If you were to ask the average fan what the five biggest stories of the NFL season were, he would answer in no specific order: Favre's improbable return and Super Bowl run, the Saints' and Colts' quest for perfection, Sanchez and Ryan leading the Jets to new heights, Chris Johnson eclipsing 2,000 yards and the Bengals' rise from doormat to playoff contender. Honorable mentions go to: fourth and two, Darrelle Revis and Steve Slaton murdering thousands of fantasy football teams on a week-to-week basis. But for some reason, running back Ricky Williams' return to the NFL, and his incredible weekly performance at age 32, seem to have fallen under the radar. Let's back track.
Ricky Williams attended the University of Texas, where he won the Heisman trophy his senior season after putting up phenomenal numbers against heralded rivals like Oklahoma and Nebraska and even better numbers against the Big 12's weaker opponents. Williams appeared to be such a "can't miss" prospect that he was selected fifth overall in the 1999 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. There he would be given the chance to be mentored by coaching legend Mike Ditka (who it should be mentioned traded away all of the Saints' 1999 draft picks along with the following year's first round pick to acquire Williams).
Ditka and Williams struggled, and the Saints did so poorly that by 2002 Ditka found himself out of the NFL, and Williams was suddenly in Miami playing for the Dolphins. This turned out to be the best career move possible for Williams, as that very season he led the NFL in rushing with 1,853 yards and 16 touchdowns and found himself in the Pro Bowl (even winning the Pro Bowl MVP). In 2003 he had another stellar season, but it would be his last before announcing his retirement in 2004 after several failed tests for marijuana. He returned to the league in 2005, shared carries with Ronnie Brown, and found the time off had taken its toll. After failing a fourth drug test, he was suspended for the entire 2006 season, so Williams signed with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. After doing poorly in the CFL, he began his third stint with the Dolphins, where he had been nothing but an afterthought (rushing for a combined 674 yards and four touchdowns in 2007 and 2008) before this 2009 season.
This year, Williams emerged as an elite running back again, running for 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns, both near the top in the league. Williams has handled himself with grace and dignity, enjoying the fame and reverence that being a top NFL running back brings you without violating the league's substance abuse policy. In running back years, 32 is approximately the equivalent of age 39 or 40 for a quarterback, so why has this extraordinary resurgence not drawn more attention?
Is it because Ricky Williams has always professed to be a loner, someone who enjoys his privacy, and the media is allowing him his space? Is it a racial issue? The parallels between him and Brett Favre are uncanny, both moving in and out of the league before coming back seemingly in the twilight of their careers, and having outstanding seasons (Favre led his team further, but the Dolphins were in playoff contention right up until Week 17). Favre certainly has more talent around him; Williams has Chad Henne while Favre had Sidney Rice and Adrian Peterson at his disposal. Maybe it's an issue of anti-drug policy - but Williams seemingly overcame the effects of marijuana usage and found the fountain of youth, enjoying one of his best seasons ever. Now that he is reportedly clean, he should be the poster child of someone who overcame addiction to marijuana and went on to do great things.
Whatever the reason may be, it seems very odd that the sports media has been so nonchalant about someone who failed so miserably in his stint in the CFL, was written off a hundred different times after numerous suspensions, but then suddenly shows he still can be a real force in a young man's game. Williams may not be receiving the love he deserves from the big news stations, but there are people out there who have watched his remarkable story in awe.
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