Inside slant · Strategy and personnel · Notes, quotes

--Bills fans have been waiting three years to see running back Willis McGahee break a long touchdown run.

The wait ended Friday night against the Cincinnati Bengals when the trimmed-down McGahee scored on a dazzling 61-yard run in the first quarter.

McGahee took a toss pitch from quarterback J.P. Losman running left. After getting a great kick-out block from tackle Mike Gandy, McGahee cut back inside and was gone. He outraced the entire Bengals' defense, with cornerback Tory James in pursuit, to the end zone.

"It felt really good, man, like a monkey off my back," McGahee said. "I really didn't want my teammates riding me about getting out in the open and getting caught from behind, so it felt even better after that."

What really felt good was redeeming himself after fumbling on the previous series. McGahee was fighting for extra real estate at the end of a seven-yard run with Bengals defensive end Bryan Robison hanging onto his leg. That allowed cornerback Deltha O'Neal to come in and knock the ball loose. Safety Dexter Jackson scooped it up and went 72 yards for a touchdown to give the Bengals a 7-0 lead in a sloppy game they would win 44-31.

"It was a good play," McGahee said of his turnover. "You've got to give him his credit."

There was no shortage of credit for McGahee after he wound up with 88 yards on just nine carries.

Four years removed from his devastating college knee injury at Miami, and 10 pounds lighter than a year ago, he seems poised to perhaps live up to his self billing as "best back in the NFL."

McGahee's speed in college was feared; he averaged 6.2 yards per carry as a sophomore. But the injury was a long road to travel back.

His longest run in two years starting for the Bills was 41 yards two years ago. Last season, his longest was 27 yards as he seemed to be missing that fifth gear.

"It's trying to come back," McGahee said of his breakaway speed. "There's plenty of more to come, to tell you the truth."

Unlike former head coach Mike Mularkey, who insisted McGahee pound the ball between the tackles, Buffalo's new offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild wants to pop McGahee free around the edges. With plenty of off-tackle runs and toss pitches in the game plan, McGahee can then utilize his cut-back skills.

Fairchild also plans to throw the ball more to McGahee, whose receiving skills were also underutilized.

"We wanted to get him a number of carries and that's one of the things that went well, other than the fumble," Jauron said. "I was pretty happy with Willis and what he did."

McGahee, who had trouble keeping fluids down during the game, vomited on the sidelines and briefly left for the locker room but was fine afterwards.

CAMP CALENDAR
Camp ends Thursday at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y., after a morning practice. The team relocates to Ralph Wilson Stadium where it hosts Cleveland Saturday before the first NFL roster cut to 75 next Tuesday.

Copyright (C) 2006 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.