I was at work and just finished eating when I logged on (shortly after 1am) and saw the "breaking news" thread in this forum. I was, at first, thinking that Miami had re-signed O-Gun or something to that effect, but was :rofl: when I saw that "Ricky Williams to retire". My co-worker couldn't understand why I was laughing so hard. I then explained to her that Miami fans would likely respond in a similiar fashion if Jim Kelly or Thurman Thomas had suddenly and unexpectedly decided to retire during the Super Bowl years and she understood the effect this decision on the fortunes of the Fins and the rivalry between the Bills and Fins not withstanding the AFC East and the AFC as well.
My advice to the organization and fans: MOVE ON! No way I would want to play next to him and no way would I respect his return. See how the Raiders treated Barrett Robbins who also suffers from a medical condition similiar to the of RW's. He "abandoned" or "quit" on the team. RW has done the same thing. He has "quit" on the Fins. Especially with the revelation that RW has NOT been taking his medication. Now, I understand that RW has had a change of heart regarding his football career and to some respects, it's far better to know NOW than after the 2004 season. Granted, the timing is unfavorably, however Miami can still rebound and address the problems on the team that RW's retirement creates. It's very important that they do not make a rash decision about the RB situation.
There are many ways to describe this off-season the organization and the fans have been subjected to. This organization has had a disastrous off-season IMHO, some it's own fault and some outside it's control. However, as some have said here at FH, all is not lost. With the RW debacle now a few days removed, this is what I believe Miami should do.........PUNT!! Just kidding
I must re-iterate that I HATE the Doll-Felons!!!
1) Forget having Ricky Williams. Immediately submit his name to the NFL on the Reserve-Retired list AND forget about suing him for money to be returned. MOVE ON!
2) Concentrate on signing the draft choices. None of your picks have signed as I type this. Forego the 4 yr demand on lower picks and start signing draft choices. It will help deflect some of the attention and shed more of a positive light on the present
3) Do not use O-Gun as trade bait. Intensify efforts to re-sign him. The defense needs to be kept intact because it's likely the offense will struggle.
3) Sign Chambers to an extension using the $3.735 million in 2004, $3.74 million in 2005, and $3.5 million in 2006 plus the incenitves from the RW's retirement
**Both these moves will turn around the PR negativity and likely reinstill the fans confidence in the organization that has definitely suffered and rejuvenate the enthusiasm for the up coming season**
4) Also, the cap savings will allow Miami to be aggressive in adding more depth to the OL, LB, and maybe even a legitimate 3rd WR.
5) By waiting to address concerns at RB, give Minor and Morris a real chance to prove they could handle the load. Leonard Henry and Konrad can also help to pick up the slack. Wait until after the 1st pre-season game to see what happens and most likely a clearer picture will be evident. It may also bring the price down to acquire a veteran RB by being patient.
In the short-term (i.e. 2004 season), I do believe that Miami will struggle (8-8 is the upper limit). It's difficult to overcome losing 80% of your offense like this. However, in the long-term (i.e. 2005 and after), this will help Miami re-invent the offense to be much less predictable and give them much more cap flexiblity than they had (more on this part later).
I still hate the Doll-Felons :mad:
Clumpy
