azdad1978
Championship!!!!
John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
Nov. 26, 2004 10:12 AM
Some time next month one of the best running backs in the National Football League will become available through trade.
And with Arizona so desperate for a franchise back to carry the load and churn out 100-yard games, it would be foolish to think that head coach Denny Green hasn’t contemplated the thought of Ricky Williams starring in his backfield.
Williams will serve a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and then be back in the NFL next season after the shortest retirement since Roger Clemens.
But if Green, who has drafted troubled players like Randy Moss and Demetrius Underwood before, can take a step back and see the progress he has made with his team this season than he will realize that under no circumstances can he bring Williams here.
That Williams is looking to get back in the league is no surprise. Why he is back is no surprise either. He is back for the money and only the money. When the Miami Dolphins sued Williams and an arbitrator ruled that the star back owed the team $8.6 million in bonus money due to penalty clauses in his contract you knew it was only a matter of time before he came back.
So much for traveling the world by backpack. Williams may have thought the people living in shacks in Jamaica were happy, but he certainly doesn’t want that to be his next home. So with the thought of having little money after paying off the Dolphins, Williams is putting retirement on hold so he can get paid.
But as good as Williams may be – he rushed for 1,372 yards last season – there is no way a young team like the Cardinals can take a chance on a player that is not committed to winning. Williams left his teammates high and dry right before training camp started.
He gave them no warning he was about to bail. No chance to draft or trade for a running back. He cared only about himself, not his teammates. There are few if any players in the league that have respect for him. And most know that he is back for the cash, not the ring.
A Cardinals locker room that is starting to develop some chemistry has no need for a cancer. And with a great running back draft ahead, there is no way Arizona should think about Williams in red for even a second.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cheapseats/gambo/1126rant.html
Special for azcentral.com
Nov. 26, 2004 10:12 AM
Some time next month one of the best running backs in the National Football League will become available through trade.
And with Arizona so desperate for a franchise back to carry the load and churn out 100-yard games, it would be foolish to think that head coach Denny Green hasn’t contemplated the thought of Ricky Williams starring in his backfield.
Williams will serve a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and then be back in the NFL next season after the shortest retirement since Roger Clemens.
But if Green, who has drafted troubled players like Randy Moss and Demetrius Underwood before, can take a step back and see the progress he has made with his team this season than he will realize that under no circumstances can he bring Williams here.
That Williams is looking to get back in the league is no surprise. Why he is back is no surprise either. He is back for the money and only the money. When the Miami Dolphins sued Williams and an arbitrator ruled that the star back owed the team $8.6 million in bonus money due to penalty clauses in his contract you knew it was only a matter of time before he came back.
So much for traveling the world by backpack. Williams may have thought the people living in shacks in Jamaica were happy, but he certainly doesn’t want that to be his next home. So with the thought of having little money after paying off the Dolphins, Williams is putting retirement on hold so he can get paid.
But as good as Williams may be – he rushed for 1,372 yards last season – there is no way a young team like the Cardinals can take a chance on a player that is not committed to winning. Williams left his teammates high and dry right before training camp started.
He gave them no warning he was about to bail. No chance to draft or trade for a running back. He cared only about himself, not his teammates. There are few if any players in the league that have respect for him. And most know that he is back for the cash, not the ring.
A Cardinals locker room that is starting to develop some chemistry has no need for a cancer. And with a great running back draft ahead, there is no way Arizona should think about Williams in red for even a second.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cheapseats/gambo/1126rant.html
