i like when he says hed give us his all
Travis Henry met Corey Dillon a couple of weeks ago in Orlando, Fla.
If anybody can appreciate how the estranged Buffalo Bills running back feels, it's New England's star rusher.
"I ran into Corey, and he encouraged me," Henry said earlier this week from his Orlando home. "He told me he was in the same situation last year. It was tough. He wanted out of Cincinnati and wasn't going back. He told me I have to be patient."
Dillon got traded from the Bengals to the Patriots on April 14 last year. Henry is praying a deal happens before the NFL draft April 23. But it's not easy for him to be patient when he's hoping for the trigger to be pulled on a deal sending him to Arizona for tackle L.J. Shelton.
"I don't understand why the deal hasn't been made," Henry said. "My understanding is Arizona wants to do it player for player. There's no other holdup on their end. They don't want anything else."
Henry was referring to a comment Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe made in a radio interview two weeks ago about the Cards, at one point, seeking more in return than just Henry.
Henry likely will be on edge the next couple of weeks. There's plenty of posturing to be done before a trade is made. This is a deal that still has a chance to be made, but the likeliest time would be on draft day, when the NFL teams are on the draft clock.
Here's why it would make sense for Arizona. The Cardinals are a 6-10 team that has numerous holes. Filling its gaping running back void would allow it to address other gaps, such as cornerback, tight end, offensive tackle and defensive tackle. Arizona traded No. 1 corner Duane Starks,and No. 2 David Macklin is ordinary at best.
While Arizona could get one of the top three elite running backs in the draft when it picks No. 8 overall, teams usually can get better value with a big man or a cornerback in the first 10 picks.
Consider: Of the 29 starting running backs (minus Arizona, Miami and Tampa Bay), 19 were selected in the second round or later.
That includes Kansas City's Priest Holmes, who entered the league as a rookie free agent. Second-round draftees among the starting backs include Curtis Martin (Jets), Dillon (Pats), LaMont Jordan (Raiders), Tatum Bell (Broncos), Tiki Barber (Giants) and Clinton Portis (Redskins). Third-rounders include Duce Staley (Steelers), Domanick Davis (Texans), Brian Westbrook (Eagles), Julius Jones (Cowboys), Ahman Green (Packers), Chris Brown (Titans) and Kevan Barlow (Niners). Fourth-rounders include Rudi Johnson (Bengals), Lee Suggs (Browns) and Stephen Davis (Panthers).
Obviously, the Cards could wait until the second round and hope a J.J. Arrington of California is still around. But Henry is proven and would allow another position to be filled with a second-rounder. If the Cards don't get a back at No. 8, maybe they will be more eager to deal.
From the Bills' perspective, Shelton may or may not be the long-term answer at left tackle. Cards coach Dennis Green is a good judge of talent. He's willing to let Shelton go. But part of that is due to the fact Green's new broom is sweeping clean. As an aside, a deal may have to coincide with the reworking of Mike Williams' contract to create more cap space (which probably will happen either way). One question for the Bills is: How much better are they going to get in return for Henry in this depressed back market? "I'm preparing myself for the worst, which is not showing up and not going back there," he said. "But at the same time, I'm real excited about Arizona wanting to make a deal. I am so pumped up about the possibility of going there. I'm ready to let loose. And I would give them my all - every ounce I've got."
Travis Henry met Corey Dillon a couple of weeks ago in Orlando, Fla.
If anybody can appreciate how the estranged Buffalo Bills running back feels, it's New England's star rusher.
"I ran into Corey, and he encouraged me," Henry said earlier this week from his Orlando home. "He told me he was in the same situation last year. It was tough. He wanted out of Cincinnati and wasn't going back. He told me I have to be patient."
Dillon got traded from the Bengals to the Patriots on April 14 last year. Henry is praying a deal happens before the NFL draft April 23. But it's not easy for him to be patient when he's hoping for the trigger to be pulled on a deal sending him to Arizona for tackle L.J. Shelton.
"I don't understand why the deal hasn't been made," Henry said. "My understanding is Arizona wants to do it player for player. There's no other holdup on their end. They don't want anything else."
Henry was referring to a comment Bills President and General Manager Tom Donahoe made in a radio interview two weeks ago about the Cards, at one point, seeking more in return than just Henry.
Henry likely will be on edge the next couple of weeks. There's plenty of posturing to be done before a trade is made. This is a deal that still has a chance to be made, but the likeliest time would be on draft day, when the NFL teams are on the draft clock.
Here's why it would make sense for Arizona. The Cardinals are a 6-10 team that has numerous holes. Filling its gaping running back void would allow it to address other gaps, such as cornerback, tight end, offensive tackle and defensive tackle. Arizona traded No. 1 corner Duane Starks,and No. 2 David Macklin is ordinary at best.
While Arizona could get one of the top three elite running backs in the draft when it picks No. 8 overall, teams usually can get better value with a big man or a cornerback in the first 10 picks.
Consider: Of the 29 starting running backs (minus Arizona, Miami and Tampa Bay), 19 were selected in the second round or later.
That includes Kansas City's Priest Holmes, who entered the league as a rookie free agent. Second-round draftees among the starting backs include Curtis Martin (Jets), Dillon (Pats), LaMont Jordan (Raiders), Tatum Bell (Broncos), Tiki Barber (Giants) and Clinton Portis (Redskins). Third-rounders include Duce Staley (Steelers), Domanick Davis (Texans), Brian Westbrook (Eagles), Julius Jones (Cowboys), Ahman Green (Packers), Chris Brown (Titans) and Kevan Barlow (Niners). Fourth-rounders include Rudi Johnson (Bengals), Lee Suggs (Browns) and Stephen Davis (Panthers).
Obviously, the Cards could wait until the second round and hope a J.J. Arrington of California is still around. But Henry is proven and would allow another position to be filled with a second-rounder. If the Cards don't get a back at No. 8, maybe they will be more eager to deal.
From the Bills' perspective, Shelton may or may not be the long-term answer at left tackle. Cards coach Dennis Green is a good judge of talent. He's willing to let Shelton go. But part of that is due to the fact Green's new broom is sweeping clean. As an aside, a deal may have to coincide with the reworking of Mike Williams' contract to create more cap space (which probably will happen either way). One question for the Bills is: How much better are they going to get in return for Henry in this depressed back market? "I'm preparing myself for the worst, which is not showing up and not going back there," he said. "But at the same time, I'm real excited about Arizona wanting to make a deal. I am so pumped up about the possibility of going there. I'm ready to let loose. And I would give them my all - every ounce I've got."
