Bills' McCargo gets fresh start
Defensive tackle takes blame for previous struggles
Defensive tackle John McCargo is not making any excuses for his first three years as a Buffalo Bill, which could be a good sign.
"I'm not happy with the way I've been playing the last three years," the former first-round draft pick said after Wednesday's spring practice.
McCargo has had some bad luck with injuries each of his three seasons, but he didn't bring that up once in a 10-minute interview at Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse.
He didn't respond very well to the coaching of former defensive line coach Bill Kollar, but he's not passing off any of the blame for his lack of production.
Ultimately it's his job to perform. Entering his make-or-break year with the Bills — and maybe his career — McCargo is all about personal responsibility.
"I definitely think I'm a lot better than I've played," McCargo said. "That's the main thing. I'm not happy with the way I've performed. So I'm trying to change and get a fresh page for myself. ... Whatever I was doing back then it wasn't working. I'm trying to do something new so I can go somewhere I haven't been."
McCargo remains one of the Bills' intriguing backup players. When most NFL backups get on the field, a team hopes they can complement the starters and avoid a big drop-off from the player they have replaced. Keep the ship from sinking, so to speak. McCargo has the talent to be more than that. He could be an impact player off the bench.
If he can play well, it would give the Bills a strong four-man rotation at defensive tackle. If he can't, then starters Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams and top reserve Spencer Johnson have to play more snaps and are more susceptible to wearing down.
McCargo played only five games his rookie season before breaking his foot. He needed two surgeries to repair the foot, which wiped out his entire offseason entering the 2007 season. Last year he played in seven games before going down for the year with a sore back. The Bills tried to trade McCargo to Indianapolis in October, but the Colts voided the deal. McCargo failed their physical due to a bulging disk in his back.
McCargo, who only turns 26 in August, has rededicated himself to his training and has been in Buffalo working out since January.
McCargo played at 295 pounds at North Carolina State. His target weight the past couple of years in Buffalo was 313.
"I've lost about 10, 12 pounds," he said. "I'm feeling a lot better, a lot lighter, quicker. ... I think 300 is a good weight. That's where I'm at now. That's where I want to stay — 300 to 305."
McCargo said his back is healthy.
"The time off [last season] made it better," he said. "And being up here since January working with [assistant trainers] Chris Fischetti and Greg McMillen and the training staff helped out a lot. I worked hard and tried to get 100 percent healthy as quick as I could. ... The rehabbing and the weightlifting — all the things we did to strengthen my back — made a big difference. I'm full go."
"He looks as quick or maybe quicker than I've seen him look," Bills coach Dick Jauron said. "He's had his best offseason with us in the weight room, in terms of conditioning. And then his health [is back]. He feels good and he doesn't have any aches right now. ... He doesn't have that constant aching that he's had, so it frees him up and he's taking advantage of it so far. He's just got to keep doing it."
McCargo never really clicked with Kollar, who tried hard to prod him to be a higher-motor player. Kollar left for the Houston Texans in January and was replaced by Bob Sanders, former defensive coordinator at Green Bay. There's a perception that Kollar rode McCargo more than the other linemen, but McCargo dismisses that.
"It wasn't an issue with how hard he coached," McCargo said. "He coached everybody hard."
Still, McCargo is eager to learn from a new perspective.
"It's definitely good for my mind-set," he said. "I think I'm starting off with a clean slate. ... He's a different style of teacher than Bill was. We're working on more hand stuff. I think it will be good for us as a D-line."
McCargo didn't get much chance last season when he was on the field, although it could be argued he didn't earn much chance. He averaged 11 plays a game over his seven appearances. Johnson, the other reserve tackle, averaged 26 snaps a game, according to News statistics.
"I don't know too many people who have been in the situation I'm in, still with the same team [after being traded]," McCargo said. "So I have to kind of reprogram everyone's perception of me — not only my [position] coach, but Coach Jauron and [defensive coordinator] Perry Fewell. I've got to try to reprogram everybody that I'm out here to get better, I'm out here to play.
"I'm 100 percent confident I can play well and play well here. But you have to go out and do it."
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