Tag: Ricky Williams

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.

Newly-signed Saints RB Darrel Williams wearing the same jersey number he used at LSU

Newly-signed Saints running back Darrel Williams is wearing the same jersey number he used with the LSU Tigers. Dust off that Ricky Williams jersey if you have one:

This is cool: the New Orleans Saints released their unofficial depth chart ahead of Sunday’s preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers, including the jersey number for their newly-signed running back Darrel Williams.

It’s a number some of his fans have seen him wear before. Williams is wearing No. 34, which he also used in college with the LSU Tigers. It’s a very cool full-circle moment for the local favorite, who is now playing professionally for his hometown team.

Williams also wore No. 28 in college, which was his high school number at John Ehret in New Orleans’ Marrero community on the West Bank; but it was claimed by veteran defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. before he signed with the Saints. He’s also used No. 24 with the Arizona Cardinals (taken by safety Johnathan Abram) as well as No. 31 while on the Kansas City Chiefs (picked by rookie draft pick Jordan Howden).

So his options were kind of limited. Even with the NFL expanding eligibility for many jersey numbers to open them up for other positions, the only numbers Williams was eligible for at the time of his signing were Nos. 16, 34, and 89 (which had been worn by wide receiver James Washington, who was released to open a spot for Williams). Even with fewer choices, he made a good pick. Dust off that Ricky Williams jersey if you have one.

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Every 1,000-yard rusher in New Orleans Saints history

Mark Ingram and Deuce McAllister are the latest Saints running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards. How many Saints have achieved this feat? | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints have had 13 seasons in team history where a rusher eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yards threshold. Running back Deuce McAllister has the most such seasons, rushing for over 1,000 yards four times in five seasons between 2002 to 2006.

Mark Ingram II was the last Saints rusher to achieve this feat in 2017. The Saints splitting the carries in the backfield has made it more difficult to accomplish in recent years.

Jamaal Williams has the best chance to break the drought. With a potential Alvin Kamara suspension on the table, Williams will likely lead the team in carries at times this season. If he succeeds, Williams would be the eighth rusher to cross century mark in Saints history. Here’s the full list so far:

Ex-NFLer Ricky Williams wants Jaylen Brown to consider quality of life over money with a supermax extension

The former football star councels Brown to think of more than money with his potential supermax extension.

Not everyone thinks Jaylen Brown is happy with his situation with the Boston Celtics ahead of his being offered a likely supermax contract extension that could pay him as much as nearly $300 million over five seasons.

Pointing to the systemic and overt racism in Boston that Brown has taken up the fight against coupled with other areas of friction in recent seasons, Ricky Williams recently made his case on the “Dan Lebatard Show” that the Georgia native ought to consider focusing on his quality of life. Using his own experiences with racism in the NFL as a baseline, Williams argues  athletes ought to prioritize quality of life over money, and suggests players like Brown should be celebrated, not just tolerated.

Check out the clip embedded below to hear Williams’ assessment of Brown’s range of options in light of the power dynamics and social issues at play to see if you agree with what he thinks Brown ought to do.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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