Dolphins should let Ricky have one last run

For much of yesterday, I was torn on what the Miami Dolphins should do with the arguably the biggest enigma in the sporting world. That would be Ricky Williams, who was reinstated by the NFL yesterday after an 18-month suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy for the umteenth time. At first I thought of all the times Ricky has burned the Dolphins and their loyal fans, such as myself, the past three years and thought "the hell with him." After listening to Jason Taylor talk yesterday, it seems like he shares my initial reaction. However, the more I thought about it, the more I think the Dolphins would be foolish for not bringing back Williams.

There are a number of reasons to bring him back and let him play the final six games of the season, and there is only one legitmate rebuttal. The only "yea but" that comes to mind would be that he'll burn the franchise once again. This can't happen. Well it could, but it is very unlikely. When Ricky is actually playing football for a team, he has displayed that he cares very much about the game and is a very hard worker. It is incredibly unlikely that after just being reinstated, and with it likely being made very clear to him that this is his last chance in the NFL, he would go roll a joint and smoke it. If that actually were the case, he would still likely get through the season before it was discovered that he failed a test. Keep in mind that his last failed test was in Dec. 2005, and it wasn't discovered until five months later. The Dolphins season will be over in seven weeks, so he'll finish the season one way or the other. When you look at it, the only way he could burn the team would be to fail another test, which would effectively end his NFL career, meaning the team wouldn't receive that sixth round pick they're likely to receive when they attempt to trade him this winter. Ouch!

On to the reasons why Cam Cameron and GM Randy Mueller; who drafted Williams in '99 then traded him to Miami in '02. First and foremost, the likelyhood of him playing out the season and playing well is good. Despite their winless record, the Dolphins have one of the best rushing offenses in the NFL, and one of the league's most underrated offensive lines. If he were to come in and play well over the final six games, it would bring Miami another draft pick. Cameron and Mueller talk until they're blue in the face about the importance of building through the draft, and while it will be a late second-day pick, something is better then nothing which is what they would get if they just cut him.

That brings me to my next point. If they just release him, any team can take him. There are some very good teams that would almost certainly take a flier on Ricky; i.e. New England and Green Bay, who is desperate for a running back. Williams could make the Dolphins look very foolish for just releasing him and letting a 9-0 or an 8-1 team get him for the veteran's minimum.

This will sound funny, but at this point in the season, the team needs Ricky. They have already lost Ronnie Brown and have journeyman Jessie Chatman starting in his place. Behind Chatman is another journeyman (Patrick Cobbs) and 3rd round pick Lorenzo Booker, who got injured on his first play of the season last week against Buffalo. So go ahead and release Ricky, but what happens if Chatman goes down? The Dolphins almost certainly would be rummaging through the waiver wire to bring in to start instead of turning to Cobbs or Booker. In that instance, the team would really be slapping themselves over releasing Williams.

The team needs something.. anything, to keep the fans coming to the games for the final month and a half of this miserable season and what better figure then Ricky Williams? Warranted or not, Williams brings a media circus, meaning an 0-9 team would be getting much more publicity then they deserve. Williams would would instantly become the Dolphins best player on offense and the fans would fall back on the love side of their love/hate relationship with him. You can bet that Dolphins Stadium will be significantly more packed for their final three home games, regardless of their record, if Williams is on board and getting carries. I, for one, would be much more intrigued.

And finally, get this Miami: HE MIGHT ACTUALLY HELP YOU WIN A GAME!!! I know winning has become a foreign concept for this once proud franchise, but getting on this season is a possibility. In fact, five of their nine losses have been by three points or less. Who knows, maybe Ricky will make that key reception, or bust that game clinching ten-yard run that will prevent the offense from punting and causing the inevitable (a last second loss). Once again, he will instantly become the offense's most polished and accomplished player.

I probably could've saved you and me both a lot of time by saying only this: you're 0-9... what do you have to lose?!

Until next time,
DTM