Although we’d like to think of ourselves as a scientifically oriented society, there’s a certain amount of magic and mysticism that accompanies almost everything we do. Nowhere is that more true than football. Players are carefully groomed, statistics are highly monitored and every potential player is examined from their high school and college career foreword to see their strength and weaknesses. Though all this happens, the perceived potential of an NFL draft pick is still pure prophecy. Some players fulfill their promise and make a team the Super Bowl winner. Other players fail to make that potential a reality and lead their team down a dark and winding path.
Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams was anybody’s dream of a football player. A Heisman Trophy winner with speed and strength, he seemed like the next Walter Payton or Earl Campbell. It was no surprise to anyone when head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Mike Ditka, traded all of his draft picks to get Ricky Williams. Although Williams and Ditka seemed like opposite sides of the spectrum, conventional wisdom was that Williams would lead the Saints to an unprecedented string of wins....