Ricky Williams: How Good Could He Have Been?

[Flyboy]

I was wondering the general assessment/opinions of the board.

[art vandelay]

I'm more interested in how good Boobie Miles could have been.

[MetSox17]

Hall of Famer

[Bengalsrocket]

How could he have been if he was in a perfect situation? I think you'd be hard pressed to find to many people who disagree with hall of famer. He was a top prospect out of college for a reason. With the right coaching and team around him I'm sure he could have been an elite back.

[TheGreatEscape]

If the league let him have his medicine he would've taken Emmitt Smith out of the record books.

[Turtlepower]

He was probably the best RB prospect in the past 10-15 years, so most likely HoF.

[DragonFireKai]

If the league let him have his medicine he would've taken Emmitt Smith out of the record books.

Not with the workload the Dolphins were giving him before he quit.

[themaninblack]

I don't think it would be outrageous to say he could have been a HOFer.

[The Great Jonathan Vilma]

given a better work ethic, his size/speed combo, i wouldn't disagree with HoF potential. Doesn't necessarily mean it is a gaurentee, but the potential to forsure

[Geo]

2002 Ricky Williams is still probably the best RB I ever saw. He was literally a beast, it was an incredible sight.

And work ethic wasn't a problem with Ricky, come on. Wannstache and the sorry Dolphins teams drained him of his love for the game. He was going to end up worse than Earl Campbell, who Ricky was very familiar with playing ball in Texas, at that pace.

[Flyboy]

2002 Ricky Williams is still probably the best RB I ever saw. He was literally a beast, it was an incredible sight.

Funny you mention that. The reason I brought the thread up was because I was watching his 2002 highlights on YouTube (five parts).

[The Great Jonathan Vilma]

2002 Ricky Williams is still probably the best RB I ever saw. He was literally a beast, it was an incredible sight.

And work ethic wasn't a problem with Ricky, come on. Wannstache and the sorry Dolphins teams drained him of his love for the game. He was going to end up worse than Earl Campbell, who Ricky was very familiar with playing ball in Texas, at that pace.

well, u can look at it in a different way also. You could say that he had a work ethic, but it didn't stick, thus his work ethic wasn't very good later on, for whatever the reason may have been......i'm not saying he wasn't being overused or anything like that, but if u don't love the game, u don't work as hard. same thing essentially

[Sniper]

I'm more interested in how good Boobie Miles could have been.

L.V. Miles: [to people from colleges] How ya'll doin' up there? Ya'll doin' all right? 45, Boobie, that's my nephew out there. That boy can play some football. He can play left, he can play right, don't make no difference. He can block, tackle, score the touch down, snap the ball, and kick the extra point. Hell, the boy will fill up the Gatorade cooler, walk the dog, and paint your back porch. I'm telling ya, the boy can plain out play football.
[pause while Boobie throws ball]
L.V. Miles: OOHH! And he can pass!

[nfrillman]

He probably would have been a HOFr. The years in Miami did him in. People dog on him because of his state of mind and losing his desire to play football, but it's not hard to see why he got tired of football when the Dolphins kept riding him like a horse because they never made a real attempt at getting a QB. The Dolphins had all the pieces in place........great D, amazing RB, solid WR core, great TE.........all the pieces except QB. I know it'd piss me off if I were in his shoes during those years. I mean Jay Fiedler, AJ Feeley, Brian Griese.......I mean seriously.

[Menardo75]

He was a definite stud before he cracked out. I would'nt disagree with HOF

[niel89]

could have been HoF. was a sight to see

[stephenson86]

hes my favorite back that has played since i have watched i reckon HOF

[cdub11]

L.V. Miles: [to people from colleges] How ya'll doin' up there? Ya'll doin' all right? 45, Boobie, that's my nephew out there. That boy can play some football. He can play left, he can play right, don't make no difference. He can block, tackle, score the touch down, snap the ball, and kick the extra point. Hell, the boy will fill up the Gatorade cooler, walk the dog, and paint your back porch. I'm telling ya, the boy can plain out play football.
[pause while Boobie throws ball]
L.V. Miles: OOHH! And he can pass!

boobie = hof
http://assets.espn.go.com/media/other/2004/1008/photo/rc_boobie2_hi.jpg

[Geo]

Funny you mention that. The reason I brought the thread up was because I was watching his 2002 highlights on YouTube (five parts).
That's great to hear, I'll have to catch that. Major kudos to whoever put that up. And hopefully it doesn't get taken down, that would really suck.

Keep in mind that the game in Buffalo late in the season was Ricky's first snow game of his career, maybe his life if I recall correctly. :eek:

[Geo]

Everyone knows that the Colts drafted Edgerrin James over Ricky Williams in the 1999 Draft (and Edge should definitely be in the HOF imo), but I think Ricky could have succeeded in Indy. Because playing with Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, and so on, would have kept most of the pressure off of him. He wouldn't have had an entire franchise and a draft class in trade to bear on his shoulders, considering his social anxiety, as was the case in New Orleans and then Miami. The guy could always play, you just wonder what could have been for him in a better situation.

[Watchman]

Everyone knows that the Colts drafted Edgerrin James over Ricky Williams in the 1999 Draft (and Edge should definitely be in the HOF imo), but I think Ricky could have succeeded in Indy. Because playing with Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, and so on, would have kept most of the pressure off of him. He wouldn't have had an entire franchise and a draft class in trade to bear on his shoulders, considering his social anxiety, as was the case in New Orleans and then Miami. The guy could always play, you just wonder what could have been for him in a better situation.

A great point. For a player who was never comfortable being the center of attention, to have a player like Peyton Manning on your team would have diffused much of that issue for Williams. It goes without saying that having Manning as your QB takes pressure off the running game, but to have a player of that magnitude would have taken so much pressure off of Williams' shoulders in so many other aspects that I think he would have thrived with the Colts. Hell he had years where he thrived being a teams only real threat, and only real star offensive player despite his anxiety.

I think he easily could have been a HOFer.

[Woody56]

Ricky Williams 02 season will be the best a RB recorded that will never be talked about. He was absolutely incredible that year.

[tom]

IMO this year he'll be back in a big way, running for 1800 yards and 18 touchdowns. And soon he'll be back to being a sure fire HOFFER!

[Gay Ork Wang]

IMO this year he'll be back in a big way, running for 1800 yards and 18 touchdowns. And soon he'll be back to being a sure fire HOFFER!
jeez cant u just like kill urself? my brain hurts and i feel dumber after every post i read from u

[yourfavestoner]

Ricky is my favorite NFL player of All Time.

[StripedWalrus]

jeez cant u just like kill urself? my brain hurts and i feel dumber after every post i read from u

On a plus note Renji, at least he didnt say Jerome Bettis was due for a comeback. He would come out of retirement and run for 3k yards.... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....

[yourfavestoner]

jeez cant u just like kill urself? my brain hurts and i feel dumber after every post i read from u

You just don't get Tom.

[Gay Ork Wang]

You just don't get Tom.
I get it, its not funny, he should kill himself

[RollingMoss]

After Moss, Ricky's my favorite player ever. He was the next Jim Brown, AP before AP, the running back God designed.

He just didn't love football, and ya gotta love that.

I hate the **** he gets for smoking weed, because I don't think the weed had anything to do with anything. The guy just legitimately didn't love - ****, Like - football. He didn't like the attention, he didn't like the coaches, the whole shebang. He didn't like it - and that ain't the weeds fault. The weed probably kept him in the game a little longer. But that's no reason to hate the guy or pile on him or call him this or that. **** you Jim Rome.

and here's a Q: were the Colts dumb for passing on him? Yes, Edge was bombtitties in Indy - but they didn't win anything. I would have to say no though, they weren't dumb. They probably did their homework and realized Ricky didn't like football.

[MetSox17]

After Moss, Ricky's my favorite player ever. He was the next Jim Brown, AP before AP, the running back God designed.

He just didn't love football, and ya gotta love that.

I hate the **** he gets for smoking weed, because I don't think the weed had anything to do with anything. The guy just legitimately didn't love - ****, Like - football. He didn't like the attention, he didn't like the coaches, the whole shebang. He didn't like it - and that ain't the weeds fault. The weed probably kept him in the game a little longer. But that's no reason to hate the guy or pile on him or call him this or that. **** you Jim Rome.

and here's a Q: were the Colts dumb for passing on him? Yes, Edge was bombtitties in Indy - but they didn't win anything. I would have to say no though, they weren't dumb. They probably did their homework and realized Ricky didn't like football.

You're completely right. Ricky Williams is the perfect example of someone who does something because other people told him he was good at it. Heck, he was the perfect running back. Fast, Strong, a work horse, injury free... He just didn't love football.

It's like the tall kids that play basketball only because they're told they'll be good. Except Ricky was good. He was great. In fact, he's one of the greatest that ever set foot in a College Football field, even in the NFL. Without a passion to play, he was still the best RB in the league. Just hearing him talk is enough to what type of person he is. He'll always be one of the greatest RB's in my mind.

[Byrd430]

Ricky was great, a sure fire HOFer no doubt about it. He put together a phenomenal season. He also cost me a hundred dollars on Thanksgiving when he ran for over a hundred against my Cowboys (when we weren't letting NOBODY get a hundred).

That being said, I think he would've declined sooner in his career because of the constant pounding he took every season. But for his prime, he's one of the best I've ever seen.


On a separate note:

Tom kicks ass.

[Gay Ork Wang]

Ricky was great, a sure fire HOFer no doubt about it. He put together a phenomenal season. He also cost me a hundred dollars on Thanksgiving when he ran for over a hundred against my Cowboys (when we weren't letting NOBODY get a hundred).

That being said, I think he would've declined sooner in his career because of the constant pounding he took every season. But for his prime, he's one of the best I've ever seen.


On a separate note:

Tom kicks ass.
Did u just neg rep me?

btw is there any chance that he gets alil bit better?

[BaLLiN]

he was the only reason i picked the dolphins on franchise mode of madden

[Byrd430]

Did u just neg rep me?

btw is there any chance that he gets alil bit better?

I didn't neg rep you... And i was sarcastic when i said tom kicks ass....

He just makes me laugh...


Also, I think Ricky can get better than he's been the past couple of seasons. I hear he's in great condition and his work ethic is awesome. He'll still have to split time with Ronnie though.

[eaglesfan_45]

He could have been in the conversastion (sp.) for greatest of all time.