ink and wheels NFL #3.

And this one's a biggie. The Ravens just dealt draft picks (two this year, one next year) to the Bills and nabbed Willis McGahee, and they're already cranking on a contract extension (as seems to be the universal practice these days).

Baltimore is again the favorite in the AFC Central until further notice. You have no idea how much it hurts to type that, but of course, this is a serious upgrade. Why Buffalo wanted to shop him over comments about having the team move to Toronto and working out in Miami in the off-season (when you draft someone from the U, you ought to expect this by now) is a mystery.

who should be the next member of the Factory?

That is, Mike Shanahan's Tailback Factory. The Broncos have addressed the secondary with the Dre Bly deal, but doing so requires nailing down a stud at RB to replace the fumble-prone Tatum Bell -- this is of utmost importance because said RB will be responsible for pounding holes in order to score and take pressure off Jay Cutler to win games with his arm alone. The Broncos have not had a serious feature back since Clinton Portis was dealt for Champ Bailey (and the Broncos got the better of that deal given Portis' injury problems -- if he doesn't get hurt as often, everyone wins.) Most observers note that the Denver O-line can be counted on to produce a 1,000 yard rusher every year, but it's instructive that the team has rarely advanced past the first weekend of the playoffs post back-to-back titles without Terrell Davis (and, of course, John Elway, but we're talking RBs here.)

Ahman Green has inked with the Texans, so he's out. Fortunately, there are five good options possible (old Denver Post article, but mentions these four names)-- two by trade, three* (please see the update/correction below) by free agency. They are profiled in my personal preferred order:

1. Willis McGahee, Buffalo Bills -- if he can be stolen from Buffalo (and the Broncos are willing to ditch lower draft picks), then he's the man to grab for a contract year and try to nail down for an extension. Only 25, with a couple of full seasons under his belt, he's young enough to run as much as the Broncos like to, and still got just under 1,000 yards this season while missing two games. I still question why Buffalo is even shopping him.

2. Travis Henry, cut by Tennessee Titans - 28 with a 3rd 1,000 yard season out of six total years in the league. Suffered bouts of fumble-itis in Buffalo -- part of why Buffalo got McGahee in the first place, but revived himself on the Titans by giving VY a back to go to. Probably the best back currently on the free agent market -- might not be coming cheap.

3. Thomas Jones, Chicago Bears - two straight 1,000 yard seasons, age 27. Probably can thrive as a feature back, but I'm not sure the Bears will take him for an offer that doesn't knock their socks off (likely something requiring a stud defensive player or place where they can draft one), especially because rumor in Chicago is the players prefer him to his tag-team mate Cedric Benson.

4.. Jamal Lewis, cut by Baltimore Ravens - 27, only one season w/o a 1,000 yard season, but yards-per-carry dropped dramatically post 2003-season (well, they had to, 2,000 yard seasons don't exactly come every year). 3.6 yards per carry last year**. Prone to off-field troubles. Ravens probably cut him to try and re-sign him for less money more than anything else.

UPDATE: Forgot one. (**This addition also removes the "lowest yds per carry of the group" from Jamal Lewis.)

5. Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts -- Has had a 1,000 yd season on his own, but most of last year's highlights belonged to Joseph Addai, and I suspect Indy would be OK with letting him go after his recent DUI arrest. Got 3.4 a carry last year. Not bad with the receiving stats. Should have split the Super Bowl MVP with Addai, but not exactly what you think of when you think of "franchise running back," and despite recent plug-and-play backs in the past few years, the Broncos could use one if they're going to stand a decent chance of another Super Bowl.

If you want someone teaming up with Mike Bell, you probably take a flyer on Lewis first and then try Rhodes. I'm not sure the Bears will get rid of Jones. Henry is visiting soon, and while inconsistent in other venues, the OL turns mediocre backs into 1,000 yard rushers. McGahee is the prize, though.

It's also highly likely that none of them will be a Bronco, as Shanahan may just pluck another back out of the draft and throw him in with Bell.

running back wheeling and dealing.

For whatever unfathomable reason, the Buffalo Bills are apparently interested in shopping around franchise RB Willis McGahee (likely to the Giants), afraid that he will walk after his contract year and they won't get anything in return. Unless it gets desperate, why would you even attempt to do this? It betrays every instinct to protect J.P. Losman, who has this year to prove he's a half-decent starter instead of an inconsistent wreck from week to week. The Bills put up a good fight last year in a division with two playoff teams -- there is absolutely no reason to throw it away now. What incentive or message does that send to Losman and the rest of the team, when they will likely have to live or die by his arm, since any replacemetn will be sub-McGahee quality? Running backs are a dime a dozen in the NFL at times, but it makes no sense to toss a good one out there for trade offers at this point.

The Bears are ahead of the game when it comes to completely disassembling an NFC champion: letting D-coordinator Ron Rivera go, being chintzy about paying head coach Lovie Smith what he's worth, franchising LB Lance Briggs instead of paying up, and now, it looks like Thomas Jones wants out instead of splitting time with Cedric Benson. While Jones' desire to be the featured back for an organization is understandable, he's probably going to run into this situation again, as more and more teams go to the running back duo as the preferred trend in order to maximize looks and keep backs from getting too banged up too quickly. Why you would want out of a Super Bowl team (and one with a decent chance to go back so long as the NFC North is the mess that it is) is beyond me, but that hasn't stopped any pro athlete from thinking he'd be better off in another venue. Jones used to play for Arizona, and maybe he ought to ask Edgerrin James how that aiming for money and individual work turns out sometimes.