Tag: Ricky Williams

9 former Dolphins among 167 preliminary Hall of Fame nominees for 2025

There’s a few former Dolphins hoping to become members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its preliminary list of modern-era nominees for the Class of 2025 and it includes nine former players for the Miami Dolphins.

The following former Dolphins are are among the 167 initial nominees:

  • RB Ricky Williams
  • WR Irving Fryar
  • WR Brandon Marshall
  • WR Wes Welker
  • OG Josh Sitton
  • OT Richmond Webb
  • LB Brendon Ayanbadejo
  • CB Troy Vincent
  • P Matt Turk

While every player on the list suited up for the Dolphins at some point, a few of the players on the list are much more well remembered for their contributions away from Miami.

Vincent, for instance, was a top 10 draft pick for the Dolphins, but all five of his Pro Bowl nods came during an eight-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles. Sitton was a stalwart on the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line and joined the Dolphins for a grand total of one game before a rotator cuff injury eventually ended his exceedingly brief tenure in Miami.

The name that will draw much of the attention for Dolphins fans over the next few months is Webb. There’s been a groundswell of support for the seven-time Pro Bowler to get his due as one of the all-time greats.

While he has been an initial nominee several teams, Webb has failed to reach the semifinalist phase of voting. He’s down to his final three years of eligibility before it’ll be up to the senior committee to send him to Canton.

The list of 167 nominees will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists sometime this fall (likely in November) and then 15 finalists (likely in January).

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Watch: Reggie Bush hangs his portrait in the ‘Heisman House’

Reggie Bush put up his portrait in the Nissan ‘Heisman House’ ahead of the college football season. Look for him to pop up in ad breaks this fall:

Now this is cool. Reggie Bush teased his appearance in Nissan’s popular “Heisman House” ad campaign with a video on Twitter showing him hanging a portrait from his USC Trojans days on display alongside other Heisman Trophy winners — while wearing his old USC jersey, too.

It’s been a long time coming. The former New Orleans Saints star running back was finally welcomed back into the Heisman Trust’s good graces this year, and he’s eager to make up for lost time. Bush was one of the most exciting college football players of his generation and he rightfully won the Heisman Trophy for his efforts on the gridiron. Now he gets to enjoy the same opportunities as other award-winners.

Bush has kept tabs on the Saints in the years since he left the team. Earlier this offseason he shared his take on what must change to end their playoff drought as well as what made his Super Bowl XLIV-winning squad so special. Fans watching big college football games in the fall will get to see what he and his peers at the “Heisman House” are up to (including other former Saints like Mark Ingram II and Ricky Williams) during ad breaks. Hopefully Bush enjoys that time in the spotlight.

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Ricky Williams’ 26-yard rushing TD against the Falcons is our Saints Play of the Day

Ricky Williams scored all three of the Saints’ touchdowns to beat the Falcons in 2000. This 26-yard run is our Saints Play of the Day:

There are 26 days standing between us and the start of the New Orleans Saints’ regular season, which makes this 26-yard touchdown run by Ricky Williams our choice for the Saints Play of the Day.

It was a pivotal play back in 2000’s rivalry game with the Atlanta Falcons, which you can find here. Williams took the handoff facing a 13-7 deficit and quickly erased it. Good blocking on the edge gave him plenty of room to work and Williams cut upfield and into the Atlanta defense. He dove into the end zone from four yards out, evading a couple of Falcons defenders, for the equalizer. An extra point try from Doug Brien gave New Orleans the lead and the Saints held on for a 21-19 win at the Georgia Dome.

And it was almost all thanks to Williams, who scored all three of the Saints’ touchdowns in this game. He totaled 156 rushing yards on the afternoon (also tacking on 37 receiving yards) and looked exactly like the player former Saints head coach Mike Ditka had traded a king’s ransom to acquire. Ditka had since been replaced by Jim Haslett, who guided the team to a 10-6 record and their first playoff win later that season.

Williams played a big part in their success while accounting for 1,000 of the team’s 2,068 rushing yards. His Saints career didn’t meet the lofty expectations it had been saddled with, but he still came through and made some big plays in big moments like this one.

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Throwback Thursday: Remembering former Dolphins RB Ricky Williams’ legendary 2002 season

Looking back at the season that was a recently-broken record.

In the Miami Dolphins Week 15 victory over the New York Jets, franchise history was made, as running back Raheem Mostert set a new franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a single season with his 17th.

When celebrating broken records, it’s always a great opportunity to look back and reflect on the individuals who made them so honorable. This was a record that had been held for 20 years by the legendary Ricky Williams, who set the mark during the 2002 season.

Williams was a college standout at the University of Texas. To this day, he holds the program’s single-season rushing record with 2,124 yards (1998), earning him the Heisman Trophy. He also won two Doak Walker awards in 1997 and 1998. His jersey number (No. 34) is retired by the Texas Longhorns football program.

Williams was selected fifth overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 1999 NFL draft, as the Saints traded their entire package of draft picks and two picks the following year to move up and take the running back.

Expectations for Williams were very high, and he delivered. In three seasons with the Saints, Williams totaled 3,129 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.

However, after a disappointing losing season in 2001, New Orleans decided to move on from Williams even though the running back was coming off his best statistical season.

Williams was traded from the Saints to the Dolphins the following offseason with Miami sending two first-round picks to acquire the young superstar.

The Dolphins were coming off an 11-5 season that ended in a disappointing 20-3 wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. They already had a star-studded defense with the likes of defensive end Jason Taylor, linebacker Zach Thomas and cornerback Patrick Surtain.

With a fresh start for Williams, he took his game to another level. He rushed for over 100 yards in his first three games, scoring touchdowns in each contest.

Williams started in all 16 games for the Dolphins in 2002, totaling a league-leading 1,853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on an outstanding 115.8 yards per game, all of which were franchise records. He also proved himself respectable in the passing game, catching 47 passes for 363 yards and a score, making his all-purpose touchdown total 17 in 16 games.

The Dolphins unfortunately missed the playoffs in 2002 despite a strong start. After starting 5-1, they finished 9-7 as the offensive passing attack simply wasn’t good enough for the offense to put up points consistently. It was a frustrating finish to a team featuring elite talent on both sides of the football. Williams, Taylor, Thomas, and Surtain were all named First-team All-Pros.

Williams was an obvious choice for All-Pro with his production in 2002. He’s the last Dolphins running back to achieve First-team All-Pro honors. Hopefully, the season Mostert is having will break that trend.

While Williams’ single-season touchdown record might now be broken, his 2002 season should still be considered the best of any running back in team history. His 1,853 yards on 115.8 yards per game are still franchise records by wide margins.

No other Dolphin has rushed for more than 1,300 yards in a season, while Williams has done it twice. He’s also the only Dolphins running back to average over 100 rushing yards per contest in a season. Ronnie Brown came the closest in 2007 with 86 yards per game.

Willams set the bar for any running back who wears the aqua and orange. Passing the torch to other great running backs like Mostert is an invaluable honor when considering the legendary career Williams had with the Dolphins and everywhere else he played.

Alvin Kamara won another Saints franchise record against the Giants

Alvin Kamara won yet another Saints franchise record against the Giants. No player has had more seasons with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in team history:

Don’t look now, but Alvin Kamara has won yet another New Orleans Saints franchise record during his performance against the New York Giants. No player has had more seasons with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in team history — a feat Kamara has now accomplished seven times.

Kamara went into Sunday’s matchup with 966 scrimmage yards through his first 10 games in 2023, and he went the distance midway through the third quarter to join the Comma Club again. Here are the leaders in Saints franchise history for 1,000-yard seasons:

  • RB Alvin Kamara: 7
  • WR Marques Colston: 6
  • WR Michael Thomas, RB Mark Ingram II, RB Deuce McAllister, and WR Joe Horn: 4
  • WR Eric Martin, RB Ricky Williams: 3

Kamara’s impact on the Saints can’t be understated: he’s a rare talent who landed in the perfect spot to make the most of his talents with Drew Brees throwing to him and Sean Payton drawing up his plays to start his career. And he’s still producing. Hopefully he can keep it going for years to come.

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WATCH: Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert sets two franchise single-season records for TDs

Raheem Mostert sets two franchise records on one score.

Entering Sunday, Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert had 16 rushing touchdowns and 18 total touchdowns on the season, both were tied for team records.

Against the New York Jets, Mostert scored on a two-yard rush, eclipsing both marks (set by Ricky Williams in 2002 and Mark Clayton in 1984).

The 31-year-old running back is having an incredible season, as he’s scored more this year than in eight previous seasons combined.

If he can continue this pace, he’ll certainly help Miami in their playoff run.

Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert says he’s eyeing franchise record

The RB is eyeing history.

Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert is having the best season of his career, as he’s rushed for 828 yards and 14 touchdowns on 5.1 yards per attempt.

In his previous eight seasons across with five organizations, he totaled 14 touchdowns in 75 career games.

Now, with Mike McDaniel in Miami, and at 31 years old, he’s impressing everyone, but Mostert has his eyes set on etching his name in the record books in South Florida.

On a recent episode of his podcast, “Relentlessly Motivated with Raheem Mostert,” the running back shared that he’d like to break Ricky William’s franchise record for rushing touchdowns.

“I’m trying to help this team get to the playoffs and win a game,” Mostert said. “Break some record along the way. We’re getting close. I’ve got my eye on one record, and it’s going to mean a lot. Especially being from Florida, my first ever game with grandpa Dennis was a Miami Dolphins game, and that was the first time I ever watched Ricky Williams run. I met Ricky Williams this past year. He’s a great guy with an unbelievable story. He’s a super-intelligent dude. I’m going to be able to, hopefully, fingers crossed, break his record for most rushing touchdowns in Dolphins history.”

Williams set the franchise record at 16 touchdowns in 2002 in a season that he rushed for 1,853 yards (also a franchise record).

With five games left to go in the 2023 regular season, Mostert needs just three more to set the record himself. He’s currently tied with Lamar Smith (2000) for the third-most in a single season in aqua and orange. Karim Abdul-Jabbar (15) had the record before Williams and is in second place.

If Mostert remains healthy and continues running the way he has been, he’ll probably break the record in the next two weeks and be able to set the bar higher for the next running back who tries to break it.

14 former Dolphins left off list of 2024 Hall of Fame class semifinalists

The Pro Football Hall of Fame trimmed down their list of 173 nominees to 25 semifinalists.

Back in September, the Pro Football Hall of Fame released their list of 173 Modern-Era nominees for the 2024 class, which included 14 players who spent time with the Miami Dolphins.

On that list were Ricky Williams, Antonio Freeman, Irving Fryar, Chad Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Wes Welker, Josh Sitton, Richmond Webb, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Karlos Dansby, Larry Izzo, Joey Porter, Troy Vincent and Matt Turk.

On Tuesday, the Hall of Fame trimmed the nominees down to 25 semifinalists, and unfortunately, none were former Dolphins.

The list of nominees includes Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Tiki Barber, Anquan Boldin, Jahri Evans, London Fletcher, Dwight Freeney, Antonio Gates, Eddie Geroge, James Harrison, Rodney Harrison, Devin Hester, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Robert Mathis, Julius Peppers, Smith Sr., Fred Taylor, Hines Ward, Ricky Watters, Reggie Wayne, Vince Wilfork, Patrick Willis and Darren Woodson.

15 finalists will be announced at a later date.

RB De’Von Achane is our Dolphins’ Player of the Game for Week 3

Miami’s rookie RB showed out in Week 3.

Miami Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane earns our “Player of the Game” honors after a legendary performance in the 70-20 rout of the Denver Broncos.

With the injury to Salvon Ahmed last week, Achane was given an opportunity in the backfield alongside Raheem Mostert. It was a touchdown fest for the duo in as dominant of a win as fans will ever witness in an NFL game.

There was high anticipation for Achane coming into the season, and the young speedster exceeded expectations, as he finished the game with 203 yards on 18 carries (11.3 yards per attempt) and two rushing touchdowns. He also contributed in the passing game, catching four passes for 30 yards and two touchdowns.

Achane was the driving force in the 70-point beatdown of the Broncos. His first carry went for 26 yards, setting the Dolphins up at the Denver 35. The same drive ended with Achane scoring his first career touchdown from eight yards out, giving Miami a 14-0 lead.

Achane’s explosiveness continued to set the tone for the remainder of the game. The Dolphins’ ensuing drive resulted in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finding the former Aggie on a no-look shovel pass for another touchdown.

Achane turned his performance up a notch in the second half.

On the first offensive series of the third quarter, Achane burst through for a 40-yard carry setting up the Dolphins with first-and-goal at the 5-yard line. This resulted in a Mostert rushing touchdown to give them a 42-13 lead.

While it seemed the Dolphins should put the game on ice and run the clock out, Achane wasn’t finished. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Tagovailoa once again completed a shovel pass to Achane who did the rest of the work for the rookie’s third touchdown on the day.

The grand finale came with 8:12 left in the game. Achane rushed to the left for a 67-yard touchdown to put him over 200 yards and the Dolphins at 70 points. The Dolphins’ offense came within two points of the NFL regular-season record.

This historically great offensive performance was headlined by a rookie drafted in the third round who came into training camp competing for the third and fourth spots on the depth chart. It was even thought that Achane might have to see the field first as a kick returner.

This is the seventh 200-yard rushing game in Dolphins’ franchise history. Achane joins a club including Ricky Williams, Jay Ajayi, and Reggie Bush. The unique part about Achane’s performance is he had the most touchdowns out of any of the other 200-yard performances with his involvement in the passing game.

Every football fan will know Achane after this game. To have a performance like this when called upon is a special moment in team history. The Dolphins continue to stay hot, as the team remains undefeated through three weeks.

Miami’s offense was already arguably the top in the NFL, and they’ve now introduced a new weapon. Look for Achane to have a continuous impact as the season starts to take shape.