Henry wants to go to Miami

[Toro]

Henry wants trade to Miami
By Joe Schad

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

DAVIE — Bills running back Travis Henry, who has been granted permission to seek a trade, said Monday that he wants to play for the Dolphins.

"I would love to be down there," Henry said from Orlando. "I was talking to my agent about getting me down there. That's what Miami needed this year was a running back. I see myself down there if at all possible."

Henry, 26, rushed for 326 yards last season after gaining 1,438 and 1,356 in the previous two seasons. At the midpoint of last year, the Bills turned over the starting position to former University of Miami running back Willis McGahee.

"I have put up the numbers to prove I'm just as good as him," Henry said. "(The Bills) had a chance to have the best of both worlds. But they went in another direction. Why? I don't know. I'm one of the top five running backs in the NFL and I would have continued to put up the same numbers."

Henry said he's been told that Oakland, Miami, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Arizona are among the teams that have expressed interest.

"Forget this cold stuff," said Henry, who grew up in Frostproof. "It took me a while to adjust to the cold. And the turf. I mean, I grew up rooting for Buffalo. Something about their colors. And Thurman (Thomas). And (Jim) Kelly. And (Andre) Reed. But I'm ready to move on. I'm ready to blow up the league next year. And I hope it's in Miami. I want to be there. I know they need a back. I hope they want a top-five back."

Henry is so convinced that the Bills will trade him that he has sold off many of his belongings and moved the rest into Florida storage.

The Dolphins' rushing attack took a blow when Ricky Williams retired before last season. And although Sammy Morris exceeded expectations and Miami gave up a third-round draft choice for Lamar Gordon, it could use another back.

"It's not easy to gain 1,000 yards in this league," said Henry, who added that he would love to play for Nick Saban. When he was a senior, Henry and Tennessee were upset by Saban's LSU team.

"I had about 20 carries for 89 yards and they were tough yards," Henry recalled. "We lost in overtime. His defense gave us fits the whole game. I remember their fans running onto the field celebrating."

But there are reasons to doubt the trade could happen. First, Buffalo would have to trade him within the AFC East. And secondly, Miami traded this year's second-round draft choice for A.J. Feeley. The Bills likely would seek a second-rounder.

Linehan a hot candidate: When the Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday, the Dolphins identified offensive coordinator Scott Linehan as a top candidate for the job in Miami.

League sources said the Dolphins are willing to give Linehan, who is not under contract for next season, a significant pay raise.

"Scott is a very skilled coordinator, a guy that understands the passing game and the running game very well," UCF coach George O'Leary said Monday while visiting Dolphins camp. O'Leary was Minnesota's defensive coordinator two years ago.

"Scott's a very, very bright young guy," O'Leary said. "He understands how to move the ball. He understands how to put points on the board."

 

[Toro]

I don't want Henry to come here if he doesn't want to.

 

[Cardinal Bob]

Of course he'd want to go to Miami. He' from Florida, and going to the Dolphins gives him the chance to stick it to the Bills twice a year for getting rid of him.

 

[BigJoe]

Of course Henry is going to say he wants to go to Miami in this article. It's written by a Miami news outlet. I'd be willing to bet that if one of the local AZ writers called to talk to him about the possibility of becoming a Cardinal, he'd find something positive to say. The guy wants to be traded, wants to be a starter, and wants somebody to CTC. As long as a team meets that criteria, he'd rave about them, too.

 

[az jam]

Both teams are in the AFL East; would not be a good move for the Bills.

 

[Russ Smith]

That's the 2nd article I've seen where he says that. But the key is will Buffalo trade him to a division rival?

 

[azdad1978]

No 2nd round pick for Miami? How are they going to trade for him unless they give away the 2nd rounder for 2006

 

[D-Dogg]

No 2nd round pick for Miami? How are they going to trade for him unless they give away the 2nd rounder for 2006

Henry is not worth a second rounder. A third at best. Maybe a conditional 2nd next year based on performance as well, but no way he gets a second.

 

[Syracusecards]

We have a way better chance of getting him and I think he'd be happy to play for us.

First of all, you're all right that the Bills aren't going to trade him within the division and the Dolphins don't have a 2nd rounder to offer.

Second of all, he says he doesn't want to play in the cold. Think about it. Our away games are in St. Louis in a dome, San Fran, and Seattle. He's guaranteed to play at least 8 games in good weather with us. Miami has to play at Buffalo, New England, and NY every year. If he's serious about not wanting to play in the cold, we have a major edge in this case.

I still think a second rounder is well worth it for him. If you look back at the drafts from years past, it's always easy to say "imagine if we had taken that guy with our second rounder". Well here we have a shot at taking a guy with a 2nd round pick that is proven. I say go for it.

 

[john h]

I don't want Henry to come here if he doesn't want to.

If we eliminate all the players who do not want to come here from our list we have slim pickins. Hopefully he would get here about the time we turn it around and get a new stadium and have a change of heart. It tellls you something that he much prefers Miami with its terrible team to us.

 

[john h]

That's the 2nd article I've seen where he says that. But the key is will Buffalo trade him to a division rival?

He will be traded where the Bills can get their best return. Forget that playing in the same division stuff. A team needs to improve itself in the best way possible and not worry about a traded guy playing in the same division. Keep your eye on the ball as some would say.