I'm fine with RW being gone. I was never a big fan, for all he did I also think he brought a great deal of negative attention to this organization. I think most non-Dolphin fans have a lower opinion our team b/c of RW's time here than if he had never been a Dolphin. I also don't think he would have fit well with our offense this year. As for the Ravens, they are one of my least favorite teams. I think they're a good organization, but they have been more of a bane to us than the Jets have of late (or ever). The Jets have rarely been the team to knock us out of contention for anything while the Ravens have been that team of late. I also hated the whole pissing on our field thing.
Classy. I give our FO credit for giving him that last chance too. Gonna be fun to watch BAL's running game this year.
This has been my point all along. They are all in on a rookie, Lex Hilliard and a 3rd down back that has never been able to stay healthy in a limited role who thinks he should be an every down back. Whether you like Ricky Williams or not is irrelevant. He was a known commodity at the RB position. For a team that preaches an offense built around running the football I'd say that's pretty damn important. See the Ravens who while they have a top back in Rice already they still saw the need to go get another solid one in Williams. Our FO are taking a lot of risks that on the surface do not seem very smart at all. I hope it all works out but my "spidey senses" are not liking our situation.
I loved seeing Ricky's visor and running in a Dolphins uniform! I wish him well. That said... I am happy we're going with our young RBs.
Loved Ricky, but it was time to move on. We gave Ricky chance after chance, so we owe nothing to him.
yeah im quite bummed by this ricky has always been one of my favorite players i was so happy when we got him from new orleans i was so pissed when he retired but was so excited to see him return i wish ricky all the luck in the world except when playing the dolphins of course lol
Exactly!! That being said, best of luck to him. Loved having him here when he was at his peak. What a runner he was, and could have been if it wasn't for the wasted years.
I love the demon, and respect his time here, but there was more than 1 reason why I projected both he and Ronnie after the rewind of the season, not returning to our team, and us completely rebuilding the unit..
The one thing I like this year is that we aren't to caught up in the history of players and the love we have for them, to keep them on the team if they can't contribute. I like the guy, but it was pretty much the right time for him to go. I think this is their way of getting out of the shadows of previous regimes fans often compare them to. It's about time they made their Miami Dolphins and in year 4, they are going to sink or swim on their own merits.
In my humble opinion, an eager Lex in his prime will prove to be more valuable than an old Ricky who's likely to hit the wall any day now. I'm expecting a Mike Tolbert type year from him.
Ricky, albeit different, is a good guy and one of my all time favorite Dolphins. Don't get me wrong, when he retired I was pissed as hell and wanted to strangle the guy. However, he's always played his heart out and I really wish him well. Hell, if the Dolphins get knocked out early this season I'll root for the Ravens just for him.
Actually Muck..I think this guy had his opinion entitlement taken from him by the law. So, he is not entitled to spew his nonsense.
I couldn't care less what non-Dolphins fans think of the team. If they need Ricky as an excuse to hate, then fvck them.
Lex can be eager all he wants, but he still has a long ways to go, if he is ever able to display half the talent of Ricky. Even a 34 yr old Ricky. What we have with Lex is mostly blind faith. This looks like an unnecessary risk to place our hope on Lex as the insurance covering a Thomas injury.
Could it be the case of Ireland inquisitively wanting to see how his 2008 draft pick turns out when given an opportunity? When you're doing the drafting, isn't there an urge in the back of your mind to find out whether or not you made a good selection?
I wouldn't have minded if ither Ricky or Ronnie returned, but it is a damning fact that they each went elsewhere and settled to take backup jobs! I think that tells a whole hell of a lot. It's not like Ronnie just signed a DeAngelo Williams like contract with another team and burned us....guy signed for 1 mil...
I was just trying to highlight the fact that those two guys were our co-starters last year. They just signed on to be backups elsewhere, weren't even in consideration for a starter spot anywhere. I'd have preferred to have kept one of the two as a backup, but hey I'm not in charge... Not only that, but the league just voted. Ronnie took a deal at 1 mil to be the Eagles back up, and I'm not sure what Ricky just signed for, but I'm sure it's even less than that. I get it that maybe just maybe Ronnie took less to be on a SB contender, but then again his age is his age, better get what you can get while you can get it. 1 million's not doing it, and shows the kind of attention he was getting. Not much.
Ireland and Sparano are in no position to play it safe. Ricky, while still a capable back, wouldn't bring anything new to the table. Lex might. We don't know what we have in Lex, but we DO know what we had in Ricky. It might not work out, but honestly, this teams fate, whatever it may come to be, will not have been decided by the presence of a 34 yr old Ricky Williams. I wish him well. Also to whoever said they root for the ravens...REALLY!? You knwo CAM CAMERONS a ****ING coach there right?
While he became a good dude he screwed us once. His poor choices put him in a position he cant retire. Play hard, play fast ricky wish ya the best, you could have been a dolphin great just a few yrs lost.
When he has gotten opportunities, like last preseason and in 2009, it would have been nice if he'd given even a hint of being a good NFL runner, and from what I recall seeing, he did not. IMO, if Thomas gets hurt or struggles for whatever reason, and we need to give Lex a significant amount of carries, our run game is in trouble.
Actually Mr. C, I read it was a 2-year deal at 2.5mil, with escalators up to 4mil (not sure what those "escalators" are though). Here's the ESPN linky: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6844377/ricky-williams-joins-baltimore-ravens-backfield
Like we dont get beat up by the ravens enough for them to add ricky,good luck !! Saprano will not be here for long, mark my words
I'm one that thinks the team will be fine without Ricky but an eager Lex can never have something that Ricky Williams does. Ricky has some of the best vision a Rb has ever had. In his best day, I think an eager Lex will have trouble matching what RW's does with his sight alone! That said, I would like to see another Rb either step up or be signed.
My two biggest concerns are 1) No proven backup to Thomas, and 2) No viable #2 TE. Signing one of the R&R to be a backup to Thomas seemed very simply sensible. Lex is IMO more a bunch of ??? than he is anything else. We've seen basically nothing in past preseasons or in 2009 in limited action to indicate that Lex is someone we can count on to carry the brunt of the load in a reasonably productive manner if needed.
The guy had 1 great season that led to absolutely nothing and then ****ed over the team multiple times. I don't care about a guy who single-handedly ruined an entire season going to the Ravens way past his prime. This guy was a constant detractor in the media and off the field.