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July 26, 2004 The seat under Miami Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt was already hot coming into the 2004 NFL season. When his star running back, Ricky Williams, decided to retire after just five seasons in the league, that seat was set to melt. Regardless of why Williams decided to quit, one week before the beginning of training camp, it puts Miami in a world of hurt. Over the past two seasons, Williams rushed for over 3,200 yards and gave Miami a ground threat they haven’t had since the days of Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. And coming into this season, the Dolphins would have had a distinct advantage against its divisional foes, including Super Bowl champion New England, because they had a much more stable running game. Now their hopes will be pinned on Travis Minor, a three-year backup who has never started an NFL game. There’s no comparison between Williams’s decision to retire and Pat Tillman’s decision to leave football. A defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals, Tillman quit because his convictions compelled him to fight in the War on Terror, and sacrificed much more than money to follow those convictions. But there are valid comparisons to two other great backs, Jim Brown and Barry Sanders, who quit in the prime of their careers. They left us with memories of greatness and went on to enjoy live away from the gridiron. Both are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Ricky Williams might have been there one day if he hadn’t abandoned the game. Ricky Williams is 27 years old, and if he’s managing his money properly, he’ll never have to work another day in his life. He’s achieved something that precious few of us will, and that is the ability to leave a job on his own terms. As for Dave Wannstedt, he’ll likely be the first casualty of the brutal NFL coaching carousel this coming season, as his seat withers under the heat. ------------ About the author: Ever since seeing the made-for-TV movie "A Fire In The Sky" in 1978, Claxton Graham has been fascinated by the threat of asteroid and cometary impacts. The calculations for this particular article were derived from the Earth Impact Effects Calculator, created by the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona. To visit the site and see how much damage an asteroid or comet would do to your home town, just go to: http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/ Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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