Ricky Williams to Play Football Again?

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An interesting sports editorial from the Denver Post:

Williams saga takes dizzying turns
By Thomas George
Denver Post Staff Columnist  

Talked with a Dolphins official Friday morning who had heard, like everyone else, that running back Ricky Williams was driving from California to Miami.

"But we haven't heard from him," the official said. "If you see him pass through Denver, let us know."

Actually, Williams was in Boston visiting his daughter this weekend and now is mulling over flying to Miami sometime soon rather than driving.

The story goes that Williams has had another change of heart, has re-entered the NFL substance abuse program, hopes to be reinstated in the league, plans to report to Dolphins camp in late July, sit out the team's first four games as mandated by league drug policy and then play again.

That is the new twist to the old story: Williams walked out of Dolphins camp just before last season, retired from pro football, said he did so in part because he wanted to smoke marijuana free and easy and wanted to travel abroad to study holistic medicine and gain inner peace.

Once the smoke cleared, Williams realized that returning $8.6 million in bonus money to the Dolphins, as the Florida courts recently ruled he must if he breached his contract, would do nothing to increase his peace.

You gotta love this guy.

Or consider him a complete flake.

Or find what he did to the Dolphins, 4-12 a year ago, unforgiving.

Or understand that his heart and his head frequently do not connect.

Or simply scratch your head.

Actually, Williams is a confluence of so many confounding traits that any combination of the above, and more, is understandable.

I sat with him for nearly three hours at Sardi's Restaurant in Manhattan three summers ago and spent a few more hours with him afterward touring the city before his first season with the Dolphins. He was discussing his diagnosis and recovery from social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia. He was humble and enlightening. This was part of what he said:

"When you make that crossover from life to real life, when you're not treated as a child anymore but as a man, and you are no longer given the benefit of the doubt, it takes some courage to face that."

He strode into Miami that fall and led the league in rushing yards with 1,853. The next season he assumed even more workload, his carries increasing by nine to 392 but his rushing yards falling to 1,372. He did not like the pounding. Before last season, he walked.

Now he wants to walk back. Many of his teammates will not give him the benefit of the doubt. None of his stiffest critics will. He will face plenty of national scrutiny and ridicule.

It is going to take some deep courage to face that.

Many people wonder why in heavens a disciplined, conservative man like new Dolphins coach Nick Saban is welcoming Williams back.
The question should be why would he not? Miami gave New Orleans two first-round picks in 2002 to get Williams. He just turned 28. Only three seasons in New Orleans and two in Miami. What value in terms of eventual contribution or a trade would there be in Saban slamming the door?

The Dolphins players and Saban know if they get the best of Williams, he gives them a better chance to win.

Counter that with getting the worst of him, and that could make the Williams saga sternly test Saban before his first kickoff against the Broncos in Miami on opening day and beyond.

This coach preaches team chemistry and more than most understands that bonding and shared demands and expectations among players are as important as coaching. Will Williams drive a wedge into that? Saban is going to dance with it, explore it, give it a go. It is a tricky tap dance.

Also, Saban is a control freak in all things involving his team and likely is not prepared for the circus that will descend on his camp upon a Williams return. Saban might have won a national title at LSU, but he can magnify the attention of this episode by 50.

Williams has reportedly dropped from his playing weight of 226 pounds to just under 200 pounds. There is some consternation that since he will be learning a new offense, missed all of last season and will miss four games this season, that he will be of minimal help to the Dolphins in 2005. I am not buying that. A football player of this quality, just give him the ball and watch him run. He is a natural.

The guy who traded him to Miami, Randy Mueller, is now the Dolphins' general manager.

Now, that is an extra twist.

Miami is making the correct decision to embrace Williams for a return engagement. The key for the Dolphins is to get in and get out before he does the splitting. Reliability is an issue with Williams, but you can count on him for the short haul.

Anything longer and he might go puff, er, poof!

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[rick6886]

This guy is giving Williams way too much credit. He is a North South runner who needs many carries before he is effective. He does not have break away speed and really looked "old" the last season before he retired.

Miami drafted Ronnie Brown (RB/AUB) for a reason, to bid farewell to Ricky and dawn a new era for the Dolphions, I cannot believe Miami and Saban would seriously entertain the notion of taking Williams back, it would be horrendous for team chemistry.

my humble 2 cents

Rick