Could Ricky Williams Have Had a Hall Of Fame Career?
70 replies
SceetoForum VeteranOPHe is playing again for the Dolphins, but has not even come close to the numbers he put up in 2002 and 2003.
Man...Those two seasons with Ricky were some of the best times of watching a great RB for me. That's my favorite style of a RB. He was fast, powerful. He had moves to juke people, but would also love to drop his shoulder and run people over, like the Czonk! Those are my two favorite running backs of all-time. Ricky, mainly because of those two seasons. It's a shame that we didn't get to see more of that. :)
Fin-OmenalNew MemberSure...if he had his priorities straight and was focused on football he could have been one of the best ever.
phinfanukNew MemberI think if he'd have ended up on a decent team from the start his chances would have greatly improved.
Phinfanuk
124New MemberYes. He was killer for Miami those two years. The Jets only beat Miami once out of the four games when he was there as the best RB in the league not named Tomlinson. Seeing as how the Jets have won 17 of the last 22 meetings, thats a pretty big number (3 of 4) that Ricky was bascially the lone reason for. I remember being in FL on vacation the day he just suddenly retired and running outside cheering in my Jet jersey. :lol:
calphinNew MemberYes, had his heart been in the game rather than getting high.
Thanks Gish
SCall13New MemberAbsolutely no doubt about it.
"Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision." - Muhammad Ali
Nappy RootsForum Veteran"gi§h® wrote:
could he? i'm pretty sure he's already a lock.
?
we are thinking 2 different Ricky Williams here? theres 0 chance ricky makes the HOF.
also, he was the best RB in the league for a couple seasons. i think yes, i think he would have had one.
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Rhody Phins FanForum VeteranHe could have if not for injuries and Wannstedt running him into the ground in 2002. He clearly wasn't the same running back in 2003 despite his 1300 yards rushing.
GISHForum Veteran"nappy roots wrote:
?
we are thinking 2 different Ricky Williams here? theres 0 chance ricky makes the HOF.
also, he was the best RB in the league for a couple seasons. i think yes, i think he would have had one.
maybe this will change ur mind......
YouTube - Miami Dolphins Wildcat: Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams
Nappy RootsForum Veteranlol seriously?
maybe your confused about what the Hall of Fame is and who gets in there. 650 yards and the wildcat does not
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BruzerNew Member"gi§h® wrote:
could he? i'm pretty sure he's already a lock.
:pity: Sorry but he could of been a hall of famer, he blew it though.
Jimmy JamesNew Member"Fin-Omenal wrote:
Sure...if he had his priorities straight and was focused on football he could have been one of the best ever.
If you measure that by the rushing record, it's unlikely he would have hit it. He just got too late a start out of college and into the pros for that to happen for him. Smith had a one year jump on his comparatively, and that one year is big.
I'd take Adrian Peterson right now over Ricky in 2003.
IMO Dave Wannstadt just ground Ricky into the dust, both physically and emotionally.
With a coaching staff with a more open and imaginative offense Ricky could have been one of the greatest ever. Larry Csonka had Morris and Kiick help shoulder the load and Griese throwing downfield to Warfield stopping the opposing D sticking 9 men in the box.
Nappy RootsForum Veteran"Aqua4Ever04 wrote:
That's a very tough call. Ricky didn't have a great offensive line in 2003 and Adrian is playing behind one of the league's best. I think AP circa '09 might have a better high end gear of speed but I think Ricky circa '03 has more of a smash mouth style.
And Adrian is prone to injury. Ricky carried the ball 400 times per year and only got hurt for us one or two times that I can recall.
not really good arguements. Adrian has missed 2 games his first 2 seasons in the NFL. Ricky missed 10 games his first 2 seasons with injuries. and ricky had a very good run blocking line in 2002. ADs line was certainly not the best last year.
btw, ricky being the best back of all time is kinda ridiculous IMO. he could of been a great one. but even if he continued his career with Miami with great success, i find it hard to believe he would of put up the kind of production necessary to be in the Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Walter Payton league. i mean, he would of had to put up monster numbers for 5 or 6 more years to even been considered, which isnt likely at the number of carries he would of continued to get.
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XeticusForum VeteranWannstache is one of the biggest reasons that Ricky retired. He was complaining about the number of times that he was being used.
Big ENew Member"Xeticus wrote:
Wannstache is one of the biggest reasons that Ricky retired. He was complaining about the number of times that he was being used.
I dont know how much really he had to do with it honestly. He doesn't like being in the spotlight, he doesn't like being the star player, I think this time around has worked out so well for him because he's not even the premere back anymore.
GARDENHEADSupporterNo.
Ricky's production in 2002 and 2003 was a paradox. He was so successful because his carry total was ultimately unsustainable. He carried the ball 383 and 392 times in 2002 and 2003. No back other than Eric Dickerson has been able to have that many rushes and still be successful.
Read this, its very interesting: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2004/ricky-williams-retires
Bottom line: if Ricky hadn't retired, it is most likely that he woulda fallen off a cliff in 2004. That means no HOF for Ricky anyway.
Tanking is like taking a Greyhound bus cross-country. Sure, it may eventually get you where you want to go, but it’s messy and unpleasant and uncomfortable, it stinks, the entire time you’ll be wishing you weren’t there, and not everybody along for the ride is going to make it to the end. - Quote stolen from Deadspin
GreenMonsterNew Member1st 5 years in the league:
Ricky Williams: 70 games, 1589 carries for 6354 yards
Emmitt Smith: 77 games, 1630 carries for 7183 yards
Rhody Phins FanForum Veteran"GreenMonster wrote:
1st 5 years in the league:
Ricky Williams: 70 games, 1589 carries for 6354 yards
Emmitt Smith: 77 games, 1630 carries for 7183 yards
Next 4 years after that:
Ricky: 334 carries for 1417 yards
Emmit: 1284 carries for 5383 yards
The Aqua CrushNew MemberNo chance ricky makes the HOF. There's a lot of speculation if he could have if he had a good career, the fact is, and what they vote on is ... he didn't. Yes he had 2 good years. But that doesn't get you in the hall, and it certainly doesn't even make you remotley comparable to the backs that are in the hall.
Having talent and production for 2 years doesnt' get you in. Fact is we all know how talented he was. He showed it in Texas and really showed it in the NFL for the first few seasons.
But you can't convince me he will even have a remote chance of making it based on how his career actually went. SUbstance abuse, fined money and games, early retirement.
He'll never get in, but he's the only one to blame for that, because early on, he had a really good chance to contribute to the nfl both on and off the field, in a manner that would have made him a first ballot HOF'er.
And i really like Ricky and respect what he has done after his initiall mistake and overcome over his whole career. I just will never believe the voters for the hall would see how he overcame his off field issues.
rafaelForum VeteranRW had the physical ability to have a HOF career but frankly so do many players. There are probably a couple of dozen backs, not in the HOF, who were HOF good for a few years. However, other than Gayle Sayers, sustainability is what makes what makes a back HOF worthy.
And I don't think it's Wannstedt's or anybody else's fault other than RW.
