ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Travis Henry wants out of Buffalo because he's
unhappy with the prospect of spending another season as Willis McGahee's
backup.
"I want to go somewhere where I can be a starter and play, and be a big
contributor," Henry said Monday, a day after the Bills' missed the playoffs
with a season-ending 29-24 loss to Pittsburgh.
With a year left on his contract, Henry wouldn't say he was demanding a
trade. But the former three-year starter made it clear he wouldn't accept
another season with a secondary role.
"I'm a starter. I've been starting since I've been in this league," Henry
said. "I know the role that I was given this year. I didn't like it, but I
dealt with it."
Asked whether he considered himself as good as gone, Henry said: "Yeah,
most definitely."
Henry added he's confident there are other teams that would be interested in
acquiring him.
"It's just a matter of what the Bills want to do," Henry said. "I'm going
to meet with them, see where their mind's at and go from there."
Coach Mike Mularkey said he was unaware of Henry's discontent. He said the
team will evaluate every position and "make the right decisions when that time
comes."
Henry's comments aren't exactly surprising. In August, he said he would be
unhappy if he lost his starting job, adding he expected the Bills to trade him
or McGahee at the end of this season.
Henry lost his starting position to McGahee in October after the Bills got
off to a 1-5 start.
McGahee, the Bills' first-round draft pick in 2003, missed his entire rookie
season after blowing out his left knee in his final college game at Miami. He
was credited with sparking the Bills turnaround, in which the team won six
straight and nine of 11 before Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh.
Buffalo (9-7) was 9-2 with McGahee as a starter, and 7-0 when he rushed for
100 yards.
Henry had started since the team selected him in the second round of the
2001 draft out of Tennessee. He was coming off consecutive 1,300-yard seasons,
and showed resilience last year playing through a rib injury and a broken bone
in his right leg.
But he had a tough start this year, due in part to the Bills unsettled
offensive line.
In five starts, Henry had 300 yards, no touchdowns, and missed one game with
a foot injury. He spent five games as a backup before missing the remainder of
the season after tearing ligaments in his right ankle in Buffalo's 38-9 win at
Seattle on Nov. 28.
Although he eventually befriended McGahee, Henry initially described the
Bills' decision to draft McGahee as a "slap in the face."
Henry kept quiet about his demotion over the past two months, but Monday, he
said "I don't think I lost my job. It was given away ... so let's get that
straight."
He then added, "It is what it is. They made the decision when they drafted
him. That's what they want, that's what they got. I don't know what else to
tell you.
"I had a good career here," Henry said. "I learned a lot here ... I look
at it as a good experience."
McGahee urged Henry to stay, challenging his teammate to come back and
battle for the starting job.
"I'm pretty sure he's going to be back," McGahee said. "He's got to come
back and fight for it, fight for what's yours because I would do the same
thing."