Could Ricky Williams Have Had a Hall Of Fame Career?

Ricky made some bad choices but they were human mistakes not personal attacks on fans or team. Wanny destroyed Ricky emotionally and physically. Carrying an entire team was too much for a person with Ricky's anxieties. He is one of the best and I'd love to see him get in the hall but as many have said it's about more than just talent. Ricky's emotional / mental weaknesses will likely keep him out of the hall.

I loved watching Ricky destroy our enemies and was saddened at his personal break down. I am glad he is still a Dolphin and hope he finds more of his potential before he retires.

 

Now that is funny!!! This aint about Ronnie Brown.

We are talking about being forever enshrined. Footballs imortallity. We are talking about a man that has 4 thousand yard seasons and 2 missing in action seasons. One spent in a tent.

COULD Ricky have been a HOF Rb? He sure could have which would make the thread starters answer to this thread YES but he sure the heck does not deserve ANY kind of consideration as it stands.

The only thing he deserves is praise for seemingly and finally turning things around to become a better person. It's way too late for the Rb side of things. I like having him on the team right now but lets get real here.

 

That was RW's fault more than Wanny's. RWs went to Wanny before the '03 season and asked to not be taken out on third downs. Every game he was asked about the workload (during the game) and every time he wanted to go back in. (There was one exception where he apparently tried to quit at halftime but JT and other players convinced him not to quit). The most anybody can say is that maybe Wanny should have protected RW from himself, but that hardly absolves RW from any responsibility for his own workload.

 

Yeah I understood, and there is an answer to that from me above but I just could not answer it right away because it's just not reality. Woulda Coulda Shoulda to me.

We all know he has/had the talent to be GREAT but the mental side of it would have probably always gotten in the way no matter how we try to pray it to be different.

 

Most of the players are in it for the money Some may love the game, but would never play it for free.

 

Woulda coulda sums it up perfectly. He made his bed and he lied in it. I have respect in him as a man, not as a dolphins fan no, but as a man. He chose to live his life the way he wanted to and I envy him to a degree, but I also know the negative things and irresponsibility he has displayed in his life. But to quote the late great Sinatra "I did it my way" is a song he can sing, not many of us can. We dont understand the things he has done, and we may never, but instead of living a lie or pretending to be someone he wasn't he chose to make his own path, and it led him back to Miami. And it has to be also considered how unstable our franchise has been the last several years, I am sure that to a point kept him away.

 

Yes but very few of them do it strictly for the pay day and are successful. You can always tell the ones who are pay day driven. Same with the NBA. And those players almost never succeed in their professions. They might have team success but they are seen for what they are.

 

One thing I really like about Ricky is that fact that he turned down millions of dollars to live his life. How many of us would do that? Not very many. This country is so focused on money and money and nothing else matters, but Ricky wanted to be happy instead of being rich, I respect him for that.

I hated the way he left in 2004, and he was wrong for doing that, but guess what, a lot of people have left thier jobs the same way, buy just quitting. The only difference in them and Ricky is that Ricky was a high profile guy.

 

Okay, how about Kurt Warner now? Do you think its about the game or money for him at this stage? 23mil for a man that is just as old as Brett Favre?

 

AND he got his job back. That sets him apart as well.

 

This deal with Kurt Warner (IMO) is nothing more than the money.

 

He just led the Cards to a SB. I dont think thats a good comparison. He deserves the money. And he's older and understands this will be his last big paycheck, on that I dont blame him. He made it very clear he only really wanted to resign with AZ. Favre is also a bad comparison, IMO. I think it was more about the records and the limelight for him. Didn't he turn down more money to come out of retirement to play? I dont remember the #s, and I hate him so I refuse to look anything about him up.

 

LOL,
If KW only wanted to play for the Cards, then why did he take a trip to the 49ers? As far as Farve, he could have walked away with 23 mil, but instead he wanted to play. BF got 12 mil last year from NY and since he retired, he loses the other 11 mil, so really BF lost money by coming back to play last year.

 

What if Dan would of won three superbowls?
What if we dont lose to Oakland in 1973 and go undefeated two seasons straight? What if Patriots beat the giants and go 19-0? What if Barry would of never retired? What is we sign Bress instead of Cpep?

Problem with that...its over and past.
No use crying over spilled milk.
Thats how i see it.

 

what a dumb thread... anyone could be a hall of famer if they did X Y or Z...

the fact is none of it happened... Yatil Green could have been a HOFer if he never got hurt... Kareem Abdul Jabar could have become the most productive RB in dolphins history if he wasn't traded, blah blah blah...

ricky could never have been a hall of famer because he doesn't have what it takes... if he did, he wouldn't be the same person/player he is now...

 

It's not a dumb thread. It's an interesting discussion about whether Ricky Williams had the ability to be a Hall of Famer if not for his personal demons. Not every player has it in them to be a Hall of Famer. Ricky was the all time rushing leader in college when he left school, was a top 5 pick and atleast in my eyes had hall of fame caliber physical ability.

 

you didnt say AD was injury prone? the fact that he missed 2 games his rookie year and 0 his 2nd year disproves that fact. and i never said you mentioned the 2002 line. but you did try to discredit AD by saying he was running behind one of the leagues best lines, while Rickys line ONE season was terrible. i was just pointing out, Ricky did have a very good line in 2002.

 

its more than talent to be a HOFer... included in what it takes is mental toughness, ability to stay healthy, plus more...

ricky might have had talent, but he has/had neither of those other things...

so just like Yatil green never displayed the talent to be a HOF... ricky never displayed the mental toughness, the ability to stay healthy to be a HOF...

so just like you saying those guys never showed what it took to be HOFers... neither did Ricky... therefore me making a thread saying, could Yatil Green have been in the HOF would be just as debatable as this thread...

 

once you hit the NFL the talent/natural ability of these guys are not THAT vast... its more than that that makes you a great NFL player...

i dont think anyone would say Emmitt Smith was the most TALENTED running back in the league in the way you people seem to consider it, speed, agility, etc... but he had everything, including the mental fortitude, including the amazing durability, including the team around him, lots of factors...

playing the what if game you could with anyone... thats the only reason i say its dumb...

 

talking about a player who had basically one great seasons and 2 average ones in the HOF i think is absurd... thats all...

i can think of many backs most people would call nothing special who have also had 1-3 good years of football who if mentioned in the same breath as the HOF would be a mockery...

Stephen Davis, Robert Smith, Ahman Green, etc...

yes Ricky had talent, but he had one season where he dominated, one! besides that hes been an average back his entire career for whatever reason... i just think playing the what-ifs with ricky is a sham... the man gets so overhyped by miami dolphins fans its ridiculous...

 

well what are you talking about in terms of Talent? are you talking about physical ability? how are you measuring it? in just production? your own personal opinion?

 

THe opposite? I'm sorry but his ability was certainly there, absolutley no question. Any back to put up numbers in two seasons like ricky did has the ability. How can you even question his "ability"?

Ricky had that, then he ended it because of his choices. He will not make the hall because of his choices throughout his career, not his ability. There was no quesiton about his ability to perform in the nfl at a all star level for more than one season.

Him being able and ability are two different things in my opinion. Ablity is him being able to be a top statistical running back at the NFL level, he did that for a few seasons. Him being able to is somethign completley different.

To the original thread question, directly quoted rafael, is "Could ricky williams have had a hall of fame career?" that is the direct heading to the thread. Yes he could have, his ability was there, he proved he could be the best RB in the nfl for a couple seasons, but his poor choices, not his ability is what led to his career being not HOF worthy.

 

Those 2 good seasons were with a average team and a below average O line. Making his numbers even more impressive.

 

why do you say the '02 line was below average? what are you basing that on?

and his '03 season i wouldn't really call anything special... he averaged 3.5 yards a carry, he just got the ball a million times...

his line in '02 was a pretty good line, wasn't the best line in the league, but in no way was it so horrible that he got all those holes himself... go back and watch highlights, look at the holes they were busting open for ricky...

 

and average team? the year before ricky got there we were 11-5... he came to an above average team...

 

I watched the games I don't need to see the highlights. I know I saw that line fold like lawn chairs often despite statitics on crucial plays. Highlights are just that, highlights. They show a very snall fraction of the whole.

 

i said watch the highlights because to me it seemed you didnt watch the games... if you think that line was below average, i dont know what you consider a good line...