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Lost in the Barry ARod Duckslosingapalooza was the surprising news that Ricky Williams will become an active member of the Miami Dolphins on Monday. Cam Cameron welcomed the running back with open arms and could be cleared to play as soon as the November 26th Monday Night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On a typical Thursday evening this might have been fairly big news. Williams sounds rejuvenated and eager to play football again. Of course, he's said those things before and the several million dollars he still owes the organization might just be a factor.
''I'm in a place now where it's easier for me to appreciate what it means to be a football player,'' said Williams, who passed his physical Thursday morning. "Because of that, I think that's a big reason why I'm here.''Ricky checks in at 230 pounds and apparently is great shape. It's hard to determine whether he'll even take a snap the remainder of the season or if he can even be productive, having been away from the game for so long. Additionally, Jesse Chapman has a firm hold on the starting running back spot.
Williams says he's confident he won't fail another drug test -- as he has already done five times during his career. (''If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have even tried.'') He also says he's motivated to return to the game he once dominated. During his 1 ½ years away from the NFL, Williams said he came to some realizations about himself. For one, he has learned to accept and embrace the responsibilities of being a football player outside of just playing the game -- something that both age and maturity have helped him to deal with.
''I hated being a football player before,'' Williams said. 'Someone asked me a question. They said, `Do you like playing football?' I thought about it and I thought about it and I thought about it. And the next day, I was doing this exercise and I was writing down my ideal paradise moment. "And when I really thought about it, [paradise] was playing football. I realized that I love to play football, and I love to be on the field. But I hated being a football player.''
Do you think Ricky Williams is worth a waiver wire pick up?
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