Dolphins need Ricky Williams as long as they can keep him on the field

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-flspskolnick05sbjun05,0,530430.column

Dolphins need Ricky Williams as long as they can keep him on the field

Ethan J. Skolnick
Sports Columnist

June 5, 2008

DAVIE - As reporters interrogated Ricky Williams in search of introspection, grinning Dolphins teammate Ronnie Brown tried to get Williams' attention, raising his hands, waving his arms, even leaving his feet. Williams smiled. Not at his friend's typically silly antics. Rather, at the question:

Do you think about fixing your football legacy?

"No," said Williams, currently on the short list of South Florida's sporting curiosities and controversial figures. "Not really. I've kind of given up on that. I'm more worried about my legacy just in a bigger picture, as far as setting myself up for post-football. Going back to school and getting a job, a real job, and raising my children."

That was typical Ricky Williams, as was the 31-year-old's response to a request to rate his football passion: "I don't know. I don't think I can put a number on it."

Williams has been doing such a number on media and fans for years. He has never offered comfortable answers, changing perspectives as often as he's changed grooming habits, from dreadlocked to thick-bearded to close-cropped. He has never conformed to the conventional thinking of how a pro athlete should act and what one should say.

Considering how he's often acted in the six years since the Dolphins acquired him, this seems particularly strange to say: Welcome his return. Welcome it, above all, for what he can do for Brown.

Williams can no longer achieve the Hall of Fame heights that were possible for his career, had he loved the game enough to tolerate its responsibilities and restrictions. Still, while he may not think about his NFL legacy, other than to "just make sure I don't do anything to make it any worse," he still can enhance it significantly this season, which he recently declared his second to last. (Wednesday, he called his status "year to year.")

He can take some burden off his clowning buddy, who is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament tear, so the Dolphins feel comfortable nursing Brown rather than rushing him. Or giving Brown too many rushing attempts.

"We're going to be cautious with Ronnie," coach Tony Sparano said.

They should. They have more invested in Brown than in Williams. So Williams, who abandoned teammates days before 2004 training camp, can now greatly assist a teammate he admires. He said that he and Brown had been "kind of like brothers" since the beginning.

"I love Ronnie to death," Williams said. "He's a lot of fun to be around. He keeps things light."

Williams' presence can lighten Brown's workload as the latter works toward the complete physical and mental recovery that may be several months away. Yet while Williams remarkably stands as one of only three Dolphins remaining from 2003 (along with Yeremiah Bell and, for now, Jason Taylor), his presence is never a given. He could vanish at any time. Williams said the most important thing was to quiet the doubts in his mind.

"For the most part, I'm not worried," Williams said. "I know I'm going to be there for training camp. I know I'm going to make it through the season."

He has carried only six times in the NFL since 2005, when he split carries with Brown, and showed he hadn't lost his sublime instincts by averaging 4.7 yards on 168 carries. That was last year at Pittsburgh, in his first game back after a lengthy drug suspension. After the six carries, his season ended with a torn chest muscle.

Williams believes that he and Brown can share the workload as they did before. Williams ran out of true believers long ago, but Sparano sounded like one Wednesday. The coach, who received good reviews from former Dolphins and current Cowboys assistant Jason Garrett, said Williams hasn't missed a workout and has practiced with purpose. Williams says he feels his strongest since 2004, because he finally had a full offseason. He failed to mention that he took all of the 2004 season off, a departure that devastated the Dolphins. Another Williams flakeout wouldn't be as traumatic because the organization now depends far less on him.

It would just be disappointing.

"He finishes every run," Sparano marveled, like three Dolphins coaches before.

Now we'll see if Williams can finish his Dolphins run the right way.