Ricky enjoyed True North when life went south
Perhaps it is fitting that the Miami Dolphins are playing the Buffalo Bills in Toronto on Sunday.
It is the city where Dolphins running back Ricky Williams spent his one and only year in the Canadian Football League. It also is the place where his love of the game was rekindled.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Williams said of his first game in Toronto since playing for the Argonauts in 2006. “I had a really good time. I got to meet a lot of great people and I just really enjoyed myself there. It will be nice to meet up with some old friends.”
After the NFL suspended Williams for the entire 2006 season for a fourth positive test for marijuana, the Dolphins gave him permission to join the Argonauts, who made him the CFL’s highest paid running back at $240,000.
Williams had an injury-plagued year in Toronto, missing several games with a broken hand. He also hurt his left Achilles tendon when a door at the team’s practice facility was opened and hit him on the back of his leg.
Williams was still productive as he rushed for 526 yards and caught 19 passes in 11 regular-season games and helped lead the Argos to the CFL’s Eastern Conference Championship Game, which they lost to Montreal.
Playing north of the border gave him an idea of how important the CFL is to Canada.
“I know that each town that we went to, including the hometown fans, when you go to a game the people there are true fans,” Williams said. “Sometimes, especially in Miami, you get people coming only when you’re winning. Going to places like Hamilton or Regina, Calgary, there are really, really huge football fans there.”
Williams won’t be welcomed back by Bills fans, but he expects a warmer reception from Argos followers who attend Sunday’s game.
“I assume that they’ll be happy because there’s some kind of connection,” Williams said. “The only team I played for in the CFL has been the Argonauts, so they have no reason to boo me.”
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The Bills got a bit of a scare Thursday when running back Marshawn Lynch experienced back spasms during positional drills. He was limited the rest of the day and had trouble bending over.
Head coach Dick Jauron said the spasms are nothing new and they won’t prevent Lynch from playing on Sunday.
Quarterback Trent Edwards missed practice again with a sore groin. He hasn’t been ruled out yet, but it’s highly unlikely he’ll play. Tight end Robert Royal (hamstring) and cornerback Jabari Greer (knee) also didn’t practice, though Royal did some light running.
Defensive end Aaron Schobel (foot) and strong safety Donte Whitner practiced fully again, increasing the likelihood they will play Sunday. Defensive ends Copeland Bryan (foot) and Chris Ellis (ankle) and linebacker Teddy Lehman practiced on a limited basis. Defensive Chris Kelsay returned to practice after missing Wednesday’s session for personal reasons. His wife, Natalie, gave birth to their second child on Monday.
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Dick Jauron’s decision to defer to the second half after winning the coin toss has yielded mixed results. The Bills have done it five times and they scored touchdowns three times to start the second half. However, the last three opponents have taken the opening possession and driven 70 or more yards for a touchdown.
“We go game by game and by circumstance. Weather, obviously, plays a part in that decision,” Jauron said of taking the ball first or deferring to the second half. “The only way to turn it around is to not let them drive and just play better earlier in the game.”
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Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin has been named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month for November. He started three games in the month and had two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown in the Bills’ 54-31 win at Kansas City. That same week, he returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in a 29-27 loss to Cleveland on Monday Night Football. . . . The Bills announced that Sunday’s game is a sellout.
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