My Ricky Williams Blog

It was May 3rd that saw the fall of the Minnesota Vikings, vice president of player personnel Fran Foley. Minnesota found many discrepancies with the vice presidents resume when reviewed for executive reasons. Top this off with many clashes with other management personnel in the Vikings organization, and a widely panned draft left little to be desired for his services.

There is a great story to all of this trouble however, as the original applicant for the job Rick Spielman, just happened to be available and made no bones about signing on with the team Tuesday. Spielman a former Miami Dolphins General Manager, and former ESPN analyst held an interview a while back with the Vikings and was passed up and they went with the now fired Foley only four months later.

The deal believed to be for three years, will see Spielman fall nicely into place with an already well-established Vikings management team. Spielman is well aware of the presence of ownership that takes a very large role in the decisions made in and around the Vikings club. This he believes is what makes this organization great.

Spielman spent 5 years with the Miami Dolphins, and saw much in the way of change over that time. Not only did he witness a disastrous season in 2004, he watched pro running back Ricky Williams receive suspensions and banning for substance abuse, under the collective bargaining agreement.

This will be a fresh and uplifting change for this wonderful executive and all the best is wished upon him in this upcoming endeavor.

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Our Football insiders for NFL Picks report that the Miami Dolphins are truly a team on the up rise and one of the NFL teams to watch for the 2010 NFL season. The Miami Dolphins ran an unconventional wildcat offense last year that no one in the league could solve as they had one of the NFL's best rushing attacks ranked 4th in 2009. With a solid rushing attack, the Dolphins will look to Chad Henne who was named the starter by default when Chad Pennington was injured to be their quarterback of the future.

Chad Henne went 7-7 as a starter while throwing 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his 1st year as a starter for the Dolphins who were ranked 20th in passing. The Dolphins made one of the biggest impact moves on offense this off season by getting receiver Brandon Marshall from the Denver Broncos who comes to Miami catching at least 100 passes per season the last three years while scoring 23 touchdowns during that span. Marshall makes Miami's offense a threat on every down with the combination of Ricky Williams who rushed for 1,121 yards and Ronnie Brown who is coming back from a foot injury in the 2009 season.

The Dolphin defense struggled last year against the pass and the rush ranked 22nd in total yards. Their pass defense was a disaster ranked 29th in the league which caused the firing of defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni and in with their new coordinator Mike Nolan. The Dolphins made an overall of changes on this side of the ball getting rid of cornerback Will Allen and safety Gibril Wilson as they will rely on second year cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean Smith to take over a secondary that allowed a total of 57 completions of 20 yards or more. Miami was ranked 18th against the run and may suffer early in the season without nose tackle Jason Ferguson who was suspended for the first eight games although new outside linebacker Karlos Dansby should close some holes for their rush defense.

The Dolphins have high expectations for Henne who showed signs of being a top flight NFL quarterback and if he can capitalize on his experience, this offense has the weapons to control the ball and score a lot of points. The question will still be with this soft Miami defense but with the changes made and new offensive coordinator Mike Nolan, they should improve immensely. The Dolphins will be in a three headed race in the tough AFC East Conference with the Patriots and Jets. Our Football experts for NFL picks predict that after surviving a 7-9 season playing a first year starter who was thrown into the fire, there is no reason the Dolphins shouldn't make the playoffs in 2010 if the stay healthy.

Go to http://www.jrtips.com/ to get all your winning NFL Picks and Football Betting Picks for the 2010 season.

Miami / Carol City rap artist Rick Ross, born William Leonard Roberts II on January 28th, 1976 took on his name from the "Freeway" Ricky Ross who was a drug trafficker on the other side of the country. Ross started in the music industry as a ghost-writer for many famous Hip-Hop artist. For 12 years under Ted Lucas of Slip-n-Slide Records, Ross received little if any spotlight. Ross dropped several independently produced mixtapes, but it wasn't until he dropped the major hit record "Hustlin" produced by J.R. Rotem that got him the recognition he so desperately deserved. E-Class of Poe Boy records got DJ Khaled of WEDR 99 Jamz to play the "Hustlin" record on the radio and soon everyone outside Miami took notice of what the local people into the music scene already knew. Rick Ross was caught in a bidding war between the music industry's major record labels, but ultimately signed with Jay-Z and Def Jam Records.

Since then Ross has released the studio albums "Port of Miami", "Trilla", "Deeper Than Rap", and "Teflon Don". He also released a collaboration album "Custom Cars & Cycles" with Triple C (Torch, Gunplay, and Young Breed) who are signed to Ross' label Maybach Music Group. Ross has extended his reach and developed Maybach Music Latino that features Latin rap artist BaRock (U.B.) Urbano, Destinee the Boss Lady, and Uncle Sam's Favorite Nephew Da Whammer.

In early 2009 Rick Ross sparked a feud with 50 Cent that turned into one of Hip-Hop's biggest and most personal Rap Beefs ever. Supposedly, 50 Cent had given Ross a weird look at a Hip-Hop award show. Quickly, Ross leaked the song "Mafia Music" mentioning the mother of 50 Cent's child and how child-support wasn't being paid. The remarks weren't taken lightly by 50 Cent and he replied with his own record "Officer Ricky". Ross arrogantly told 50 Cent he had 72 hours to come back with a better record. This infuriated 50 Cent and it escalated to what has never been seen in a Rap Battle. 50 Cent did his hysterical shenanigans on wax, but he also made animated cartoons drawn of Rick Ross. Where he takes it too far is when he pulled court documents, placed pictures of Ross' mother on the Internet, took trips to outside Ross' home, took Rick Ross' baby mother on shopping trips and even placed her in a pornographic film. All this was in attempt to destroy Ross' career and life. Fortunately for Rick Ross, none of this mattered to the music lovers that supported good music.

In 2008, Ross was ranked the fourth spot of "Hottest MCs in The Game" list by MTV. Rick Ross continues to make great music and his latest song "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" featuring Styles P of the LOX is as big as his first hit record, proving that after five years Ross still knows how to please the contemporary Rap music listener.

Fillup Banks manages a Miami Music website which mainly showcases independent artists. He has followed Rick Ross' career since it's early stages and now distributes Rick Ross ringtones.

How could have anyone guessed that the Dolphins would have been doing this good at this point of the season. After going 1 and 15 last year, Bill Parcells stepped in as the vice president of football operations and surgically dissected this team, and now they are playoff contenders. Here is a list of positives from what we have seen so far from the Miami Dolphins.

1. "Wild cat, wild cat, wild cat". I cant say this enough. Ok, the wild cat is not the only reason for the Dolphins recent success, but it has it's positives. This formation, which consists of a direct snap to the running back with the quarterback lining up in a slot position has had some defenses baffled. The best part of the wildcat formation is that it forces other teams to focus on it instead of preparing for their base offense, which Miami has also been known to run trickery out of.

2. Chad Pennington. I cant say enough good things about what Chad Pennington brings to this team. He bring Leadership, poise, confidence, and most of all, he does not turn the football over very often.

3. Tony Sparano. Lets give credit where credit is due. The work ethic and fundamental teachings of this coach is what drives this team. Right now the Miami Dolphins are getting the job done.

4. Tedd Ginn Jr. This guy is special. The forty yard touchdown off of the reverse that he ran against the Raiders showed just how hungry this guy is. It makes you think that anything can happen when this guy touches the ball.

5. Joey Porter. He leads the NFL in sacks, need I say more.

6. The Dolphins win games. They had so many close calls last year. This year they are getting the job done. They are finishing games with long drives that take time off of the clock, and guess what, they are scoring touchdowns at the end of these drives.

7. The Ronnie and Ricky show. With Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams in the backfield they have two Pro Bowl caliber running backs running the football.

8. Patric Cobbs. He goes in unnoticed, and scores touchdowns.

Lets not scream Superbowl, because we know that that is probably not gonna happen, but the playoffs sound really nice considering this Dolphins team has been struggling to find their identity in recent years. Time will tell, and hopefully the Dolphins will prevail.

http://miamidolphinsplace.blogspot.com/

The Miami Dolphins were unable to defend their AFC East title in 2009, as they went just 7-9 and finished third in the division after going 11-5 in 2008. The down year has put head coach Tony Sparano on the hot seat, just a season after everyone was praising him for the work he did to get this team back on track. The Dolphins made two big moves this off season adding wide receiver Brandon Marshall and linebacker Karlos Dansby, and are hoping the new additions will be able to get this team back on top. Here is a look at what the Dolphins will bring to the table on both sides of the ball, plus my prediction on where they finish the season in the AFC East.

Offense: The Dolphins were forced to put Chad Henne into the fire last season, as opening day starter Chad Pennington went down with a season ending injury in week 3. Henne had his ups and downs in his first real stint as a starting NFL quarterback, and has earned the starting spot heading into the 2010 season, but he must find a way to keep his interceptions down this season.

The Dolphins also suffered a big injury to the running game in 2010, as they lost Ronnie Brown after just nice games. Brown's injury allowed the ageless Ricky Williams to prove he still can be one of the better backs in the league, as Williams finished the year with 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns. With Brown back the Dolphins will once again feature one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL.

I believe that the addition of Brandon Marshall is going to pay huge dividends for the entire Dolphins offense in 2010. Marshall will keep teams from loading up the box to stop the running game, and will also give wide outs Greg Camarillo, Devon Bess, and Brian Hartline more room to roam in the secondary. Also look for a bounce back year from tight end Anthony Fasano.

The offensive line has the potential to be pretty good, as they return one of the top young left tackles in the game in Jake Long. It looks as though the Dolphins will have two new guards to start the 2010 season, as they added Richie Incognito to play right guard, while rookie John Jerry is expected to start at left guard.

Defense: The Dolphins hired Mike Nolan as the team's new defensive coordinator, and are hoping he can turn around a unit that struggled in 2009. The Dolphins are hoping that their first round pick of defensive end Jared Odrick will be ready to go and start at one of the end spots, while Kendall Langford and Phillip Merling fight to start at the other end spot. In 2009 Randy Starks grabbed 7 sacks at defensive end, but the Dolphins are hoping he can make the move to nose tackle this season.

At linebacker the Dolphins are hoping that rookie Koa Misi and former CFL star Cameron Wake can step in and play well at the two outside spots. Dansby figures to make a huge impact in the middle, and don't be surprised to see a much better season out of Channing Crowder, who should really benefit from playing alongside Dansby.

The Dolphins were forced to start two rookies at corner in 2009, and both Sean Smith and Vontae Davis are expected to keep those starting jobs in 2010. Veteran Will Allen missed most of last season, and will likely be used mainly as a nickel corner this season. Strong safety Yeremiah Bell is a tackling machine, and figures to be a mainstay for years to come. The other safety spot is wide open, and it looks like rookie Reshad Jones has the early edge at landing the starting job.

Prediction - 2nd AFC East: The Dolphins are one of my surprise teams heading into the 2010 season, and I feel they have what it takes to finish ahead of the Jets this season, but not quite enough to take down the Patriots for the top spot.

For a bigger look at the upcoming season, check out our complete 2010 NFL predictions. If you plan on betting the NFL this year, be sure to stop back for our live NFL odds each and every week.

The Miami Dolphins came out of nowhere in 2009 to win the AFC East before succumbing to the Baltimore Ravens in the first roundof the playoffs. The two main factors for the dramatic turnaroundnd rest with the acquisition of QB Chad Pennington who was released by the NY Jets after the team signed Brett Favre and the rise of the Wildcat formation that proved to catch several team (ie New England) off guard. In terms of fantasy though the Dolphins really don't have much in the way of players who fantasy owners would feel comfortable starting week in and week out. Let's dissect Miami in terms of fantasy potential heading into 2009.

After building a foundation along the offensive anddefensive lines in last year's draft, the Dolphins added to the framework with more skill position players on the second day of the 2009 NFL Draft. That was a good move because the Dolphins have very few play makers on the offensive side of the ball. Chad Pennington is back for another year but Chad Henne appears to be the future QB for the team. Even Pennington in his hey day with the Jets was really nothing more than a number 2 QB or someone that you may play based on the match ups.

So, needless to say don't be surprised if Pennington goes undrafted in most 12 team leagues this summer. Obviously, Henne bears no fantasy value at this point either. The only QB on Miami's roster that might be worth taking a very late round flier on is former WV QB Pat White with whom the Dolphins selected in the 2nd round. I doubt highly that White will be playing any QB this year and I am assuming the Dolphins drafted him specifically for the Wildcat which was so successful last year. This would be perfect for White andhe would be an upgrade over Ronnie Brown in that capacity. White, would represent the only Dolphin QB that I may consider in the late late rounds of my draft this summer.

Miami's running game was fairly decent in 2009 as Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for 1575 rushing with a 4.2 yards per carry. There lies the problem though in terms of fantasy. If you read my column "Draft Running Backs Early: Buyer Beware" this is exactly what I am talking about. While the RB by committee is advantageous to incorporate in the NFL it represents a fantasy owners' worst nightmare. I personally drafted 420 Ricky last year and to be perfectly honest with you I thought he would rush for over 1000 yards because I didn't think Brown's health would make it through a whole season thus giving Williams the majority of the carries. Needless to say I was wrong mainly because Browns knee held up better than I thought it would. Don't expect anything special out of either of these guys in 2009 either. The committee will continue and to make matters worse at least half of Brown's 10 rushing TD's came in the Wildcat formation and with the inclusion of White into the mix Brown's role in the Wildcat is expected to decrease. Treat Brown as a number 3 RB or a Flex start and Williams as a reserve worth a late round pick in most leagues.

The receiving corps for Miami is worse that its running game in terms of fantasy potential. At this point the only consistent receive threat on the Dolphins lies with TE Anthony Fasano. 2008 saw Fasano catch 34 balls for 454 yards but 7 TD's. That is an outstanding TD total for an NFL TE and Fasano clearly became the go to guy for Pennington as the season wore on. I don't believe that Fasano was a fluke and with Pennington coming back for a 2nd year there is no reason to think that he can't be good for between 5-6 TD's this year. Consider Fasano a low end number 1 TE or at worst a great number 2 TE.

Although, improving Ted Ginn Jr. has not come close to living up to his potential. Moreover, Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo are nothing more than emergency stop gaps and if you are relying on either of them to produce for you consistently chances are your season will be ending early. Miami drafted Patrick Turner out of USC and Brian Hartline out of The Ohio State University to help solidify the receiving corps. After breakout 2008 campaign and subsequent impressive Senior Bowl scouts the Dolphins are high on Turner. At 6'5" he gives the Dolphins a big target something that the team has been lacking. Look for both Turner and Hartline to make the team but neither are warrant being drafted this summer in leagues with 12 or less teams. In larger leagues then maybe as a late round flier but not much more than that. As for Ginn and Camarillo treat them both as late round reserves until they start to produce quality fantasy points on a consistent basis.

Dan Carpenter converted on all 40 of his PAT attempts and was 21-25 on FG's making him a reliable fantasy option heading into 2009. Ginn makes the DST interesting but still not a unit at this point is worthy of playing every week especially seeing as though they have 4 games agains T.O. and Randy Moss. In summary, with the exception of Carpenter and Fasano I wouldn't rush out to draft many Dolphins for your fantasy roster for the upcoming season. Next up tomorrow: The New York Jets.

Chris Limburg is the fanatical purveyor of Gothicfootball.com: A Oakland Raider/fantasy football blog that provides commentary on everything that is the NFL and fantasy football. Visit today at: [http://www.gothicfootball.com]