Inside Answers: Willis McGahee

Mike B, Los Angeles: Willis, I’ve been following your career since first days in Buffalo, wanted to say Baltimore is a perfect fit for you. Die-hard fan of yours. I had one quick question. Back when you were playing New England when they had their undefeated season going you had an explosion of a game, you had a cut back on Teddy Bruschi had him turn all the way around. I was wondering do you ever go back and watch videos from that game."
McGahee: “Actually, I don’t. It was a good play, but that was so long ago. But with him retiring, he was a good player. He was a real fundamental guy that always knows his opponent well. I faced him twice a year when I was in Buffalo.”

Luis Vega, Baltimore: It's great to see you healthy and just as primed as you were in '07. Do you see yourself and Rice as the best tandem RBs this year? Your humble interviews make me proud to be a Ravens Fan as well! You still have a lot of fans cheering for you on game day, me included!

McGahee: “Yeah, I think we’ll be good to go. Like in the top two groups in the league. There are a lot of good backs out there, but we can switch it up with me and Ray and Le’Ron [McClain].”

Brad Regan, Ocean City, Md.: What workouts do you do in the offseason to stay in shape?
McGahee: “Really, nothing out of the ordinary for me. I go down to Miami, and most people know how we get after it. You know how we do it.”’

Felix Van den Berg, Nijmegen (Holland): Mr. McGahee, first I want to say that you are one of my favorite running backs and that you are an inspiration for me, because I play running back too. My question is: what is the most difficult team you've ever played against? It also can be in college or high school.
McGahee: “Oh man, that would be Florida State. They were our rivals, and we played them every year. It was basically playing the guys you grew up with in high school. And they were good when I was at Miami.”

Mark Houston, Timonium, Md.: Willis, how do you feel about being the backup when you’ve started all your career?
McGahee: “It’s two guys back there. This is 2009. It's not 1980 or 1991, when one running back did everything. It's different. You can't really take all the pounding because the hits are getting a lot harder. So you've got to be able to switch it up, give everybody a rest and let somebody else come in and do something before you get back in the game."

Tyler Thomas, Decatur, Ill.: I'm a long time fan of yours and when I cheer for you I always call you Willis... I need a nickname to call you. Do you have any nicknames you go by? I've almost got a nickname for everyone on the team help me out here!
McGahee: “To be honest, I don’t really have one. I’d say McGahee. Sorry to disappoint.”

Brett Tinnes, Minot, N.D.: What's up Willis? First off, if the preseason is a sign of things to come for our organization, this regular season/postseason could be extremely exciting. I was wondering what your pregame routine consists of. What certain things do you do the morning of a game? Any preferred pregame meal, music, workout, etc? Congrats on a successful preseason so far, and good luck from North Dakota for the regular season!
McGahee: “Oh yeah, but it’s not a crazy ritual. I listen to music a lot. It’s all rap. Some of that ‘down south’ music to bring me back home. With food, I try to eat a lot of chicken. It’s good protein and energy for the games.”



(baltimoreravens.com)