The first time Jamal Lewis rips off a huge gain, count on the rabid Baltimore Ravens faithful to forgive him for his past mistakes. Yes, he screwed up and yes, he is paying for it. But at least he is not viewed as a quitter.
Unlike Ricky Williams, whose recent request to return to the NFL was greeted with cynical sneers.
In a week in which two of the NFL's elite running backs made more headlines off the gridiron than on it, it quickly has become apparent there is considerably less public sympathy for Williams than Lewis.
The wrath of Fish fans toward Williams reached a fevered pitch the past few days in lieu of his desire to be reinstated.
In their minds, Rasta Ricky would rather smoke grass than play on it.
And they won't let him forget it.
The hottest selling item in Florida the past two months is a t-shirt produced by Coral Springs-based Colossoul Designs. The front shows Williams, his eyes blacked out, burning a spliff, accompanied by the slogan "F--- you Ricky."
In any pro sport, walking away from your teammates like Williams did just two days before training camp is taboo, a snub not soon forgotten.
A fan poll conducted by the Miami Herald the other day underscored just how much Williams is perceived as a traitor who likes to burn weed more than score touchdowns.
More than half of the 2,820 respondents said the Dolphins should ship Williams out of town in the event he receives the green light from the league to come back.
Only 18% indicated they would welcome him back -- and only if he subsequently runs for 100 yards per game.
In an interview that will appear in Esquire early next month, Williams also said he regrets not talking with Miami coach Dave Wannstedt before he abruptly retired before the season.
"I should have been man enough to have a conversation with Dave before all this happened," Williams said. "But I didn't. I got scared, and I just told him I was retiring. It just came out."
Even if Williams does get a favourable ruling from commissioner Paul Tagliabue, he still faces a suspension for being a three-time flunkee of the league's drug-testing policy.
Whatever happens, Williams' days in Miami are over. Team leader Zach Thomas does not want him back and neither do the fans.
Lewis, meanwhile, will not appeal the two-game suspension meted out by Tagliabue. Lewis will miss the Ravens' home game Oct. 24 against Buffalo and their game Oct. 31 in Philadelphia.
WHERE'S WILLIS?
If Willis McGahee's surgically repaired knee is indeed in playing shape as the Buffalo Bills suggest, why has he become such a forgotten man?
While Mike Mularkey's decision to have Travis Henry lug the ball the majority of the time is understandable, there seems to be a reluctance on the part of the rookie head coach to spell his No. 1 back with McGahee.
McGahee, the Bills' controversial first-round pick in the 2003 draft, has touched the ball just twice in the past two games, a stat that has left agent Drew Rosenhaus alarmed.
"It's clearly disappointing that someone with so much talent hasn't had the chances," Rosenhaus told the Buffalo News. "We were all very excited about this season for him and I guess he can only go up from here."
Having dropped their first three games, the Bills might be well-advised to change their stumbling schemes and include McGahee in their matchup against the 3-0 New York Jets tomorrow.
STREAK SHOWS
Dan Marino quits the Dolphins after being in the front office for less than two weeks. Williams leaves the team in August. A training camp injury sidelines wideout David Boston for the season. And now, just when things couldn't appear worse for Miami, they travel to New England knowing the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots need just one more victory to establish a league-record for consecutive wins with 19. When it rains it pours ... Despite getting his bell rung against the New York Giants last week, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will make his 213th consecutive start (including playoffs) when he takes the field against the Tennessee Titans Monday. Banged-up Titans quarterback Steve McNair also is expected to play.
