Oh Canada? Say it won't happen, Ricky
Ricky Williams is a saga magnet. Even when he's just hanging out -- at home or in his favorite tent in the Australian outback -- weird, whacky things seem to worm their way into his life.
Remember that bug bite while Williams was living in a tent? It caused a leg to swell so violently, Williams thought he was going to die alone in the outback?
Well, the latest freako drama the erstwhile Dolphins running back must now deal with is this story that he might play in the CFL. That's the has-been and never-was league up north that plays on the extra-wide, extra-long field with the funky motion rules.
Seems the Toronto Argonauts got this wild hair idea that Ricky Williams might be a fit for them, you know, now that he won't be playing NFL football the next 12 months or so.
Hey, why not? They figure they'll give Williams a chance to stay in shape while he's preparing for his 2007 NFL return and he can earn about $100,000 extra Canadian dollars in the process. Williams didn't come up with the idea, and as of Thursday night, hadn't heard about it.
But the strange stuff just chases him as if it were a tackler.
Anyway, the Dolphins are privately not too thrilled by the idea. On Wednesday, they told The Herald that there was no way Williams could play in Canada. Then on Thursday they pulled back from that because, woops, there really is a chance it can happen if Williams pursues the matter.
Leigh Steinberg, who is Williams' agent, confirms the Argos called to show interest but says he hasn't talked to Ricky and will advise his client to pretty much do whatever the Dolphins say. If the team says OK, then he can think about it.
If Miami says forget it, Williams will be advised to forget it because he doesn't want to breach his contract and jeopardize his 2007 return.
So if I'm the Dolphins, I say forget it.
The only way this team can get some value out of Williams in the future is if he returns intact and ready to play for Miami. Even if he never actually steps foot on the field for the Dolphins again, at least he'll have some (thismuch) trade value.
But if Williams blows out a knee while playing on bad CFL artificial fields, how does that help Miami? If he comes back worn out after carrying a CFL team on his back, how does that help Miami?
I realize Williams has financial obligations and isn't getting paid during his NFL mandated suspension. But how is $100 large going to help him long-term?
It just seems too bizarre. And it just seems so Ricky Williams.
Remember that bug bite while Williams was living in a tent? It caused a leg to swell so violently, Williams thought he was going to die alone in the outback?
Well, the latest freako drama the erstwhile Dolphins running back must now deal with is this story that he might play in the CFL. That's the has-been and never-was league up north that plays on the extra-wide, extra-long field with the funky motion rules.
Seems the Toronto Argonauts got this wild hair idea that Ricky Williams might be a fit for them, you know, now that he won't be playing NFL football the next 12 months or so.
Hey, why not? They figure they'll give Williams a chance to stay in shape while he's preparing for his 2007 NFL return and he can earn about $100,000 extra Canadian dollars in the process. Williams didn't come up with the idea, and as of Thursday night, hadn't heard about it.
But the strange stuff just chases him as if it were a tackler.
Anyway, the Dolphins are privately not too thrilled by the idea. On Wednesday, they told The Herald that there was no way Williams could play in Canada. Then on Thursday they pulled back from that because, woops, there really is a chance it can happen if Williams pursues the matter.
Leigh Steinberg, who is Williams' agent, confirms the Argos called to show interest but says he hasn't talked to Ricky and will advise his client to pretty much do whatever the Dolphins say. If the team says OK, then he can think about it.
If Miami says forget it, Williams will be advised to forget it because he doesn't want to breach his contract and jeopardize his 2007 return.
So if I'm the Dolphins, I say forget it.
The only way this team can get some value out of Williams in the future is if he returns intact and ready to play for Miami. Even if he never actually steps foot on the field for the Dolphins again, at least he'll have some (thismuch) trade value.
But if Williams blows out a knee while playing on bad CFL artificial fields, how does that help Miami? If he comes back worn out after carrying a CFL team on his back, how does that help Miami?
I realize Williams has financial obligations and isn't getting paid during his NFL mandated suspension. But how is $100 large going to help him long-term?
It just seems too bizarre. And it just seems so Ricky Williams.
posted by Armando Salguero at 12:54 AM
Get our feeds
21 Comments:
Armando, Armando...are you really that shallow minded? I myself am from Montreal. I've been a huge Dolphins fan for the past 25 years, been to a few games at Joe Robie( Proplayers ), get Dolphins news by email every day. Football is my favorite sport and the NFL my favorite league. BUT, I still like and watch the CFL.It may be different, but it's good football and yes, like ottawafan said, we play on field-turf. I'm a touch football player and sometimes "I" even play on field turf. As for the league itself, it may not be as glamorous as the NFL, but it's been there for decades and the games can be pretty good most of the times. We're all entitled to our opinion. You may not like the CFL and that's fine. You may not "know" the CFL and that's fine too. But hey, Armando, take it easy...
Well, as a Canadian, though not a real CFL fan, I argue that perhaps you should look at the has and never beens that have played here, Flutie seemed to play well in Buffalo and Jeff Garcia fared well in SF until death by Terrel occured, and whats that other guys name,...oh yeah Warren Moon, another never was. It seems that a little respect for the league may be in order.
In Ricky's case you think maybe the money and him not running around the world aimlessly may in fact help us as Dolfans by keeping him out of trouble. Just a thought.
Actually, he can end up making more money with the Argos than he did last year with the Dolphins because of the possible manipulation of the CFL cap rules as a franchise player. If I was Ricky, I would want to play here (in Toronto) for sure.
I think playing in Canada would be a GREAT way for the Phins to keep Ricky in football shape and ready to come back next year. All the talk over the last few weeks have been about how Ricky will never be able to come back at 30 having only played 12 games in three years. This way he gets to be in a structured football environment and not trying to pull his leg out of its socket in some lotus position on an Indian mountain top. No outback crocodile wrestling Steve Irwin style.
What a great way for Nick and Wayne to protect their investment. Think about his trade value coming off a season of breaking CFL records.
You tell em Nelson914!
I’d much rather watch an ESPN Classic airing of Doug Flutie running around a humungous snow covered field, being chased by a bunch of guys who were deemed too irrelevant to be an NFL Mr. Irrelevant over, say, Joe Montana’s The Catch play, or John Elway’s Come Back vs. Cleveland, or anything with Gale Sayers or Jim Brown or a re-cap of the ’72 Dolphins, or Dan Marino’s clock play, or Super Bowl 3 or the Ice Bowl, or Vince Lombardi’s “What the hell is goin on out there!,” or Reggie White’s dominance over the Patriots in the Super Bowl, or the Immaculate Reception …
Give me that classic footage of the Edmonton Eskimos over the 1970’s Steelers any day! It’s just unfortunate that the GWN doesn’t have that convenient 300 million population because of all the pesky snow that falls there 365 days a year. Not to mention all the moose and Mounties. Yea, that’s why the CFL isn’t more popular. It has nothing at all to do with talent or skill.
Them ignorant Evil Americans would totally fall in love with WR Gilles Colon over Marvin Harrison or Terrell Owens … if only they stopped watching and pumping their evil money into the wrong league!!
But don’t worry … I’m putting good use of Canadian coins at my local Laundromat. The Almighty American Dollar is too evil to wash the skid marks off my boxers.
Speaking of boxers … Happy Boxing Day!
CANADIAN BACON!
I actually think it is a wonderful idea. He has a year to showcase his skills and either become trade material or be football ready next year. It is a win-win...baring injury, which we should next really plan against because we never can know.
Ottawa Fan,
I've actually been to BC. It's beautiful. I don't know what was up my a** when I wrote that.
Was it commentators inadvertently downing my beloved NFL and comparing it to any other pro football league? (Could’ve been some Euro cat saying the same thing about NFL Europe and I’d blown a gasket)
Was it Nelson914's ripping on Armando?
Was it his subtle shot at America?
Nah … I think it was that I still can’t get over the fact that Steve Nash won the NBA MVP again that pushed me over the edge. (Yes, I’m a homer Heat fan)
I appreciate you understanding the sense of humor in it.
And for the record … yes, I agree that our farenheight system is pretty stupid indeed.
Thanks for the shout out.
Look at the Canucks ripping Armando. I thought you guys were passive, eh? Anyway, I live in Miami and see a lot of you guys down here in the winter messing up our traffic when it's supposedly not snowing up there. I also see your dollar isn't worth as much as ours and your cows aren't allowed to be slaughtered in our country becasue they're mad. Oh, and one more thing, your football is minor league. Name me one CFL player who would rather play in the CFL than the NFL.
Nothing scarier than an angry Canadian!
The Dude,
I noticed how nelson914 defended the weather but not the moose or Mounties.
Hey Nel ... lighten up. It's a sports blog. Take OttawaFan's example and chill. Canada rules, USA sucks ..ok? ok. Let's get back to talkin Dolphins football.
Wow, I just checked back to see how this was going and I see I may have frayed a few nerves in the Great White North.
Too Bad!!!
The CFL is a shadow of real football. It is the Arena League's big outdoor brother.
I didn't mean to imply it was minor league, I meant to say it is bush league.
When Bob Ackles got fired in Miami, he went to the CFL.
And by the way, my Canadian stallwarts, thanks a lot for taking all those vacations in my native Cuba.
Thanks a lot of helping to support Fidel Castro.
I think Armando's forgetting the recent pattern of Dolphin's RBs playing in the CFL! John Avery is currently on the Toronto roster, and even Lawrence Phillips had a couple years in the CFL after leaving Miami. Those guys even played against each other in the 2002 Grey Cup. If they can look good... imagine what Ricky would pull off up here!
Look on the bright side... at least they cover up the MLB infield in the Rogers Centre before football games!!!
Ottawan Fan
Bar hopping and "beever" hunting. You're the guy I'm hangin with when I visit Canada again!!
To answer your question: Hate, hate HATE the Jets. I think most Dolfans will agree with me on this. We have our share of displaced New Yorkers down here who flood JRS and do their stupid J-E-T-S chant. There's like 3,000 of them with their beer bellies trying to squeeze into their vomit green jerseys (and that's just the FEMALE Jets fans).
I hate the Pats too but that's more af an envious hatred than anything else. The 90's Bills were up there. But the Jets will always be the most loathsome for me.
Just another NFL "writer" with minimal info of the CFL. Typical Americanism I say. Lets open our mind a little and appreciate Football not divide leauges by so called "sports writing" opinion, all be it bad. Last time I checked the NFL learned football from Candians and then "Marketed" better to a bigger audience. Nuff said.
I hear ya Nelson. We're just giving you guys from the Great White North a hard time. No mal intents here. Peace. And yes -- GO DOLPHINS!!
Fred Banks. By far the best obscure reference you've made, in my book. Not to mention the most adverse.
yea right ... replace the Yoga Hemp Master for the Original Wiz-O-Nator! Nice.
And Sammy Smith ...umgphh ... I just threw up in my mouth.
I live 5 minutes from SkyDome and, given the choice, I'd rather watch the Dolphins on TV than watch an Argo game live, so I can hardly deny that the CFL is second-tier by comparison to the NFL. But calling the CFL "bush-league" and ignoring its many charms is out of bounds, especially considering that Armando has probably never even watched a Canadian game.
And Armando, as the rest of the world (and, frankly, most of the U.S.) realizes, the absurd Cuban exile community in Florida does a hell of a lot more to support Castro via its dogmatic support for the ineffective and immoral embargo than do a few Canadians on vacation. So you might start by taking a look in the mirror before throwing stones our way.
(I would prefer not to be discussing politics in a sports blog - I'm simply responding directly to a comment made by Armando. Go Dolphins!!)
Kris, You are absolutely correct about my people. We hurt ourselves more than anyone hurts us. But THIS exile has never returned to his homeland to leave dollars for that evil gov't and will never do so until the banner of freedom flies over the land. If anyone is mounting an invasion, sign me up!
Armando, you really should check your info on the CFL before making outrageous comments like "bush-league" or whatever. By the way, he could make much more than $100,000. The top CFL earner currently makes $450,000 and I'm sure the Argos could afford perhaps $500,000, maybe more. My point is that it's not about the money. If he could make some, good for him. Also, I'm not a big NFL fan but I would think that he would be forfeiting his millions next year under suspension.
Some one had asked if any CFLers could be named who would and have chosen the CFL over the NFL. I can name a few: Michael Clemons, Damon Allen, Milt Stegal, if you haven't heard of them, well, it's because the NFL is too obsessed with size over talent. I'll throw a name ot to y'all - Casey Printers. He's a young Texan CFLer who's trying to make it with the Kansas City Chiefs. He could be awesome but if he isn't, it'll be because the NFL will think his 6 foot, 200 pound frame would be far too brittle for NFL sacks. Stay tuned.
Comment
Post a Comment
<< Home