Subscriber Services
Weather

Friday, September 07, 2007

Ricky's reinstatement date wasn't really in Sept.

When Ricky Williams had his date for reinstatement moved last April most media outlets reported he could seek a return to the NFL in September.

Well, it's September and nothing on Ricky.

Until now.

Turns out those September reports were erroneous. Williams cannot, in fact, seek reinstatement until sometime in October. When exactly in October is "nebulous," according to an NFL source because it depends on feedback from the clinicians scrutinizing the matter.

Williams is currently going through counseling in the drug program -- has been for some time in fact. Depending on what the clinicians say later this month, the decision will be made to either request a reinstatement or not.

Williams, meanwhile, is said to be in "good spirits," according to someone close to him and, "anxious to play again." Whether that ever happens with the Dolphins is unclear, but unlikely.

Best case scenario, it seems, Williams will not be on any NFL roster until November the earliest. That timetable alone makes it highly unlikely he can play this season because most teams aren't going to disrupt their chemistry by adding Williams that late in the year and then wait on him to get into football shape.

Sad isn't it, how this once-promising career has fizzled?

20 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Armando, not to sound like a goofy fan, but I've got this blog on my RSS feeder. When you blog something new, I know about it almost instantly.

And that's worth it to me, because you always come with fresh info. You told me who got cut first. You told me about the postcards from Nick when others didn't know. You told me about Chris Chambers first. You were the first to tell me how bad Jason Allen is.

Sometimes I don't agree with you. Sometimes I make my disagreement known. But you come strong every time and I appreciate that.

Keep it up.

11:29 PM  
Blogger JB said...

Get ready for the Ted Ginn Jr. Show. Oh wait, thats Trent Green, not Beck...errr...get ready for the Brandon Fields show! Green cant complete anything longer than a 10 - 15 yard pass, too bad that #9 pick wont be utilized properly until Beck's arm is inserted into the equation.

11:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with flpd. Many days I think this blog is one of the best kept secrets for the serious Fin fan.

I appreciate that you consistentley endeavor to get us the LATEST updates with the DETAILS.....and alwyas seem to hit it right on target.

11:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If Ricky is reinstated (big if) and the Dolphins have a good record (another big if) in November and Ricky is ready then it will be an interesting decision for the Coaching/Management team. They will no longer be able to trade him (deadline will have passed) and I really do think Ricky has some trade value. Not high pick but a 5th(Maybe future w/ conditions)-7th rounder. He still has ability and is pretty cheap so I could see a playoff team like the Seahawks gambling on him to backup an aging Alexander.

Which would lead to the difficult decision of keeping or cutting Williams. Would the Dolphins really just cut bait with Ricky for nothing? It probably depends on the health and production of Brown/Chatman but I could definately see a situation where the Phins take him for the stretch run. As much as a despise Ricky for his inability to stay on the team, their record is very very good when he plays and very very bad when he does not.

And one last thought. The situation on other teams could in a way force Miami to keep Ricky. If the Dolphins are doing well the last thing they would want to do is jettison Ricky only to have a team like the Jets, Pats, or Bills pick him up. The Bills are starting a Rookie, the jets have no depth at RB to take a heavy workload if Jones goes down (Washington is a solid #2 but I think they would be concerned if he had to carry 25-30 times), and the Pats are counting on Sammy Morris to backup Maroney.

But if the dolphins are out of it then I think you will see them just cut him loose.

12:31 AM  
Blogger phins#1fan said...

Armando, thx for the blog, by far the best and most accurate phins news around. Ricky could have a legitamate comeback if we are smart enough to take him back. He is the only DECENT running back that we would have that can actually break away and score on any given play.

3:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ricky is better than Ronnie Brown or Jesse Chatman right now -- on pot, out of football for two years, after missing training camp, having not put on pads since the CFL. He's better than our two mediocre runners! I dare anyone to say otherwise.

8:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Playing football has never been important to ricky. That his life and his decision. Let him live it.

8:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ricky is done. It's obvious that he's much more happier teaching yoga than playing football. I say, let him live his life the way he wants to.

9:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Ricky is better than Ronnie Brown or Jesse Chatman right now -- on pot, out of football for two years, after missing training camp, having not put on pads since the CFL. He's better than our two mediocre runners! I dare anyone to say otherwise.

8:56 AM

UMMMMMMM, OTHERWISE!!!! We'll send those counselors over to your place when they are done with Ricky...

10:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's been a LONG time since Ricky was really good ... 2002. Ricky was definitely awesome in 2002. Everyone knows that.

Too bad it looks like he's thrown his NFL career away because of weed. I seriously doubt Cam will take him back. Ricky will be lucky to have ANY team in the NFL take him back in 2008. I think he's already done for 2007.

By the way ... Ronnie was just as good if not better than Ricky in 2005. Ronnie and Ricky both had 4.4 ypc. Ronnie got more long runs though.

10:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was all for giving Rickey a new chance until the last time, my feeling is that he set it up to fail that drug test. If Rickey gets his act together, let's hope it is for another team. I wish him the best of luck. JBC

12:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wish Ricky Williams would just go back to India, to never be heard from again. How could anyone say he's better than Ronnie Brown. Williams is worse than a RB that gets injured every year and can't finish the season. Hell, he can't even start the season. At least Brown works his butt off to improve. Williams wasted his talent and this teams time. Good riddance.

12:16 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Personally I see nothing wrong with marijuana use or the use of any illegal drugs by consenting adults.
However, to continue the use of marijuana knowing well it is against league rules is just plain stupid.
To have one of the best jobs in the world and continue this behavior is not only dumb, but deserving of mental evaluation.

12:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

tom@hax said that ronnie is better than ricky what is he thinking? let me remind u that the last time ricky played a full season was in 2004 which in he ran over anybody in his way.ronnie "Scary" brown stopped playing like a speed back and starteed playing like frank gore maybe he would be able to do something. Ricky Hands down

4:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"By the way ... Ronnie was just as good if not better than Ricky in 2005. Ronnie and Ricky both had 4.4 ypc. Ronnie got more long runs though."

So the #2 overall pick of the draft was "better" because he got the same YPC as a RB who is 5 years older and had been out of football for a year.

Also I dispute the claim that Ronnie Brown was "better" because he had more long runs(I have no idea if this is actual true, i'm just taking your word for it).

First of all he should have more long runs because he had about 40 more carries. Second, I would argue that the reverse is true. If two players have the same YPC and one has a lot more long runs than the other one it means that he had a lot more carries that went nowhere or backwards. I rather have the RB who is consistently picking up 4-5 yards every time.

To me the running game is more about consistency than big plays. Yes, you want the guys who do both. But if I have to choose between the two i'm taking the guy who picks up positive yardage more often. It keeps the defense off the field and puts you in manageable 2nd and 3rd downs.

I defiantly have to disagree with the thought that nobody will touch Ricky. He makes the league minimum and probably still has more talent than most of the backups in the league. Yes he is obviously a risk but I if the team simply moves their current backup rb to 3rd string then its not an issue. I guarantee you that if it wasn't for their arrest binge the Bengals would be DROOLING to pickup Ricky Williams right now. Their backup is Kenny Watson for crying out loud. Seattle? They want to make it to the superbowl in whats going to be a tough division. You really think they wouldn't rather have Ricky backing up Shaun Alexander over Maurice Morris a very nice 3rd down back? How about Tampa Bay? Gruden's seat can't get any hotter. He has signed every QB he can find and has even signed David Boston. The guy is doing anything to save his job. I don't doubt that Ricky would cross his mind...

7:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A) Dolphins have 4 Tailbacks on the Roster, 2 of them are prospects (Cobbs, Booker). Ricky won't return here.

B) Drug treatment? Marijuana? I don't want to laugh, but hearing how some someone lost their kid, $35,000 job, car and teeth doesn't seem promising to most people smoking pot who got the munchies and missed an interview for Burger King. Of course Ricky lost a lot more in this instance, but Drug Treatment for marijuana just seems counter productive. Either he wants to play football in the NFL or he doesn't.

C) Drug testing in the NFL is a farce. You can do 90 drug tests a year to anyone in the country and they will fail at least one of them. Williams should've never been subjected to that BS to begin with. Recluse, yes... Criminal, no.

D) I wish Ricky the best. He should just give up the NFL, put up the middle finger to Mueller who got rid of him really in NO, and not pay pack the so called 8.4 million he supposedly owes Miami on an inherited signing bonus. Go to Canada m8, they will treat you much better there.

With all that said... Go Phins in 08.

12:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you are true Dolphin fans you will realize that Ricky is a loser and has played a huge part in setting back our team and organization back years. It is like that movie series of unfortuante events...Curse of Marino, Ricky, AJ Feely(2nd rounder,Saban-Culpepper over Breeze, Ginn over Quinn....many years away from anything real.
but keep the faith!! Dolfan66

1:42 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really don't care if Ricky has disapinted us fans before, after watching the running game yesterday, He will be the best option Miami has to improve the running game, Ronnie has no hart, he is a dissapointment, I will be willingto give Ricky another oportunity If I were Cam Cammeron, if you consider that he will get pay nothing by the dolphins, why not play the guy!! at least he will give us a better chance to run the ball and help Green to spread the ball thru the field.

12:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

John said...
Personally I see nothing wrong with marijuana use or the use of any illegal drugs by consenting adults.
However, to continue the use of marijuana knowing well it is against league rules is just plain stupid.
To have one of the best jobs in the world and continue this behavior is not only dumb, but deserving of mental evaluation.

12:18 PM
I think it's Hillarious that you would defend the use of illegal drugs in one breath, but say that it's stupid for an NFL player to do it the next. So it's alright for Joe Blow CEO to smoke crack? If he gets caught, he'll lose his job and probably be black listed from anything comprable. But because he doesn't play in the NFL, it's alright. Funny how you place a higher priority on NFL rules than the law. Or maybe you were just saying that it's alright for losers with no potential to do drugs? Funny thing is, people who are on drugs, typically BECOME losers (especially the hard core drugs.) There is a reason that they are illegal, banned by every Sports league, and are stringently tested for. YOU HAVE TO TAKE A DRUG TEST TO WORK AT WALMART! If you're not good enough to stock shelves at Big Box Mart on Drugs, what are you qualified for?
One last thought... Consenting adults often QUIT becoming consenting adults when they become ADDICTED adults. Funny how the right to choose often leads to the loss of choices.

3:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ricky was a great player. I wish him the best of luck, but I think it's pretty obvious his heart isn't in it. If the Dolphins were to say, "Keep the money," he would ride of into the sunset and never be heard from again. He tested clean for over a year, and then right before camp he failed another test. My guess is he failed that last test on purpose so he wouldn't have to play, but also so he wouldn't have to repay the dough. I look for another failed drug test any day now.

3:12 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home