woodbuck27
07-10-2006, 01:41 PM
July 9, 2006
RICKY ISN'T RICKY ANYMORE
A strange thing has happened during running back Ricky Williams' one-season sojourn to Canada.
Suddenly, he sucks.
Well, he doesn't necessarily suck. But his numbers sure do.
On Saturday night, the former Heisman winner gained only six yards on nine carries for the Toronto Argonauts in a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Ricky's time north of the border was supposed to be nothing short of an exercise in dominance. It's the CFL, after all. The players are guys who can't make it in the NFL. Guys who are no match for an elite tailback.
Sure, there are still flashes of brilliance. In Saturday's loss, Ricky caught a swing pass, delivered a "vicious" stiff arm, and hurdled a defender.
But on the next play Williams was stuffed on a 3rd-and-1 rushing attempt, giving the Bombers the ball inside Argo territory. (Under CFL rules, a team gets three tries to gain ten yards, not four.)
Is it that Ricky has lost it, or is his offensive line to blame? "As good a back as he is, he's not Superman," teammate Dave Costa said, according to the Toronto Star. "If he has three [defenders] on his legs, he's not going to make yards, and that's on us."
We still think that a truly great back can find his way out of -- or through -- tight spots. Barry Sanders didn't have Hall of Famers blocking for him in Motown, but he still got his yards.
Through four games, Ricky has gained only 214 of them.
note: He was credited with 97 yards rushing in his first league scheduled game.
It makes for an interesting situation in Miami. Assuming Ricky gets reinstated from his one-year banishment next year, there might not be much leverage for a trade out of town. Instead, the Fins might have to keep him for another year, giving him a chance to prove what he can do in the NFL again, before trying to move him.
RICKY ISN'T RICKY ANYMORE
A strange thing has happened during running back Ricky Williams' one-season sojourn to Canada.
Suddenly, he sucks.
Well, he doesn't necessarily suck. But his numbers sure do.
On Saturday night, the former Heisman winner gained only six yards on nine carries for the Toronto Argonauts in a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Ricky's time north of the border was supposed to be nothing short of an exercise in dominance. It's the CFL, after all. The players are guys who can't make it in the NFL. Guys who are no match for an elite tailback.
Sure, there are still flashes of brilliance. In Saturday's loss, Ricky caught a swing pass, delivered a "vicious" stiff arm, and hurdled a defender.
But on the next play Williams was stuffed on a 3rd-and-1 rushing attempt, giving the Bombers the ball inside Argo territory. (Under CFL rules, a team gets three tries to gain ten yards, not four.)
Is it that Ricky has lost it, or is his offensive line to blame? "As good a back as he is, he's not Superman," teammate Dave Costa said, according to the Toronto Star. "If he has three [defenders] on his legs, he's not going to make yards, and that's on us."
We still think that a truly great back can find his way out of -- or through -- tight spots. Barry Sanders didn't have Hall of Famers blocking for him in Motown, but he still got his yards.
Through four games, Ricky has gained only 214 of them.
note: He was credited with 97 yards rushing in his first league scheduled game.
It makes for an interesting situation in Miami. Assuming Ricky gets reinstated from his one-year banishment next year, there might not be much leverage for a trade out of town. Instead, the Fins might have to keep him for another year, giving him a chance to prove what he can do in the NFL again, before trying to move him.