Tag: Ricky Williams

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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Former RB Ricky Williams shares expectations for Texas in 2023

“The confidence Texas built in the Bama game is real. I think they can take that and turn it into something special.”

Is this the year the Longhorns finally turn the corner? Former Texas running back Ricky Williams thinks so. Continue reading “Former RB Ricky Williams shares expectations for Texas in 2023”

11 trades the Saints have made with first round picks since 2000

Few teams are as aggressive in the NFL draft as the Saints under Mickey Loomis, their general manager since 2002 — and many trades have centered on valuable first-round picks:

Few teams are as aggressive in the NFL draft as the New Orleans Saints have been under Mickey Loomis, who has held the post at general manager since 2002 — and many of their trades have centered on valuable first-round picks.

With the 2023 draft rapidly approaching, it’s worth looking back on what Loomis and the Saints have done in the first round to get an idea of their tendencies and typical strategies on draft day. Here’s a quick recap of 11 trades the Saints have made since 2000 involving first rounders:

Texas RB Bijan Robinson gives the best pitch for Texas as RBU

Bijan “El Rayo” Robinson tells you why Texas is RBU.

The reigning king of Austin, Texas has spoken. Texas is Running Back University. Continue reading “Texas RB Bijan Robinson gives the best pitch for Texas as RBU”

4-Down Territory: Heisman snubs, worst trades ever, revenge games, Brock Purdy

Heisman snubs, the NFL’s worst trades ever, revenge games, and Brock Purdy! Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling have it all on this week’s “4-Down Territory.”

Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. With Week 13 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, and the Heisman Trophy finalists announced, there was a lot to cover!

This week, Doug and Luke discuss:

  1. USC quarterback Caleb Williams, TCU quarterback Max Duggan, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, and Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett III were announced as the finalists for the 2022 Heisman Trophy. With all due respect to those four players, what was the most egregious Heisman snub this year?
  2. The Russell Wilson trade is in danger of becoming the worst trade in NFL history — at least, for the Denver Broncos. At this point though, what has been the worst deal in the annals of pro football?
  3. A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles and Bobby Wagner of the Los Angeles Rams had compelling revenge games on Sunday against their former teams, the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks. Which player’s revenge game was more compelling?
  4. Do the San Francisco 49ers still have a Super Bowl shot with rookie “Mr. Irrelevant” quarterback Brock Purdy under center?

You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here:

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49ers ended the Saints’ streak of 332 games without a shutout

The 49ers ended the Saints’ streak of 332 games played without a shutout loss on Sunday. It had been the longest active streak in the NFL:

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It’s been a long, long time since the New Orleans Saints were last shut out. They put points on the board in 332 consecutive games — which had been the longest active streak in the NFL. But the San Francisco 49ers snapped that streak on Sunday, and now the Saints are left to pick up the pieces. Annoyingly, that isn’t even an NFL record. The 49ers themselves set it with 420 games played without a shutout.

So what happened in New Orleans’ last shutout? To give you some context, it happened on Jan. 6, 2002 at the end of the 2001 regular season. Jim Haslett coached the team, and Aaron Brooks was the Saints quarterback at the time, with Drew Brees closing out his rookie year with the Chargers (who played in San Diego at the time). At the time, this was a game between two rivals in the old NFC West; the NFC South would be founded a year later. Sean Payton was finishing out his second season as the New York Giants offensive coordinator and Dennis Allen was busy working the secondary at Tulsa, his first full-time coaching job. It capped a four-game losing streak that put the Saints at 7-9, eliminating them from the playoffs.

And of course it was the same 49ers team who beat them in a 38-nothing shutout at home. Terrell Owens started the game with two long touchdown catches from Jeff Garcia (of 56 and 60 yards, both in the first quarter) and things didn’t get much easier from there. The Niners racked up 407 yards of offense while limiting New Orleans to just 126 yards, intercepting Brooks four times and jarring loose four fumbles (three of them from Ricky Williams). San Francisco improved to 12-4 on the year but got knocked out of the playoffs a week later.

Things might be headed in a similar direction all these years later. The Saints are long shots of reaching the playoffs, while the 49ers look like a possible Super Bowl contender. There are still games left to play and decisions to make, but that’s where we are. History doesn’t always repeat itself  — but it often rhymes.

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Texas RB Bijan Robinson closing in on some historic names

Keep your eyes on No. 5 against Baylor.

It is quite possible that Friday’s matchup with Baylor could be the last time we see [autotag]Bijan Robinson[/autotag] put on the Burnt Orange in a regular season game. The five-star signee in the 2020 recruiting class has been as advertised for the Texas Longhorns.

This season Robinson is the No. 6 rusher in FBS with 1,401 yards. His yards per rush average of 6.12 ranks No. 18 among rushers with at least 100 carries. Bijan’s 16 rushing touchdowns put him No. 5 this season behind four players tied at 18.

It isn’t just the national rankings this season either, Robinson has been among the best in Texas Longhorns history. Not too shabby considering he has worn the same jersey as [autotag]Ricky Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Earl Campbell[/autotag], [autotag]Cedric Benson[/autotag], [autotag]Jamaal Charles[/autotag], and [autotag]Eric Metcalf[/autotag].

With just two games remaining, it could be three depending on how the final week of Big 12 games play out, Robinson could finish top five in several categories. He won’t win a Heisman like Williams or Campbell, but he could take home the Doak Walker Award given to the nation’s top running back. Time will tell if he joins Williams, Cedric Benson, and D’Onta Foreman as Texas Longhorns who won the award.