Ricky Williams Fantasy News

Ricky Williams informs Ravens he is retiring
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 6:26pm

Ricky Williams has informed Ravens officials he's retiring.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 7:03pm

Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano confirmed that he plans to continue giving running back Reggie Bush at least 20 carries each game.

As evidenced by Albert Haynesworth's one-armed tackle Monday night, Bush simply doesn't have the power to succeed between the tackles or at the goal-line. And the team appears to have given up on rookie Daniel Thomas already. They re-signed ancient Larry Johnson and worked out ancient Brian Westbrook, although they have not signed Westbrook to a contract.

The biggest evidence of Miami's inept passing game was a fourth and goal at the half-yard line after Chad Henne and Davone Bess had gotten the team within inches of scoring. Instead of seeing Reggie Bush, Daniel Thomas, or Larry Johnson trying to power over the goal-line, Henne threw an incomplete pass and the ball reverted to New England on downs.

As long as Bush remains the feature back, look for Miami to become a passing team with Chad Henne, who did not look bad on Monday night and has some weapons at his disposal. Bush is most effective in the passing game. Still, can anyone argue this team is better WITHOUT Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams?

Sunday, September 4, 2011, 12:51pm

Veteran running back Ricky Williams has found a home with the Baltimore Ravens. The coaches there love him because he’s been very professional and quiet. He’s been the first player out at practice every day, and he came to work in fantastic shape.

What’s more - his pass protection has been outstanding. Williams looks like an ideal role player who can get five to 10 carries a game, including some short yardage work. Eventually, though, he could be pushed by promising rookie Anthony Allen.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 5:18pm

Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron said that the plan for now is to allow Ray Rice to keep running until he gets tired. When that happens, he’s supposed to let Cameron know and Ricky Williams will enter the game.

“We will leave a lot of it up to Ray Rice and we will be smart too because we want Ray full speed at the end of games,” Cameron said.

Ray Rice will play "major role" in goal-line situations
Thursday, August 11, 2011, 7:42pm

Ravens OC Cam Cameron: "Ray Rice will play a major role in short-yardage and goal-line [situations] this year. We were just fortunate to have a guy like [former RB] Willis [McGahee], but this year Ray Rice will be in short-yardage and goal-line [situations] as well. He is outstanding. We just happened to have a couple of them in the last few years. You’ll see him in there as well.”

Ravens sign RB Ricky Williams
Monday, August 8, 2011, 5:36pm

With Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain gone, the Ravens needed a veteran presence at tailback.

They’ve gotten it with the addition of Ricky Williams.

Per a league source, Williams signed a two-year deal. It’s worth up to $4 million.

D. Thomas expected to be lead back for Dolphins
Friday, July 29, 2011, 6:41pm

Beat writer Armando Salguero speculates about the workload for both Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush: "The plan is to make 6-1 and 228-pound rookie Daniel Thomas the workhorse. If he averages 18 carries a game that should be perfect. That would leave maybe an average of 10 carries a game for Bush. You have about 288 carries for Thomas and maybe 160 for Bush. That's a whopping 448 rushes for the season going to those two."

Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 6:54pm

Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are preparing to move on; Daniel Thomas impresses teammates.

The Dolphins haven’t ruled out Ronnie Brown as a backup plan, but he said Saturday “as much as I would like” to stay, “I’ve been hearing it’s unlikely I’ll sign with Miami.”

And Ricky Williams announced in a YouTube yoga video: “I’m preparing to go to a new team and finish my career.”

Early reviews from workouts with rookie running back Daniel Thomas: “Pretty impressed actually,” receiver Brian Hartline said. “The dude runs well and has pretty good hands.” Said receiver Davone Bess: “What I was most impressed with is how he caught the ball.”

Friday, April 15, 2011, 7:06pm

Dolphins free-agent running back Ricky Williams said on WQAM's The Sid Rosenberg Show on Thursday that things changed last year and with a new offensive coordinator the team might not want to bring back Ronnie Brown or himself. He also said if the Dolphins make him a fair offer it would be hard for him to leave Miami.

"I think there is always situations and I think Ronnie and I have had some success doing what we been doing here the past couple years, but I think things changed last year," Williams said. "I think we are not the same offense we were two two years ago. I think new offensive coordinator. I think they might want to go in different direction. If Dolphins really want me t o stay and make a fair offer, it would be hard for me to turn down, but I don't know if that is going to happen."

Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 11:46pm

According to Dolphins coach Tony Sparano there are no plans to abandon the team’s ground-and-pound approach, especially once the offensive line gets fixed. Sparano said the Dolphins, which averaged 3.7 yards per carry, will remain a run-first offense.

“We’re going to continue to run the football because that’s my nature. It might not be popular with everybody, but that’s what I like to do. There are some teams in this league that got very far being able to do it,” Sparano said at the NFL’s owners meetings.

Anytime a question about Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams, the team’s two free agent tailbacks, was asked Sparano sidestepped the question. However, he didn’t rule out the possibility that one would return.

Monday, January 3, 2011, 3:25pm

After six seasons, Ronnie Brown acknowledged he could have played his final game with the Dolphins. The running back will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Brown and Ricky Williams, also a free agent, could be of interest to the Patriots, who are expected to have Fred Taylor retire in the offseason.

Sunday, December 26, 2010, 3:39pm

The Lions are planning to see a full dose of the wildcat formation this week because of Miami QB Chad Henne’s horrible play of late. Miami runs it better than everybody else, and they do change formations from week to week. Of course, Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham has threatened to come after Dolphins RB Ricky Williams if he throws an illegal low block on any of his defenders. The key to the wildcat is not to overreact.

Miami looks to get running game going
Monday, November 22, 2010, 6:25pm

Never in his six-year career had Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown played in an NFL game when he ran the ball only three times.

Before two weeks ago, Ricky Williams could also have said the same about his 10-year career.

Yet during Miami's loss to the Bears on Thursday, that's exactly what happened to both of them. Brown and Williams each contributed three runs for 11 combined yards.

"In the last two games, our runners have 33 carries for 90 yards,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. "That isn't good enough.''

Far from it. During a season when the running game's production has been less than anticipated, this downward trend reached a new and extreme low. Adding to the unfathomable number of carries Thursday, the Dolphins were also down to a third-string quarterback who lost his star wide receiver to a hamstring injury before halftime. If ever it seemed the load would be on the shoulders of the backs, this was it.

Monday, September 27, 2010, 4:09pm

Ricky Williams has to keep two hands on the ball, Sparano says. Concern? "Yes, it concerns me."

Ronnie Brown Gets Back in Touch with the Wildcat
Saturday, September 11, 2010, 7:06pm

Ronnie Brown is back, his broken right foot fully healed, his spirit renewed as the Miami Dolphins prepare to open their season at Buffalo Sunday afternoon.

The NFL's original and still foremost Wildcat operator is ready to reclaim the steering wheel.

"I feel like there's some room for improvement in every aspect of my game, and obviously the Wildcat is part of that," says Brown, the Dolphins' star running back.

"Just handling the ball a little bit better, seeing things, recognizing the defenses, the things that they're doing, how they're switching things up on us. As far as recognition, there's a lot I can improve in that area."

The site of Brown's return is fitting, since it was on the Dolphins' last visit to Ralph Wilson Stadium that the Wildcat misfired to the point it was essentially shelved for the rest of the 2009 season.

When Ricky Williams, taking direct snaps in Brown's injury absence, threw an end-zone interception to kill the Dolphins' game-opening drive in what became a 31-14 loss, it set off alarms within the risk-averse minds of coach Tony Sparano and his offensive assistants.

There would be just six more direct snaps to Williams the rest of the season. Those snaps would total just 13 yards of offense, and in four of their final five games the Dolphins eschewed the Wildcat entirely.

With the offseason addition of superstar wide receiver Brandon Marshall, some wondered if the Wildcat would be caged for good, but the preseason seemed to provide the opposite answer.

Fans – and the rest of the NFL universe -- saw at least one Wildcat play in each of the Dolphins' final three preseason games, a stark contrast from the first two years of its existence, when it was broken out only briefly in the second game of the 2009 preseason and not at all in 2008, Sparano's first year.