Ricky Williams Sheds Light in “Run, Ricky, Run”
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Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams showed us all that he can still shed tacklers, but in tonight’s latest edition of ESPN’s 30-for-30 series, Ricky will shed some light inside the mind of one of the NFL’s most intriguing stories.
Ricky Williams is somewhat of an enigma in the NFL–not your average, run-of-the-mill running back. In ESPN’s newest documentary we’ll get a closer glimpse inside the life and mind of the Dolphins running back and delve into the murky depths that is Ricky Williams–avid humanitarian, vegetarian, yoga instructor, and NFL rushing leader.
The 32-year-old Williams says that he’ll probably retire after the 2010 season, but not without telling us his story–a tumultuous story that led him to Japan, Australia and back again. In the film, writer/director Sean Pamphilon goes behind the scenes following the running back throughout his nomadic journey after leaving the NFL six years ago. The result: a wiser, mature, and changed man.
I’ve read that it’s dark. I’ve also read that gives some insight into Ricky’s battle with substance abuse, social anxiety, and acceptance dating all the way back to his childhood.
Drama. Suspense. Munchies. What more can you ask for?
The documentary is titled “Run, Ricky, Run” and it premieres tonight on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. EDT. I know I’m gonna check it out. Stay tuned for a review.
CP-10: A Real Class Act
Not only does Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington school the young Chad Henne on the do’s and don’ts of an NFL quarterback, he also teaches him a little something you can’t learn in school: class. In this week’s edition of “What Legends Are Made Of”, we recognize one of my favorite, albeit short-lived, Miami Dolphins: Chad Pennington.
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Yes, I won’t lie to you. I spend the majority of my better years despising my beloved CP-10. Most Sundays, I cursed his name more than I’d care to admit. And why shouldn’t I? He was the enemy–the perennial leader of the hated New York Jets.
Regardless of all that, it’s undeniable that I’ve always respected the man (just as I’ll always respect Jason Taylor).
And for the same reasons I once cursed his blessed name, I now use the words Chad Pennington with the most pleasant of connotations–the most delicate diction–that not even the faintest traces of contempt are uttered from my lips. So much that even the great Sir Walter Scott would be envious of my poetic repertoire.
I mean, what’s not to love about CP-10?
-He’s classy and sophisticated, like an aged bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon or anchorman Ron Burgundy. Everything he does, he does with dignity and class. He’s smart. Chad never hesitates to teach young players, which is exactly why he’ll be a great college coach when he retires. Not at a big school (that’s too much recognition), but at a smaller, more personable Division II school where he’ll get the opportunity to show young kids how to be respectable adults, and he’ll also get to spend more time with his beloved family (wife Robin and sons Cole, Luke, and Gage).
-He’s humble and gracious, the kind of guy who hands the game ball off to an offensive lineman who scored the winning block, not the winning touchdown. He’s witty, charismatic, and mild-tempered, a true gentleman. With his soft-spoken southern drawl, Chad’s the first to take the blame and the last to take the recognition–the way it should be. He’s a real man’s man, a blue-collared scrapper who shows up to work early doesn’t leave til sundown. He’s even the type of guy who takes a backseat to the future progression of Chad Henne or even take a pay-cut just, all for the good of the team. Sorry ladies, he’s taken.
-He’s an unselfish teammate, a relentless leader. Who wouldn’t want Chad on their side? He’s hard-working, insatiably studious, and driven by the unwavering desire to be great. It’s been said that Pennington once carried his playbook with him on his honeymoon. Personally, I’d go with the Karma Sutra, but to each his own, I say. No, he’s not the most talented, but he’s the guy you can trust in the huddle–the guy who’ll look you directly in the eyes and you know he means business. When it’s fourth-and-goal, I want the ball in Chad’s hands. The Jets learned that the hard way when CP-10 came back to the Meadowlands for a little FINDICATION of his own.
He’s accurate. In 2008 he threw for 3,653 yards, 19 TDs, and only 7 INTs with a completion percentage of 67.4. He’s been criticized for his arm strength, which is fair, but in the end, don’t you want somebody who’s reliable? Somebody you can count on? At a precise 66.1 percentage completion percentage Chad Pennington is the most accurate passer among active quarterbacks. You can take that to the bank. The Dolphins counted on Chad Pennington’s accuracy to lead them from a treacherous 1-15 record to the greatest turnaround in NFL history and their first playoff appearance in five years. I’m counting on Chad Pennington’s accuracy in the upcoming 2010 Battleship Tournament. I call dibs.
-He’s tough, a man Bob Seger would be proud of. He’s courageous, a truly fearless competitor. The kind of quarterback who dives head first for a first down when you need it the most. The kind of guy who’s got blood running down from his grass-entwined face mask. He doesn’t just play for pride; he plays to win. After multiple shoulder injuries, the Jets sent Pennington to the curb with little more than a 10-dollar-bill to pay the cab driver. But when he was left out all alone in the coldness of NY, leave it to the Tuna, the man that drafted CP-10, to bring him down to sunny South Florida where quarterbacks in the post-Dan Marino era traditionally go to die. But Chad found a home here and we loved him, after all, and he loved the opportunity to prove that he could still lead. And lead he did en route to his second Comeback Player of the Year award, second only to Peyton Manning for the league’s MVP.
-To put it plainly: Chad Pennington is “What Legends Are Made Of.”
4. Chad Pennington
Analysis: Dolphins Finish 10-6, Grab Wildcard
I looked at the Fins’ 2010 schedule over and over, and here is my official prediction: 10-6, with a legitimate chance at a Wildcard birth (which I think they’ll get). A season like that will certainly bring a little love back to the sunny skies of Miami, just ask Ronnie Brown and Chad Henne.
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Below is a quick analysis of the Miami Dolphins 2010 schedule, officially their 45th season as a football franchise and 42nd season as a member of the NFL.
AFC East games. All the talk used to be about the Dolphins inability to finish a season; but lately it’s been their slow start off the blocks that’s hurt ‘em. The ‘Fins can’t afford to get off to a lethargic start like they’ve done the last two seasons under Tony Sparano, especially with three divisional games in the first quarter of their schedule.
Miami kicks things off with the Buffalo Bills on the road, two years in a row the ‘Fins have gone road trippin’ to start the season. Then it’s back to South Florida in Week 3 to take on the newly resurgent New York Jets on Sunday night football followed by the Patriots on Monday Night Football in Week 4. Nothing like a little divisional prime-time action to stir up some heat down in Miami.
-Prediction: 4-2, second place in the AFC East. I think the ‘Fins bring out the brooms on the Buffalo Bills this season, the first of which takes place at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Week 1. Luckily, the second round, which comes around in mid-December, will be played in sunny South Florida. The Patriots will be competitive, but not as dominant as they’ve been in years past. No way the Pats win in Week 4 with all the hype surrounding a sellout crowd at the first-ever Monday Night Football game at Sun Life Stadium. FINDICATION! On the other hand, the Dolphins will have some trouble of their own traveling to icy New England in Week 17; I’m predicting a series split, each team winning at home.
Unfortunately the same goes for the New York Jets, who’ve been relatively busy in the off-season acquiring LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, and *cough* Jason Taylor. No doubt Taylor’s return home will stir up more bad blood in this AFC East rivalry; I still love you Jason, but not on September 26 and December 12. It’s gonna be a three-way race for the AFC East crown (Pats, Fins, and Jets) but I still think two of these teams make the playoffs: Jets and Dolphins.
Conference Games: Aside from divisional games, the Dolphins were a meager 1-5 against their conference schedule. Yeah, it was downright painful at times. The bad news is that it doesn’t get any easier from here. Miami plays the hard-nosed AFC North (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland) whose known for two things: defense and more defense.
The good news is that since the Dolphins finished third-place in their division last season, they get to feast on the Oakland Raiders in Week 12. According to Wikipedia, Raiders’ owner Al Davis will be celebrating his 381st birthday this summer.
-Prediction: 4-2. If Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension holds up, Miami may get the benefit of playing a Big Ben-less Pittsburgh Steelers @ home in Week 7, in which case I think it will be a totally different story than last season’s finale (if Pat White isn’t taking the snaps, of course). Then the Dolphins hit a rough patch in their schedule where they’ll have to travel to Cincinnati and then Baltimore in Weeks 8 & 9, both of which may be played in potentially cold weather. The Fins stand a good shot at beating Cinci on the road, I’ll say 50-50, but I think the Ravens’ fierce defense and unstoppable Ray Rice will exploit every single weakness this team may have.
Then it’s another tough match against the Tennessee Titans, this time on our home turf where Miami will put a stop to Chris Johnson and make Vince Young throw more picks than a lottery card. More FINDICATION! Finally comes the easy portion of the Dolphins’ schedule where they get the Oakland Raiders in Week 12 and the Cleveland Browns on my birthday (December 5)–both wins.
NFC North Games: The NFC North is a top-heavy division, but aside from the Lions, are hard to beat on the road. Luckily for Miami, we’re playing the Bears @ home, Green Bay in mid-October, which eliminates some of the brutal disadvantages, and the Vikings and Lions play indoors.
The last time the Dolphins faced the NFC North in regular season play was back in 2006 when they went 3-1 (their only loss to Green Bay in Week 7, 24-34). Coincidentally, that was the year two former NFC North quarterbacks started for Miami: Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington.
Prediction: 2-2. The first two games against the NFC North may be the hardest games on the Dolphins schedule. The first is @ Minnesota who, if you include Brett Favre, have more weapons than a Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Adrian Peterson and Visanthe Shiancoe are going to have a field day against a Dolphin defense who, let’s face it, are notorious for giving up huge chunks of yardage. Things won’t get any better @ Green Bay in Week 6 when Aaron Rodgers showed us why he’ll be making another trip to the Pro Bowl, this time to Honolulu, and a stingy Packers’ defense who love turnovers even more than the late Dom DeLuise. Both of these games will be shoot-outs with Miami ending up on the wrong side.
Things lighten up from there as the Miami Ground Machine tears up the Chicago Bears at home in Week 12′s Thursday Night Football, a win that almost guarantees some sort of fight in my hometown of Normal, IL. Then it’s home, sweet, home against the Detroit Lions in week 16 as Miami prepares for it’s second playoff birth in three years.
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John Jerry: “I Had Hemorrhoids”
Talk about being the butt of a joke. I came across this absolute gem of a quote when I was reading up on Mississippi offensive lineman John Jerry whom the Dolphins selected as the 73rd overall pick in the draft despite reports that he may have lingering shoulder problems:
“I didn’t have any shoulder problems, I was fine. I had hemorrhoids, that’s the only thing.”
Well, at least Jerry won’t be playing center for Miami.
He is, however, expected to compete for the starting position at guard along with Nate Garner and the recently acquired Richie Incognito. The future of former-starter Justin Smiley still remains to be seen.
As for Jerry, he started 46-of-49 games at Ole Miss lining up at both right tackle and right guard, so, it’s good to see the All-SEC lineman is comfortable playing almost anywhere–much more comfortable, I’m sure, than dealing with any medical condition involving hemorrhoids.
Dolphins Trade up to get Reshad Jones
As the 2010 NFL Draft comes to a halt, the Miami Dolphins offseaon checklist looks like this:
-Defensive End? Check.
-Outside Linebacker? Check.
-Inside Linebacker? Check.
-Nose Tackle? Well, if you include the fact that Randy Starks was officially announced the starting nose tackle, Check.
-Offensive Guard? Check.
-And most importantly, Safety? Double Check.
Looking pretty good for the Fins.
The Dolphins traded up with the Washington Redskins in order to acquire Georgia Bulldog safety Reshad Jones in the fifth round this afternoon, a player Miami’s been wooing all offseason.
Dolphins acquire safety Reshad Jones in the fifth round from the Washington Redskins.
Jones measures in at 6’1, 214 and ran a 4.56 forty at the NFL Combine. As far as ups go, he’s got a 39.5″ vertical and recorded 11 interceptions in three seasons at Georgia before leaving for the draft.
It was the best move we could have made at the top considering most of the other big-name safeties were off the market.
If Jones is the next step towards eliminating a huge hole in the Dolphin defense, then I trust Tuna and company with this pick and I hope this kid can deliver. For a defense that struggled against the pass all of last year, any step is a step in the right direction. If Jones can’t deliver, well it’s going to be another long season for the Dolphin secondary.
