I thought Ricky Williams would regress somewhat even with the greater load. Because I thought Ronnie Brown being the clear focal point of the offense opened him up for some big plays, and once he was the clear target for the defense, he’d get slowed down. But… that’s an amazing looking 32 year old running back.
And who knows where I’d be if I paid attention and actually new what I was doing. I’m one lucky SOB at this point. Of course, not paying much attention might be my “edge”.
Especially after having to “reinvent” himself back from Mr Ganja into a football player again.
That wasn’t so hard - he just had to shed the dreads.
I was wondering in the shower what Ricky Williams could have been if he hadn’t smoked the earlier part of his career away. Provided he’d stayed healthy, I think he could have been one of the best backs of all time.
Doubtful. He’s said several times that his knees were absolutely shot after his two 380+ carry seasons in Miami.
In any case, the length of a running back’s career increasingly seems to be measured in touches rather than years. The guys who hit the wall at 30 are the guys who carry the ball 300 times every season from their rookie years onward - see Marshall Faulk, LT, Emmitt Smith, Clinton Portis, ad nauseam.
On the other hand, guys who don’t carry the ball much early on tend to last significantly longer: Thomas Jones, Tiki Barber, Fred Taylor*, etc.
This bodes well for Brian Westbrook’s future if he can recover from his concussions.
You know, I’ve been saying that for a while now, not just about the Panthers (who continue to BREAK MY HEART 
) but about a lot of players these days. It seems that basic tackling skills are either not being taught, or that relatively new penalties are decreasing the expertise in the tackling area.
A strategy question from last night’s game:
Facts:
[ul]
[li]Miami has the ball on Carolina’s 28 yard line[/li][li]4th and 3[/li][li]Carolina is out of timeouts[/li][li]Miami is leading by 7 points[/li][li]There is 0:44 left in the game and the clock is stopped[/li][/ul]
Miami decided to go for the first down. Why didn’t they attempt the field goal? If they missed, Carolina would’ve got the ball on the 35 but if they made it the game would’ve been over.
A 45-yard FG isn’t automatic but they should have tried it. I haven’t heard any discussion about this (probably because the Dolphins won).
Agree/Disagree?
I think they had a 10 point lead, didn’t they?
- The Panthers had just kicked a field goal.
It’s kind of a wash; a field goal effectively ends the game but so does a first down, without the risk of losing 7 yards.
There is also the off chance that a Carolina could have put a player in the endzone to field a missed FG. I suspect the real reason was that they were just too close to punt. Going for it and failing was the best choice field position wise.
I would have tried a quick kick. If nothing else, it would have burned a few extra seconds while the ball flopped around.
FGs from the 45 are made about 70% of the time. That’s a better rate than 4th and 3 conversions, but it has the added downside of an extra 7 yards of field position on a miss. The big difference is probably the potential for a blocked FG with a big return. With such a small amount of time remaining, a comeback through a conventional drive is unlikely, so for Miami avoiding a potential big play is important.
Well - another factor is that you wouldn’t want to give it to Peyton Manning with that time on the clock from that position, but Jake Delhomme? Not a big deal.
I anxiously await the first Panthers overtime game of the season. The other team will elect to defend, and just wait for the inevitable interception. 
The NFL blackout rules will turn against them. The Lions have been blacked out 8 of the last 11 games. When Bears and Steeler fans bought up tickets, they were on TV. But I have noticed a lot of football fans in Detroit area , don’t talk about the game on Monday anymore. They are losing interest . We have had a bad team for many ,many years. Yet we always talked about the game. Now guys say, I raked leaves. I played golf. If it is not on TV, guys just are not involved at all. It is dropping from our sport thoughts. It is a dangerous trend. Football is very expensive. Many will just close that door if they remain so obdurate about the blackout rules.
I agree, and that shortfall in ticket sales the NFL will start feeling will get even more painful for them if the economy doesn’t turn around anytime soon, as corporations look to save money on expenditures. There will be a lot of luxury boxes sitting empty. And club seating, too. Its already happening.
I have a similar complaint. I live near Stockton, CA which is approximately 75 from Oakland. On a normal Sunday I should get both the Raiders and Niners’ games. Oakland’s continual blackout problems mean not only do I not get Oakland’s game, but I also rarely get double headers. Last Sunday because the Niners played Thursday and the Raiders were blacked out, the only game I had until Sunday night was Dallas/Green Bay.
Or, if you make it, a kickoff return and an onsides kick. That’s much (much) further down the list of concerns and possibilities, but it’s there.