A Final Balance

Monday, July 26, 2004
Damon Fairchild
MDBW Staff Writer

For those of you experiencing any stomach pain, dizziness, fever, difficulty breathing, severe headache, numbing of the extremities, or temporary insanity, don't take any medication. And if you have been popping pills for any of these symptoms in the past, just stop. You may just find the same happiness Ricky Williams found when he quit taking his medication. Without it, his life has finally arrived at a balance, albeit a balance similar to that of a teeter totter that sinks and rises with each puff of smoke that slowly rings from his lips.

While the rest of the sports world is discussing why Ricky retired or when and if he will come back, we are going to take a few moments to contemplate what has changed in Miami since he arrived 2 years ago. The 2001 season ended in usual fashion for the post Shula Dolphins. A humiliating home defeat to the Baltimore Ravens that was highlighted by 46 net yards rushing and a lame duck passing game. The solution was clear. At least to Dave Wannstedt it was. Jay Fiedler was his boy, so he couldn't have been the problem. Enter Ricky Williams. An outcast in New Orleans, he wouldn't come cheap, but he would come, so we took the bait and thought South Florida could heal a lifetime of wounds and make Ricky the NFL back he was expected to be while carrying the Dolphins to the Promised Land. Well, year 1 put Ricky in the forefront and he got a rushing title. Year 2 the Dolphins ran Ricky and he fell just 18 carries short of the single season record for carries. It was clear that the Dolphins ran around Ricky as he attempted to run around defenses with games of 30-40 carries becoming the norm. Unfortunately missing the playoffs also became a norm. People asked how can a team with the league's leading rusher and sack man not make the playoffs? The answer is as simple as the chemicals in Ricky's head.

Imbalance. Before Ricky Williams came to Miami, although the appearances weren't great, they did reach the playoffs six straight years, a league best. So, would you rather have a "premiere" running back and not make the playoffs, or is your preference to get into the playoffs and at least have a "chance" in hell. I prefer the later, and while I do not wish to diminish Ricky's ability, it was just that that doomed the Dolphins last 2 seasons. Ricky was too good. Too ready and willing to carry the load. So much that the coaching staff depended entirely too much on him and opposing defenses knew it. During the regular season we all complained about the predictability of the Dolphins offense, not realizing that Ricky's all world talent was the root of that evil.

Dave Wannstedt has always depended on his running backs. In 2000 with Lamar Smith carrying much of the load, the Dolphin backfield amassed nearly 500 (496) carries, while the leading receiver (Oronde Gadsden, one of this writer's favorites) had only 56 receptions. Yes, when comparing the number of rushes to passes in each of the seasons Dave Wannstedt has been head coach, you will find that he has had fairly balanced numbers, but that is not truly indicative of balance. Most of those rushes came on first downs, and most of the passes came on third downs. That leaves a 50/50 chance on only one play of each series except in Dave's free spirited moments of unpredictability. The entire world knows this and it has hurt the Dolphins for quite some time now.

So now Ricky is gone. Our first down first choice is somewhere in Asia comparing and contrasting the effects of opium to those of marijuana, rather than comparing and contrasting blocking schemes or screen passes. Good. Yes, good. Finally, for once in his career, Dave doesn't have a back he thinks he can run 30-40 times a game. No Ricky Williams, no Lamar Smith, No Rashan Salaam. What will he do? We can only hope he will do what he clearly has to. Mix it up with Travis Minor, Chris Chambers, David Boston, and Randy McMicheal (if he stays out of jail). Travis has been waiting in the wings and while he has never started a game in the NFL and his carries have been limited, he has never averaged less that 4.1 yards per carry and hasn't had a fumble since Ricky (who has had 9) got here.

The Dolphins’ only real chance this year is to pass more on first down and third and short. Expect to see them utilize Travis Minor's receiving skills to their advantage. More screen passes and dumps out into the flats. He could catch 50 balls just like Ricky did last season, but might turn those catches into 500 yards receiving rather than Ricky's 300. Clearly Ricky was a better runner, but there is a reason Travis was the third down back 2 years ago. In Dave's attempt to use Ricky to his death, he forced him into catching more balls last year than he was ever used to and once again gave defenses only one major person to key on. Ricky.

Who led the Eagles in receiving last year? The Patriots or Panthers? You probably don't know and there is a good reason. It's time to spread it around. Time to be unpredictable. Time to achieve a final balance. Ricky has and so will we.