Jeff Bilbrey
2011 was a pretty good year for the Lions. They made the playoffs for the first time in over 10 years, going 10-6 before getting popped by the Saints in the first round, however, it proved to be a bust of a year for the Lions running game. Jahvid Best suffered a career ending concussion and running backs Kevin Smith, Keiland Williams and Morris all failed to produce.
Enter Captain Hind-Sight.
Just chatted with former NFL RB Ricky Williams, who says he was absolutely "heartbroken" he didn't sign with #Lions for the 2011 season.
— Tony Paul | Detroit News (@TonyPaul1984) March 6, 2017
Tony Paul of the Detroit News recently bumped into running back Ricky Williams, and Ricky shared a story about how he was ‘Heartbroken’ over missing out on a chance to play for the Lions.
If you remember right, it was Ricky that caused that uproar over Linehan potentially tampering by offering Williams a home if he ever came looking.
“For me, last year when we played the Lions, Scott Linehan, who was the offensive coordinator here with coach [Nick] Saban, he came up to me after the game, and he said that if you need a home, we’d love to have you on our team.” – Ricky Williams
Why did the deal fall apart? According to Williams, his Agent agreed to a deal with the Ravens behind his back – and he had no choice to support it once it was done.
Chatted with him for another story. Told me his agent "went behind back" and agreed to deal with #Ravens. https://t.co/1Zpu7SDJN5
— Tony Paul | Detroit News (@TonyPaul1984) March 6, 2017
In 2011 Williams was singing a different tune – Per ESPN:
“The opportunity in Detroit opened up, and it would have been a chance for me to play a lot and be able to contribute a lot,” Williams said. “But Baltimore is an established organization with a lot of vets, and … I thought I would fit in well in this situation and be able to enjoy myself and possibly win a Super Bowl.”
Ricky ended up playing one year in Baltimore, he ran for 444 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. The Ravens went 12-4 that year and made it to the AFC Championship game where they were eliminated by the New England Patriots. He retired 1 year into a 2-year contract with the Ravens. – stats pro-football-reference.com
What do you think Nation? Would Ricky Williams have made a difference in Detroit with Best going down?
