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Bills deal McCargo to Colts for draft pick
By Allen Wilson - News Sports Reporter
10/14/08
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UPDATE: 2 days later
Colts to return McCargo to Bills |
John McCargo's underachieving
days in Buffalo are over.
The Bills dealt the
third-year defensive tackle to the Indianapolis Colts just before
Tuesday's NFL trade deadline. The terms of the trade were not
disclosed, but it is believed to be a conditional draft choice based
on performance.
The move was a bit unexpected
because of McCargo's youth and potential. But the Bills never warmed
up to McCargo, who failed to live up to their lofty expectations.
Defensive line coach Bill Kollar even questioned McCargo's desire
earlier this season.
"It's like we've said
from Day One, you've got to really want to play," Kollar told
The Buffalo News. "It's real easy to go and talk about it. But
what you have to do is work and get better on the practice field and
take it into the game.
"He's got the ability.
But deep inside yourself you've got to want to end up getting it
done. You've got to end up doing it on the field."
Trading McCargo after less
than three seasons can only be interpreted as an admission by the
Bills that they made a mistake in swinging a draft-day trade with
Chicago in 2006 to move back into the first round to get McCargo with
the 26th overall selection.
He appeared in 25 games, but
never could unseat Kyle Williams, a fifth-round pick in the 2006
draft. After a broken foot ended his rookie year five games into the
season, McCargo showed flashes of brilliance in 2007. However, the
Bills never got a consistent level of performance from him.
A number of team insiders
thought McCargo was ready to challenge Williams as starter next to
Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcus Stroud in training camp. But the
competition never materialized as Williams easily retained the job.
The play of free agent addition Spencer Johnson dropped McCargo
further down the depth chart.
McCargo was inactive for the
season opener against Seattle. He has appeared in the last four games
but his playing time was minimal. He got 13 defensive snaps against
Jacksonville, eight against Oakland, 10 against St. Louis and 20
against Arizona. He was credited with just two tackles.
The Colts are hoping the
6-foot-2, 307-pound McCargo will bring more size and athleticism to a
small defensive line that has struggled to stop the run this season.
The Colts have been desperate
for defensive tackle help since the season began. Quinn Pitcock, who
was counted on to be a key contributor, retired unexpectedly before
the start of training camp. The Colts also released second-year
starter Ed Johnson, their best run stuffer, following his arrest
after the opener for speeding and possession of marijuana.
Meanwhile, the trade the
Bills didn't make was getting Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez.
The Bills were among several
teams that inquired about the possibility of acquiring Gonzalez, but
the Chiefs decided to keep the perennial Pro Bowler after they didn't
get what they deemed an acceptable offer. Sources believe the Bills
were willing to part with a third-round draft pick.
The Chiefs are in the midst
of a youth movement. The 32-year-old Gonzalez, the most productive
receiving tight end in NFL history, had approached the team about
trading him to a Super Bowl contender while he has a few years left.
Colts to return McCargo to Bills
October 16, 2008
McCargo fails physical; has
bad disc in back
The search for an
"anchor" defensive tackle continues for the Indianapolis
Colts. Team officials have confirmed that John McCargo, who was
obtained in a trade from Buffalo on Tuesday, has failed his physical
and will be returned to the Bills.
The 6-foot-3, 307-pound
McCargo, who had been dealt for a fourth-round draft pick in 2009,
apparently has a bad disc in his back.
The decision by Buffalo
officials to trade McCargo came as somewhat of surprise. Bills
defensive line coach Bill Kollar had questioned the former North
Carolina State defensive lineman's desire on one point earlier this season.
"It's like we've said
from Day One, you've got to really want to play," Kollar told
The Buffalo News. "It's real easy to go and talk about it. But
what you have to do is work and get better on the practice field and
take it into the game.
"He's got the ability.
But deep inside yourself you've got to want to end up getting it
done. You've got to end up doing it on the field."
Kollar's comments, however,
did not deter the Colts from making the move.
"If he was playing great
for [Buffalo], obviously, we wouldn't have him now. But we think that
he can fit well into this system and we're hoping a change of scenery
is good for him," Dungy said on Wednesday.
For his part, McCargo had
hoped that he would be able to contribute as soon as possible.
"I think it's a great
situation. I needed a change. I think it's definitely a good
situation," he said late Wednesday afternoon during a brief
interview with Indianapolis-area media. "I'm ready to come in
here and play whatever role they need me to play. I think it's a
better situation than what I was in."
Now it's a situation that he
is going right back to. |
