Williams Leads Way to Dolphins Win

The Miami Dolphins kept their playoff hopes running. And Ricky Williams (left) kept running, too. Williams had 22 carries for 119 yards and 2 TD. Williams also has a receiving TD to pace the Dolphins to a 24-17 over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.

Williams had to be the centerpiece of the Dolphins offense with fellow RB Ronnie Brown out for the remainder of the season with a foot injury. And Williams must be that central figure for the remainder of this season. At 32, will Williams be able to take up the slack for the rest of the year?

There's no reason (or sign) that Williams can't. Thirty used to be looked at as the age when the game for running backs started to deteriorate. Not quite so anymore, but the position is primarily fielded by younger players. The main 30+ year old running back other than Williams is Thomas Jones of the New York Jets. He's 31 and he has 170 carries for 781 yards and 8 TD. Williams currently has 127 carries for 677 yards with 8 TD. Jones is 8th in rushing while Williams is now 10th after last night's game.

Even though Williams came into the league in 1999, he's truly only played eight and a half seasons. The New Orleans Saints traded their whole 1999 draft to get Williams. He played for three years and was dealt to Miami.

Williams played for two seasons in Miami when his "troubles" began. He did not play at all during the 2004 season. It was a "retirement" thing. Sort of. Williams came back for the 2005 season but was suspended for the first four games due to violation of the league's drug policy.

Williams would miss yet another entire season (2006) due to another violation of the drug policy. He played in the CFL for the Toronto Argonuats, but Williams did miss two months due to multiple injuries. It's almost like he missed half a season. Williams rejoined the Dolphins (again) in 2007, only to lose that season with a pectoral tear in his first game of the season. So in playing years, Williams is about 29 and a half.

Williams does have enough in the tank. He is known as a fitness nut and for keeping his body in excellent shape. And after watching the last handful of Dolphins games, he doesn't look like a player that's on a downward trend. Ricky is holding a slight resemblance the Ricky of 2002 when he led the NFL in rushing with 1,800+ yards.

One thing for sure, the Dolphins are looking to Williams to lead the way.

If you think about it, it's come full cycle for Ricky.

For all those years, Williams was looking to the Dolphins.