Why I’m not a fan of the Ricky Williams signing

I know Riley wrote earlier that he loved the Ricky Williams signing.  I’m going to tell you why I don’t really like the signing and I don’t seem to be as pumped about it as everyone else.

This is a player who at one point walked away from his team and the game so due to a failed drug test only to come back and be suspended again for another year due to another failed drug test.  So we know that he is a quitter and has always been a free spirit.  There is no telling when Ricky will be Ricky and have a random moment.  There’s no saying 3 weeks into the season Rick, at age 34, decides to walk away from the game.

That brings me to my next point.  Ricky Williams is a 34 year old running back.  I know he missed has missed 2 seasons during his career so you could make the argument that he has the legs of a 32 year old but regardless he is 34.  Running backs in this league rarely play that well after they turn 30 and most aren’t in the league at 34.  He did rush for an average of 4.2 yards per carry last year so obviously he has something left.  To me there is just no telling how durable a 34 year old back will be throughout the season and how much he will contribute.  Will his head be completely with the team for the whole season?

Ricky on a one year deal would have made much more sense to me but for a 2 year deal I just don’t really agree with it.  There were younger backs out there to be had and honestly I wanted to see what Anthony Allen had to offer.  We drafted him for a reason.  He is 6-1, 230lbs  He is slightly taller than Ricky and the same weight.  Being 23, he obviously has fresher legs.  I just feel that with the youth movement already in full swing with the likes of Dickson, Smith, Doss, Cody, Kindle, J. Smith, and others it wouldn’t have hurt to allow Allen to get some carries if he showed promise in training camp and the pre-season.

I believe we have more pressing needs to be addressed with our limited cap space.   I hope Riley and others are right and I am dead wrong, but only time will tell. In Oz I trust.

(EDIT: I’m not sure if its the peer pressure or just letting this sit on me for awhile but I want to clarify.  I don’t think Ricky as the backup is a bad signing.  In fact I like the idea of having a bigger back for 3rd downs and someone that can block pretty well.  I think he could have a successful year here.  I just strongly believe that the money could have been better spent on other areas of need.)