Rice lobbies to retain McGahee

Ray Rice was unavailable to talk during Monday's open locker room session, but it wasn't his fault. The running back was feeling under the weather, but he did address the media on Tuesday after coach John Harbaugh offered his end-of-the-season assessment.

One of the things Rice discussed was the future of fellow tailback Willis McGahee, who backed up Rice and has not shot down speculation that he would like to start somewhere else. Although McGahee's presence cut into Rice's touchdown totals, Rice said he would like McGahee to remain a Raven.

"Willis is a guy that I definitely use as a mentor," Rice said. "He’s been great to me, a great teammate, a great friend. What he’s meant for me is everything. He battled through adversity and is still a great back in this league. I’d definitely love to see him back here. He’s a great back, and what you can see is we’re different backs. You can see that when we’re both rolling, we’re tough to stop. I see us as a tandem, and we can give a lot of defenses problems just because of his style of running and my style of running."

Rice was also asked about free safety Ed Reed and wide receiver Derrick Mason, both of whom are contemplating retirement. Although Rice said he had not spoken to either Reed or Mason, he said he understood their stances.

"Those guys have to do what’s best for their families and their careers," Rice said. "But everything pans out. You’ve got to see what happens. They’re great teammates and great Ravens players. You’ve just got to see how everything pans out. You never know what’s going to happen. That’s what they’re feeling at the moment, but anything can change. I’m sure whatever decision they make, that has to come from within. People don’t just joke about retiring. This is your career, your livelihood. This is a thought that something is going on. But I’m sure that after everything pans out, the final decision will be up to those two guys."

Click here to order Willis McGahee’s proCane Rookie Card.



(baltimoresun.com)