#azcardinals release RB Ryan Williams and 3 others: TE end Brett Brackett, C John Estes, LB Kenny Rowe— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) May 12, 2014
Williams entered doghouse last camp. Cleared to practice, complained of knee pain, underwent plasma-injection treatment. #azcardinals— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) May 12, 2014
Really unfortunate NFL career so far and I wish him the best wherever he ends up.
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Ugh. I knew his injuries were going to be a threat to his career but that one about the doghouse is a gut punch. Never thought I'd hear that about him.
You're joking right? Ru had a ton of discipline problems while he was here, and was known to be a huge jackass. Lil' Sweetness isn't too sweet.
Wilson seemed to respect him (vice-versa).
Yep, and as dedicated of a Hokie fan as I am, I don't remember any media or internet conversations of this while he was here. I remember the contrary, that everyone loved him while he was here. The biggest concern with him was how to get him enough touches.
Yeah I don't recall any conversations about his discipline problems, and I thought his work ethic was good. There was a video from the Cardinals a year or two ago about recovering from his first(?) injury and the whole video was about how hard he was working to get back.
Maybe he was a jerk, I dunno. I could see it. Maybe there were stories about him being a jerk downtown or at parties or something, but I never heard about them.
I don't think there were any discipline issues at all, but he was pretty pretentious. Given, if I was RMFW I would be a tad pretentious as well, so ya know...
I always heard positive things about him from fellow students.
A former teammate of his told me that he had one of the worst work ethics he'd ever seen. Apparently he would be "injured" the beginning of every week but be "100%" every Thursday/Frday. Food for thought
Ah, yes. We talkin' 'bout practice...
may want to give a little more evidence to support your claim instead of just calling someone a jackass...
He and ifScrapp probably hang out together
Another reminder that concern by (any NFL) team officials about long term recovery from injury is minimal at best. The overwhelming priority is to get the player on the field, and the onus is on the player to accept the pain and possible future health concerns. It's been that way for a long time. RB's are a cheap commodity these days and extremely disposable. That's why my sole focus for any Hokie players that dream of NFL careers is that they invest as wisely as possible. That might not be as glamorous as being a starter or even making the Pro Bowl, but it does impact the next several decades of their life. Best of luck to Ryan Williams in whatever he does, he always exemplified the Hokie Spirit with class and dignity.
Wow this one burns. Such a beast when healthy and I have no doubt that if he can get healthy that he will be a beast again. Best of luck Ryan.
Not that surprising but still kinda sad. He was a special runner when he was healthy, but I think without a ton of NFL film he'll have a tough time landing another spot with a chance to start. Hope he lands somewhere though and gets back on track in the game.
Ryan is still very young.When healthy, he has some fantastic moves. Hopefully he gets picked up by another team.
I wouldn't call him very young". He has 3-4 years before he is considered old for a rb
He left school early, he's got 5-6 years before he's old for an rb.
RB's are now so disposable that no one is interested in a injury prone guy that's already been in the league for a few years when there is a cheaper healthier alternative available every single offseason via the incoming crop of college players. This is a prime example of why the average NFL career is 3.5 seasons. Let's see, how long has Ryan been in the league?
Average NFL career vs old for an RB are two different things. A 28-year old back is not old, see: Curtis Martin, Frank Gore, etc.
Maybe saying old is too strong, but a 28 yr/o rb going to free agency is typically considered a short time filler until a younger rb can come in - and those backs almost always have lots of experience.
To put it in perspective, Rashad Mendenhall retired this year at 26, the average retirement age for starters at the position is between 29 and 30. Inexperienced backs usually retire/leave the nfl much earlier as there really isn't a market for 26 year old backs with little or no experience. Rmfw is already 24 and never been a full time starter. Calling him young is a bit inaccurate
Mendenhall retired because he wanted to, not because he couldn't play anymore. Not the best example.
With the emergence of Andre Ellington, I feared this would happen.
It's unfortunate, but with the depreciation of running backs in the nfl now days and the wealth of younger talent coming out of college, it's going to be very difficult for him with so little actual game experience and so much history with injuries
While on one hand it's easy to lament his release as a former Tech player who made for some exciting games, the other hand (his) was guaranteed about 3 million smackeroos just for signing if I recall correctly. Guess that's why the Cards held on to him for as long as they did, trying to get some ROI. Hope he does find a new place and stays healthy. That TD run against Bama was a 'sweet' introduction.
I just hope he invested wisely from the start. For this very reason - injuries are never expected - my bigger concern for Hokies in the NFL/NBA/Euro hoops is that they bank as much cash as possible. Life goes on beyond ballin' for many decades.
Hopefully Ryan's career doesnt end the same way as Derran Evans: two solid RBs with injuries issues.
Which is the problem with B1G, ACC and SEC Rb's. Conferences generally feature run first offenses which leads to wear and tear on a RB. Whereas you could get one from BigXii or Pac-12 with less wear and tear. Or Clemson style offenses which there are not a lot of in those 3 conferences.
Bruce Arians is a fair coach and did not want to do this. The NFL is also business. Ryan is a victim of injuries and salary cap.
After hearing the news, I immediately spent the afternoon watching his highlights:
dang it I miss this guy. We soooo need another RMFW!!!!
MarshawnMFWilliams ?
He had the moves and some nice vision but he also had some pretty big holes to run through at times. I hope we can see some holes like that again soon.
Ryan Williams was one of the most talented RBs we've ever had at Tech. Some RBs make runs whether or not a hole is there. He was one of those. Some RBs don't make runs even when the hole is there. Our skill/production at RB recently isn't solely on inferior OLs, our RBs could do much better with what they have. Different topic for different day, though - Ryan Williams was the man!
Watching those highlights just reminds me, man that kid had some MOVES. What a superb talent.
Love watching how quickly Ryan got down hill in 2009. Great nose for the goal line.
I remember him dragging an NCST defender 10-15 yards to get in the end zone. Good times.
What an awesome trip back to the not so distant past. It's coming back boys and girls! A running game, solid O-line play, ACCCG showings, consistantly being ranked!! It will be glorious too!!
Yeah thats definitely...uh...what were we talking about?