I would like to point out a common misconception about Ricky....
When Wanny was in the original process of luring Ricky here, Ricky SPECIFICALLY stated he did NOT want to be the FOCAL point of the offense. He told Wanny AND, later, the fans that he wanted to do his PART. To perform in his role.
Many people point the finger at Ricky and see he let us down. But, was anyone concerned about Ricky when he was getting the ball 30 times a game? Did anyone's heart bleed for him? No.
The collective whole of Phinland (Coaches, fans, Owner, etc) did not mind running Ricky all over the field. We were getting what we wanted. What about what he wanted?
Sure, he smoked pot and has some illegitiment children.... But, he was never brought up on charges related to a murder. He was never investigated and charged with trafficing drugs by the FBI. So, why is he believed to be worse than those men?
He quit on his team? On his fans? He broke a promise to us? How many promises did the organization and fans break to him?
Oh sure, he was getting paid. But, he was getting paid on a contract negotiated under the presumption he would NOT be the focal point of the offense. And remember, some of his pay was PERFORMANCE pay... that means OPTIONAL, not REQUIRED.
If you specifically told your employer you could not lift more than 30 pounds as part of your hiring agreement, then he continually drops 50 pound boxes in front of you and tells you to pick them up over and over.... what are YOU gonna do?
Pick it up or quit. But don't worry, your employer's argument will be "Hey, he was getting paid."
Wanny didn't listen. Ricky quit. Then, Wanny quit. Ricky did us a favor, I thank him for that. If he's willing to come back in ANY role that HE wants to accept.... I'll root for #34.
And while you homer me for doing so, be careful who you root for... he might just be a murderer.
Run Ricky Run.
I never asked him to be perfect. I just wanted to watch him run the football.