November 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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Here's why Ricky Williams might be the most amazing story in football right now: He's doing things he never did before. No one expected that from him. Not at 32, in his second football act, after all the miles and all the stories. But Thursday night, in the 24-17 victory against Carolina, the Dolphins offense wasn't just Run, Ricky, Run. It started with this: Catch, Ricky, Catch. Asked to be a feature back in a competitive season for first time since he wore dreadlocks, Williams caught a 14-yard pass for the Dolphins' first touchdown. He then ran a 1-yard touchdown out of the Wildcat formation for the second touchdown. He'd never done this before, by the way. Never run for and caught a ..."
November 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Lex Hilliard had waited a long time for his opportunity to contribute on offense, so what was one more play? The Dolphins' second-year tailback's first run Thursday night, a 13-yard trot up the gut of Carolina's defense, was erased by a holding call on center Jake Grove. No worries, because the very next pass, a 6-yard dumpoff from quarterback Chad Henne, came Hilliard's way, providing his first statistical contribution to the offense during the regular season. He followed up his first NFL catch with and 18-yard run that set up the Dolphins' first touchdown. Hilliard inherited a larger role against Carolina because of Ronnie Brown's foot injury, which landed the team's leading runner on ..."
November 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Jim Mandich
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The Dolphins came up here on a short week of preparation with a banged up football team and found a way to get it done. Try to figure out all the combinations used on the injury-depleted offensive line if you can. Try to figure out exactly how any positions on the line Nate Garner played in Thursday night's 24-17 win over the Panthers, but somehow the Dolphins managed to pull out an important victory. It was a stinky start to the game, but the offense grabbed the momentum in the second quarter, just making enough plays to take the lead. While the defense kept Carolina to a field goal in the first half you knew it was going to get dicey in the second half, and it did. That third-down ..."
November 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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OK, so maybe this wasn't "Porter's House," the weekly segment Joey Porter tapes for the league-run television arm. But the man with the self-described alter ego called "Peezy" still set the early tone Thursday night on the NFL Network. Clearly invigorated by his one-game benching four days earlier, the veteran linebacker keyed a strong Dolphins pass rush that produced four sacks and a much-needed 24-17 win over the Carolina Panthers. "Joey kind of got it started," said Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, who made the decision to sit Porter down for reasons still not fully explained. "I was pleased with the pass rush. We needed it." On an evening filled with smack talk and vicious hits, the ..."
November 19
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The new place is called Proof, set in a swanky Ocean Drive hotel, and the Tuesday night scene was one specific to South Beach: short-skirted waitresses strutting off for wee kiwi sangria so that the patrons can wash down their "lick it like a lollipop" Thai wings. The surprise wasn't necessarily that you would find Ricky Williams in such a spot. The surprise, considering how he has sometimes shunned the spotlight in recent years, was that you would find him with the assistance of an invitation promising his presence. Yet there he was, as advertised, Tuesday, at a restaurant where he helped pick the menu. And there he will be, in the Thursday night spotlight, once again the main entrée in ..."
October 22
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The faces are no longer familiar to Ricky Williams. The friends he had playing for the New Orleans Saints during his first four years in the NFL are all gone. That's why Sunday's game pitting the Saints, the team that traded its entire 1999 draft tohim in the first round, and the Dolphins, the team he's running up the record books with, will be nothing special. There are not many emotional attachments, especially considering the game is in Miami and not the Crescent City, Williams said. "I try to get up for every game," Williams said. "None of the same players are there from when I played, so it's not fun to go back and see the guys. It was nice in the preseason to go to New Orleans and ..."
October 9
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Ronnie Brown has a different look this year, Dan Henning says, but it's not the one in his eye. Oh, motivation is part of it, a big part. But conditioning might be an even bigger factor in Brown's No. 3 standing on the NFL rushing list this season. "When I stand behind him the day of the game and he's got those white pants on and I see that powerful engine, I say to myself, 'That guy is ready to go,' " says Henning, the Dolphins' well-traveled offensive coordinator, spreading his hands the width of Brown's waist. " He's worked hard. When we came to camp, he was in better condition. He could run longer. He was stronger. I just knew he was going to be in position to do well this year." ..."
September 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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After all these years, and all these stories, Ricky Williams still surprises you. He quietly marries his longtime girlfriend on Fort Lauderdale beach one evening. He oversees a working documentary on his life that ESPN sounds interested in. He takes an algebra class toward his college degree. He shows he's not just the rare 32-year-old who remains productive at running back, but the even rarer old-school back who actually punishes defenders, as Atlanta found out in the season opener. And that's just his last couple of weeks. We're not even to the biggest surprise about Williams, the one that will stun people outside South Florida who remain locked into the headlines of a few years back: ..."
May 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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He awakens by 6 a.m. each day and enters a room in his home set up just for this ritual. It's empty. It's quiet. He takes a seat and says a prayer, a simple prayer, often for the likes of good health and good friends. "And that the linemen open holes," Ricky Williams says. Amen. He'll then concentrate on his surroundings — some noise outside, any spot on the wall — to begin clearing his head. Sometimes it takes a while. One night last week, for instance, he dreamed he had been cut by the Dolphins and couldn't chase the thought. "That's my insecurity over turning 32," he said. A focus on breathing comes next. Deep in. Cleansing out. Again. And again. And on his good mornings, as his mind ..."
April 19
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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It has been a decade since Mike Ditka orchestrated the trade that rocked the 1999 NFL draft. In a controversial draft-day swap, the Saints sent eight draft picks, including all of their 1999 selections, and 2000 first- and third-round choices, to Washington for the chance toRicky Williams with the No. 5 pick. It was the biggest deal for one player since 1959, when the Los Angeles Rams sent nine players and draft picks to the Chicago Cardinals for fullback Ollie Matson. And its spectacular failure ultimately defined Ditka's legacy in New Orleans, an ignominious exclamation point to an embarrassing 15-33 three-year tenure. "I never liked (the deal)," said Terry O'Neil, the Saints' former ..."
April 19
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As a veteran of more than 70 cover portraits for Time magazine, Greg Heisler has shot more important magazine photos in his 35 years as a professional. But few have been as memorable as the shot he took of Ricky Williams and Mike Ditka for the cover of the Aug. 9, 1999, issue of ESPN Magazine. "That's one of my favorite pictures, for sure," said Heisler from his New York studio this week. Editors had not settled on a theme for the shot when they assigned Heisler the cover that summer. The initial idea was a take on Grant Wood's famed "American Gothic" portrait, but Heisler had another plan. "That sounded like it would be funny, but it didn't really seem to me the right theme," Heisler ..."
November 11
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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The running back with the big numbers pulled the baseball cap down tight as the TV cameras came on and the notepads opened. Someone said, "Ronnie, can you say how ..." "I'm Ricky," Ricky Williams said. "Right, sorry," the reporter said. "Don't worry, even the coaches mix us up," Williams said. "Ricky, Ronnie, Ronnie, Ricky. They're doing it all the time." It was Ricky's turn to be called on Sunday. Finally. You could hear the sense of relief in his voice over this. If there's one recent change in the man who's always changing, it's that he wants the ball more than the handful of times he has been getting it. For years, he was at the other extreme, feeling like the team was harnessed to ..."
November 10
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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The running back with the big numbers pulled the baseball cap down tight as the TV cameras came on and the notepads opened. Someone said, "Ronnie, can you say how ..." "I'm Ricky," Ricky Williams said. "Right, sorry," the reporter said. "Don't worry, even the coaches mix us up," Williams said. "Ricky, Ronnie, Ronnie, Ricky. They're doing it all the time." It was Ricky's turn to be called on Sunday. Finally. You could hear the sense of relief in his voice over this. If there's one recent change in the man who's always changing, it's that he wants the ball more than the handful of times he has been getting it. For years, he was at the other extreme, feeling like the team was harnessed to ..."
October 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Baseball has Manny Ramirez and the Dolphins have Ricky Williams. You never know what either will say at any given moment. On Wednesday, Williams, a San Diego native and high school legend, entertained the Chargers media via a conference call. A few days after saying he was tempted to smoke marijuana during the three-day bye week break, Williams said that, "younger people'' look to him as, "sort of a folk hero.'' "When I travel outside the state most of the time the younger people will say that they respect me a lot for standing up in what I believe in,'' Williams said via conference call. "I'm sort of folk hero. People that think negative about me are not going to come up to my face and ..."
September 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Rodney Harrison has developed a reputation as one of the NFL's most physical -- some would say dirtiest -- players. After Sunday's game, the Patriots safety called out an opponent: Dolphins running back Ricky Williams. Harrison was angry about the first play of the fourth quarter, when Ronnie Brown sprinted 62 yards with a direct snap. The officials called Williams for a dead-ball personal foul for chop-blocking Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel, an infraction offset by Vrabel's unnecessary roughness penalty. Brown's touchdown stood, giving the Dolphins a 35-13 lead."
September 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Ethan J. Skolnick
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In the opener, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown inexplicably spent most third downs on the sidelines. In the second game, they spent a few together on the field. "I liked it," Williams said of the new personnel grouping, which resulted in his 8-yard run on its first use. "It's a good package." Unfortunately, the running game didn't produce many more good outcomes. Williams and Brown now have carried 38 times for 100 yards in two games. That's 2.6 yards per carry. That's ugly. Tony Sparano said the low rushing total "wasn't a concern at all" because it was a product of the early deficit and need to throw. "I don't think there's a problem with the running game," Williams said. "We're not ..."
September 11
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Ricky Williams said the $8.1 million he owes the Dolphins from his sudden retirement in 2004 wasn't brought up in his recent negotiation for a one-year extension. And that, he figures, was for a reason. "I assume I'm not going to have to pay it,'' he said. That was his read of it not being brought up? "Yes,'' he said. Asked why he thought it would be forgiven, he mentioned the new regime led by Bill Parcells. "I assume they want to keep me happy,'' he said last Friday, before a source said the Dolphins hadn't forgiven Williams of the money. So does he owe $8.1 million? Maybe. Will the Dolphins demand he repay? Maybe not. Williams, 31, negotiated his own contract extension a couple of weeks ..."
September 10
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Running back Ricky Williams didn't wait for a call back from his longtime agent, Leigh Steinberg, before negotiating a contract extension with the Dolphins last month. Williams, 31, was slated to earn the veteran minimum $730,000, but now will also receive an additional $93,000 roster bonus for every game he plays this year, which should net him about $2.2 million. He was given an additional year for approximately $3.3 million in 2009, with a potential for more if he reaches performance incentives. However, Williams, 31, still owes the Dolphins an $8.1 million judgment and that wasn't broached in the extension, according to a source. Although it's unlikely, the Dolphins could garnish ..."
September 8
Miami Herald
columnist Armando Salguero
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Before the Dolphins fell in love with their tight ends and undrafted free agents, they did everything they could to make us believe their running backs were not only good, but the foundation of the offense and one of the team's unquestionable strengths. Ronnie Brown, we were told, was recovering wonderfully from last year's knee injury and was ready for a solid season. Ricky Williams was so good the Dolphins recently gave him a contract extension as reward for an offseason in which he was perhaps the team's best player. And the two players in combination talked about being twin 1,000-yard rushers, joining a historic club that includes Miami all-timers Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris. Then ..."
September 5
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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When last on the edge of an opening day, Ricky Williams dressed only in white for purity, hadn't shaved for a year as a lesson in vanity and wanted to wear No. 27 because it was a multiple of nine. His studies in numerology showed nine was the perfect number. "A phase I went through," he calls that time two summers ago. "Now I'm more comfortable with who I am." Now he generally wears any color except red, which represents "vitality" and is for a, "flashier, more extroverted personality than I am," he says. Now he has the clean-shaven face and head. Now he's given up on the multiple-of-nine jersey idea, though he flirted with getting No. 44 this year. "I wore 44 in eighth grade and had a ..."
September 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Ricky Williams made it clear he plans to end his career with the Dolphins, even though his new contract extension only carries him into the 2009 season. Not only is the 31-year-old tailback fond of the Dolphins' new coaches and front office, but his children are settled into their schools, and Williams is working to finish up his bachelor's degree at Nova Southeastern. "I'm at a point in my career where I'm looking for some stability," Williams said. "Hopefully every time we get to this point in the season they'll come to me and say, 'We really don't want you to be a free agent, so will you sign another deal?'" Williams is taking pre-algebra and writing courses to finish up the credits he ..."
September 1
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Dolphins extended Ricky Williams' contract by one season, rewarding the divisive tailback for his impressive training camp performance, and offseason dedication. General Manager Jeff Ireland insinuated the Dolphins did the deal to protect themselves from losing Williams, who has averaged 4.2 yards per carry during the exhibition season. Williams will likely begin the 2008 season as the Dolphins starting tailback after unseating Ronnie Brown, who is 10 months removed from having the ACL in his right knee reconstructed. "We didn't want him to be a free agent, so we extended him," Ireland said. "We see it out there. He's done an excellent job in the weight room, the meeting rooms. He's ..."
August 29
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist John DeShazier
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At least Saints fans got to boo Ricky Williams. They got to watch the former Saints running back do nothing for Miami in the most meaningless of the exhibition games and, well, you manufacture your jollies from whatever source you can find in the fourth -- and, mercifully, final -- dress rehearsal, starring a bunch of guys who'll be cut today or Saturday. But then, fans basically had no choice other than to direct most of their attention to Ricky, because they couldn't lavish any of it on Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey. And join the crowd if you've been trying to figure out what the heck is going on with that situation. For the second consecutive preseason game, Coach Sean Payton said ..."