I had a fun time giving my take on how fans are reacting to Ronnie (and Ricky for that matter): Miami Dolphins "Battle lines being drawn around Ronnie Brown" - Realfootball365.com Give it a quick read and let me know where you stand...
i think it's well written Hugo, but i don't like this whole debate "ronnie vs ricky" thing.... why can't we just like & support both? we're clearly a RBBC team, just run with it. I think ultimately your article is just contributing to a stale topic that isn't as widespread as you make it sound.
I agree. While there have been discussions and debates about these two backs, I think the overall opinion of Phin Fans are that we have 2 quality backs and it really doesn't matter who starts or who comes in as long as we get the ball in these 2 players hands. They are the 2 most talented players on offense and we need to utilize thier skills, and get them the ball, any way we can even if we have to use some unconventional formations/plays to do it.
I agree. I can't help but point out this quote: The example of "battle lines" and "divided fan base" "discussions" he cited from our fan sites is a thread the author started himself. Now it's cited it as some burning issue that was an observation he noticed. In addition, there was a grand total of 8 posts in that thread. I wouldn't call that much of a hot topic. I feel and I'm sure many of us would agree, that by years end there will be highlights of both Brown and Williams to look back on.
I don't think there is or ever has been a controversy. The only issue we've ever had with Brown is not in relationship to his ability, but whether he can stay healthy. When healthy, he's as good as there is in the league... As to Ricky, again, the only question regarding him has been his 'availability' due to his medical issues/drug use (choose your poison, some call it medical some call it drugs) either way, he's let himself and the team down in the past. The question for him would and will always be whether or not he can stay clean and motivated... Actually, this is the best situation for RW and Brown to be in...they compliment each other in the locker room and on the field... Enjoying success will go a long way in keeping Ricky's mind healthy and not having to take the beating of 30 carries a game suits Browns injury history... We have a good tandem of backs as long as each can stay away from their 'bugaboos'...so what is there to debate ??
Nice article bro! What we got to do, to have ThePhins in front of FH? The biggest test for Ronnie is can he make 16 games and finish the season on the field. I love the teamwork that Ronnie and Ricky are showing. Got to love Ricky running down the field and throwing a block on Harrison.
I'm a bigger fan of Ronnie Brown, but I echo the statement most already have...I'm very happy to have them both on the Dolphins and it's a terrific tandem that opponents will fear on a weekly basis.
Thanks for the feedback! The interesting thing is that I finished the article by stating exactly what you guys are saying here. That having two solid running backs is a great problem to have. Also, you guys might not think that this is a big point of contention, but there are a ton of other members here and in other forums that are still debating the Ronnie Brown vs. Ricky Williams issue, and they've been doing so ever since Ricky was brought back into the fold.
Last week was a perfect example, Ricky kept Ronnie fresh and more than likely helped him have the legs to hit that home run to start the fourth.
No disrespect hugo, but i think the article is irrevelant....i think the article makes people think that a small minoritys opinion is the majoritys opinion, for which i have a major problem with. I wish people would stop giving life to the unqualified fans opinion by publicising it into a way where it makes the outsider think that thats what the majority feels.
You're certainly entitled to your opinion. That said, I think that this is one of the hottest topics of debate in Dolphins nation. It might not be in your circle, but it's definitely making the rounds.
what topic, that ricky is better then ronnie?....like i said, your giving to much credit to the minority.
I live in a pretty big circle and have seen no great debates on who is better.. Mostly, noone here gives a crap as long as they both produce.
I certainly care about the topic at hand because it's been crystal clear since preseason, to me, that Brown looked a lot more limber than Williams and should have been given the start since week one (if based purely on ability and not the fact that maybe the regime was making certain Ronnie was healthy enough to start which is very intelligent but, in my opinion, not why they started Williams.) Understand that the above statement is coming from a poster who has been historically hard on Ronnie Brown (for those who remember iluvjumiami), but gone are the days when Brown was just a workhorse who couldn’t break a game for the life of him. Ronnie Brown has grown by leaps and bounds since then and you can see it in every aspect of his running. This analysis is not a knee-jerk reaction to direct snaps in a formation designed to make him look like superman, though a lesser RB would have certainly done a lot worse. Even in his short runs where he still frustrates the hell out of me by dancing up into the line, he’s shifty with such quickness- and what’s more, confidence- that he’s finding space/yards Ricky Williams use to have an easier time finding. I know a lot of you won’t like to admit it. I don’t, and still contest that in their prime Ronnie Brown could have only been thought of as a nice compliment to Ricky Williams and never vice versa, but the tide has changed. Take the reverse where Ricky Williams’ age was trying to catch up with Ricky Williams’ passion for running like a wild man and one merely tripped the other. We would have never, ever seen that in the Williams of old. Some of you may take this post and twist it in a thousand different directions. To be clear, I’m not saying Ricky Williams is old, I’m merely saying he’s getting older. I’m not saying Ricky Williams isn’t great, but that Ronnie Brown is better. And I’m certainly not saying I prefer one to the other because if that were the case, my ego would feel determined to defend Williams who I thought was clearly the better running back the year Ricky served his four game suspension, missed a plethora of time, and still schooled Brown over that season on what a game-breaking/elite draft pick running back should look like. I’m saying Brown has not only grown deserving of that 2nd overall pick many of us out of FH believed he had never lived up to, but he has shattered that notion completely. Unfortunately, hard times has kept me from the beloved VIP, but I’m quite certain that discussion is no longer taking place even amongst the highest echelons of Dolfan nation. This is Ronnie Brown’s football team and Ricky Williams is a wonderful compliment here. If we continue to use them both as we did last Sunday, wild-card (damn right I said it)… here we come.
Decent article. The most glaring problem I see with it is that you put finheaven in front of thephins. Everyone know this site is superior.
As I mentioned, you guys are entitled to your opinion. But at the same time, I could go back and pull literally dozens of threads and posts over the past 6 months or so that deal with this exact issues (Ricky vs. Ronnie). Moreover, you guys are missing the other "battle line" I referenced in the article, which is also heavily discussed on this and other boards: Whether or not Ronnie has or will live up to his No. 2 overall draft status. Again, if you guys don't think these two lines of thoughts are relevant, etc...that's cool. I'm just trying to call it like I see it. I take pride in attempting to be one of the few Dolphins columnists that tries to take fan sentiment into account. I probably don't hit the mark every time, but I don't think I'm very far off in this case.
They both reached 6 ypc over more than 10 runs each. That's awesome. Battle lines are being drawn around ronnie, and rick is on his side, and the chargers are next. BTW, there were many discussions of Ronnie vs. Ricky on these forums, and I participated in some of them. So lets not say they don't exist. it might not have gotten heated but very distinct discussions.
If they want to have a spirited game of one upsmanship every week against opposing defenses more power to them.
AGREED..........The BEST thing about our tandem is they get along so great. I think it was said in camp that they like each other. Fun competition is great for the team, and makes it more 'fun' for both. On other teams, you might see one RB complain about not getting the handoff on some of the runs, but I dont see that in the future with these 2.
As LarryFinFan brought up, the only controversy about Brown has been whether he'll stay healthy. Other than that there's been general excitement to having both Ronnie and Ricky on the field. I've never seen a thread brought up with arguments that one should be the sole back. Again, I'll point out that the Ricky V. Ronnie comparison thread he cites as support of this "raging debte" is one he started himself.
What do you mean more "fun?" J/k Great to see them both break out this last game. People were really down on Ricky after the last two games.
First off all, I don't point out a specific thread in my article. Don't go around misrepresenting what I said/wrote and then using it to prove some sort of point. That's not right. Second of all, my article was not simply about Ronnie vs. Ricky. It's also about the multitude of threads arguing whether Ronnie has lived up to his potential as a second overall pick, where fits in terms of the other backs in the league, etc... Thirdly, I'm apparently not the only person thinking about this, because Armando wrote about it today (which is actually depressing because I typically despise his work). Fourthly, as jdang307 already pointed, you can go on and on about how "nobody" has been talking about Ronnie vs. Ricky, but it would only take me a few minutes to do a site search and find countless individual posts and threads that relate to the topic. And that's just on this forum. There's also the Herald, the Sun Sentinal, and various other fan forums where Dolphins fans talk football. And when they do, they often talk about how good Ronnie really is and about how he compares to Ricky.
There's a reason "quarterback controversy" is a cliche and "running back controversy" is not, and it's not just because the latter isn't alliterative. I think you would have had a much more substantive article had you focused on the issue of whether or not the New England game is an aberration or the start of a new trend. The Ronnie vs. Ricky debate? Meh.
Nothing was misrepresented at all. Your quote linking proof of some widespread fanbase division to fan "discussions comparing Brown and Williams" Links to said fan discussion threads on both sites which you posted. Leading to my quote: That's as far as I'm going in debating this with you. I'll stop here. I simply don't think this is as hot an issue as you presented it to be. From what I've seen most people are happy to have them both and realize the talent of both. I also didn't like your use of what seemed to me a "plant discussion" thread for you to cite later on as proof of this "division" in the fan base. If that wasn't the intent then my bad.
Fair enough. There certainly was not an "intent". As a matter of fact, the thread I created was done as a response to another thread debating Ronnie's progress as compared to Ricky's at more or less the same point in their careers. And as I mentioned, this whole Ricky vs. Ronnie argument (which I agree is not important...both are good and we're fortunate to have the tandem) is really just a part of the story. The other key piece is this whole "has Ronnie lived up to his draft status" which is likely something that will persist for the rest of the 2008 season and beyond.
Mornin' Hugo... I could hardly believe all the stuff I read in Boomers thread about Ronnie's "worthyness" I mean, at one time the antagonists had a list a dozen long, they have mostly retired to another site, now we are down to just one guy who would have been a better pick. As Demarcus wasn't a "need" as was running back, I still think he was the "right" choice for us. But Lordy, there are a handful that would argue that all night long... hindsight makes some people brilliant.
