis EASILY could have converted all our 4th and shorts.

[grey32]

I have to say it out loud --- I think Harbaugh is a bold faced liar - period.
Your run game is going nowhere, you have Willis and Mclain and Rice but, only use Rice. Thats just crazy!!! I don't for a second think it's true.

Yeah Ray's grinding out some yards but; get serious nothing good is happening, especially the 4th quarter. Why not use Willis, Mclain, do some no huddle, throw some long balls. We were so predictable it was funny. How may times have Cam and Mattison lost games we should have won with their ignorance.

As soon as a game gets close and we have the lead they shut down like frightened little boys. I expect to see them curled up in a little ball at the back of the bench crying.

I don't think anyone would be nearly as upset if we had lost really trying to win. Where is the ferocious team that used to be the Ravens???

Even the Boston press was making fun of our Bend but; don't break excuse for a defense. How many more games that we should win; do we have to lose before "the coaches", get it???

[DeezBirdz]

You know Belichick game-planned like hell for Rice after their playoff demise.
And our strategy is to give them all Rice, all the time?

I just refuse to believe Harbs and the coaching staff could be this dumb.
I'm just really at a loss on this one. I do think there is more to this story than we're getting.

[coreyadams]

Y don't we play him. The PATS had Rice # all game long! Y we didn't play him coaches? You owe us fans a answer!!!

[grape drank]

well fellas, u think the colts would take Peyton out of the game, just because he's being game planned for? no, baltimore plays smash mouth football, we run the football down your throat, and we don't care whos on the other side, or what scheme they're using.

[KillaBirdTJ]

Im really pissed. I thought Harbs was a stand up guy... What is all this " The plays were good for Ray, the team we were playing and SURFACE were good for Ray, but you'll see plenty of Willis"!!!

Man I for one am SICK of these lame explanations! You coaches are pissing away hands down one of the most talented rosters ever! They just pass the blame to the players, saying they didn't execute... What happend to putting your best players out on the field and calling plays with high success percentages?

When we muffled that punt were was perhaps our most talented returner in Josh Swagga" Wilson? INACTIVE!

When the Patriots was running the ball down our throat in the fourth were was MOUNT CODY???

What happened to the Blitz, or playing tight coverage on their recievers? We have better athletes hands down, but no confidense in them???

These coaches really think its all about them! Its about the team, the city, not trying to prove you are a guru! Sometimes you can be so smart you are just STUPID!

[20ravens52]

josh wilson was inactive because of a hamstring injury...

[KillaBirdTJ]

I got to say this... the level of stupidity I hear with these excuses makes me wonder if our coaches threw the game on purpose?

CODY AND JOSH WILSON SHOULD NEVER COME OUT OF THE GAME! McGahee should get no less than 15 carries per game, McClain at least 10!

[ravens626]

i think whats really entertaining is cam cameron got the gameball vs the steelers because according to Harbuagh Cam has "ice in his veins" as a play caller. good job cam, you and mattison double teamed our loss to the pats.

[KillaBirdTJ]

Ok Wilson was hurt... but have you noticed that everytime we win "Cam gets the game ball" even though his calling sucked and was too conservative... but then when we lose he called the right calls; they just wasn't executed?

What is going on? Are these coaches the right coaches for an all star caliber team? We are actually doing LESS this year with MORE talent than ever?!

[KillaBirdTJ]

Can anyone tell me what is up with Cody? He and Ngata were supposed to be this "force" to free up our linebackers (especially Ray Ray) to just crush the run? No one is talking about it but something is not adding up Harbaugh...

[purpleflock]

where was willis rice was under 4 yards per carry woulkd have at least like to see one carry from willis

[Ravens_Flock]

Not only should Willis not be traded (and I'm damn sick of hearing about it), but he should be kept around for the rest of his career. He's a stud of a player. He had 14 TDs and 5 yds. per carry last season, the best marks of his career. That doesn't speak of slowing down at all. Even WITH the knee problems he's had, he's still one of the better rushers in the league I think.

And he could certainly still be the Ravens starter, and be successful at it. He deserves a LOT more carries than the Ravens give him. Rice isn't going to last the season the way they've been running the hell out of him, but NOT McGahee. It would do both backs a lot of good, to play Willis a LOT more often.

[Raven in NJ]

First, I agree with everything KillaBirdTJ has to say. Second, what was with Cam saying last week that Joe shouldn%u2019t have to call audibles during the game but instead focus on executing the play?!?! Come On! If the defense knows what play we're about to run you HAVE TO call an audible! And stop running the same plays all the time. A reverse every now and then would nice. There%u2019s just no creativity in the offense.

[Ravens_Flock]

Also, echoing other people's sentiment on here....absolutely.

The 2010 Baltimore Ravens, without a doubt, have GOT to be the most STACKED team talentwise, with the WORST coaching in the League. You name it, HC, OC, DC, ST, our coaching this year is actually WORSE than last year. How do you do that? How do you get rid of guys (who should probably still be here), like Clayton, Williams, etc., to make room to bring in guys like Boldin and TJ, and yet somehow we are ranked near the BOTTOM of the league in offensive stats?

That is inexcusable. This TEAM is built for a championship. It's coaching staff, however, is not.

[balancer]

rays been doing a nice job.but i definitly want to see more of willis.i would love to see him get a full game in at some point,this weekend would be perfect.let him go beat up on the bills...

[1kings17:1-6]

Please keep Willis and trade Cam!

[KillaBirdTJ]

Question is my fellow flock...

Who is going to save the Ravens from Harbaugh, Cameron, and Maddison?

This is really sad for soliders like Lewis, Mason, Ngata, Webb, Reed, Rice, Boldin, Housh, Heap, and especially us...

Something must be done.

[XxSizzleXx]

[quote name='ravenomics' timestamp='1287440343' post='512882']
[b]THEN PLAY THE MAN!!![/b] I know it would have been good the red zone. All these toys and no one plays with them!
[/quote]

[jhonnyboy]

i like harbaugh and the coaches and i respect harbaugh for covering for his coaches but some of the ways he answers questions is a bunch of ****. fire jerry rosburg because the special teams is not helping this team at all aside from cundiff and koch. the return teams are terrible.

[ravennutcase]

what i don't get is why we changed what was working on both sides of the ball on offense deep passes worked but we stuck with running and short passes that didn't and on defense we pressured brady and he couldn't do anything then with the lead we dropped back and he carved us up

[RavenManiac20]

Trade our special teams coordinator for Devin Hester. Problem solved there.

Beg Rex Ryan to be our defensive coordinator, at least he isnt scared to rush the passer with more then 3 at a time. That one td to Deion Branch, I counted 6 mississippi to throw the ball.

Fire Cam Cameron, and just let our offense make up the plays, ****, id rather Joe tell the receivers to make up routes then see us dump the ball off to Ray Rice on 3 and 10 for a 1 yard gain everytime. Its starting to look last year.

I love Harbaugh so no complaints there.

^^^^ Problem solved.

[TSizzle00]

100% healthy, Not getting traded and 0 carries in a big game against the Patriots. Pathetic for the coaching staff.

[1kings17:1-6]

Who ever had the dumb idea to sit Willis this game, probably lost the game for us. And, if they did it to see how the team would do if we traded him is shameful. He would have got the first downs; well so would anyone have but Flacco.

[SC Levi]

Willis doesnt need to be going anywhere. hes still got alot left in the tank and i agree that it was a stupid idea to not play him. We ABSOLUTLY KILLED T.O.P. in that game. Smart game plan would be to use ray rice like they did and at the end of the 3rd and all 4th quarter bring in this fresh hard runner willis to really try and break a long one. And most of ya'll are over reacating. Harbaugh is a good coach and him and ozzie are really building a dysnasty. Have to say though the play calls on 3rd and short and redzone are prb the worst i've ever seen in football. pllllllzzzzz let cam cameron go to another team next year and try head coaching again, really need a new O coordinator. On a side note, Big props to Billy Cundiff looks like he really worked hard this offseason to get better and keep his job, Keep up the good work

[Big Al 75]

Dont trade willis, pick up Merriman

[SSRavenFan]

Good; we need Willis - and we need him in the game plan. Glad to hear this.