Baltimore Ravens Sign Former Dolphins Running Back Ricky Williams

I'm as big a Ricky Williams fan as you will find, so it kills me to write this story from the perspective of a Dolphins fan.

However as a fan of the man Ricky Williams himself, I'm kind of happy to write it.

Its been reported by Mike Florio of profootballtalk.nbcsports.com that Ricky Williams has signed a two-year deal worth up to $4 million with the Baltimore Ravens.

Ricky will share carries with Ravens star Ray Rice, who last season rushed for 1,220 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games, carrying the ball 307 yards and averaging 4.0 yards a carry.

Last season, while sharing the load with new Eagles running back Ronnie Brown, Ricky played in all 16 games running for 673 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per attempt in 159 attempts.

While I felt that the Dolphins were somewhat set at Running Back with Daniel Thomas as their main back, its still sad that Ricky will not come back to Miami. He would've helped out in the backfield and added depth to the position. Its likely that this signals that the Dolphins will be using Lex Hilliard and Kory Sheets more often.

Meanwhile in Baltimore, Ricky will be working with former Dolphins coach Cam Cameron, who was only able to use him once, a Monday Night game against Pittsburgh, before Ricky tore his pectoral muscle after being stepped on by Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons and wound up missing the rest of the season.

The Ravens will most likely use Ricky as a third-down-back and in some cases in the same backfield as Ray Rice, similar to how they've used McGahee the last two years.

On a personal level, Ricky Williams has been one of my favorite football players, and my favorite Dolphin. I've never met him, but I don't just like him as a player, but as a man as well. Williams seems like a good guy because of what he's done in the South Florida community and how many people he has helped by being up-front with many of his problems, allowing more people to feel comfortable in seeking help with any mental health issues they may have.

From all accounts, he's one of the nicest guys in all of football and deserves continued success in all aspects of his life.

So Ricky, from one of your biggest fans, best of luck in Baltimore. While I will always bleed aqua and orange, I'll cheer for the Ravens when they're playing anyone except Miami.

And if by chance we meet in the playoffs, I hope that you rush for 100 yards and two touchdowns, with the Dolphins winning 21-14.