
The future at running back may be a little hazy, but there are few teams in this league that can boast about having two backs as talented as Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Sure, Ronnie has had his injuries, and Ricky has had his drugs, but when both are on the field together, they have been brilliant.
The studly one-two punch has been given the nickname R&R Express, and in order for the Dolphins to do what they want to on offense in 2010, that train is going to have to keep on rolling all season long. The addition of Brandon Marshall gives Dan Henning the resources to open up the offense a bit, but in reality, having a legitimate threat at receiver for defenses to scheme around, opens up more space than ever for Ronnie and Ricky.
Teams can longer stack the box to stop the run. Dare I say this will be their most successful season, together? First things first though, Ronnie is going to have to stay healthy. Something he has only accomplished once in his career, which just happened to be the magical turnaround of 08'. Secondly, Ricky can't start showing any signs of slowing down. Even though he's now 33, that isn't so far fetched, considering he spent nearly three whole seasons out of football, and he has spilt carries with Ronnie for the majority of the second half of his career. Still though, he could hit the wall any season now.
This time next year, the running back position may be completely up in the air. But for now, at least, Dolfans can relish in the fact that Miami has two of the most talented in the business.
Safe
Ronnie Brown: This could be Ronnie's last season in Miami, but there's no question he's got top ten talent at the position. He makes the wildcat what it is, and has an excellent combination of power and athleticism. The durability issue has almost single-handily cut his career down, however. Has it just been a misfortunate case of bad luck, or is he really this injury prone? Whatever the case, hopefully he's due for a full-sixteen game season, because the running game and the offense as a whole, takes a huge hit when he can't go. Let's not forget he still has been rehabbing the foot that suffered the Lisfranc fracture, but all signs point to him being 100% by the end of the month.
Ricky Williams: How much longer can he keep this up? Many backs stumble to mediocre status once they hit the dreaded age of thirty, but Ricky is still running strong at thirty-three. He probably can't carry the load by himself anymore, which was evident by the way he wore down in the last few games of the season, but if Ronnie can stay healthy, and the Dolphins can manage to keep both players' workload relatively even, he still has the potential to be arguably the best complimentary back in the league.
Patrick Cobbs:The return of Patrick Cobbs may be more significant than you think. He's the ultimate utility player. He returns kicks, lines up at receiver, executes reverse plays out of the wildcat, and steps in at his actual position when called upon. Many argue that he's Sparano's favorite player, which is consistent with the way he gushes about Cobbs in press conferences. It's still uncertain if he will be able to return to his old-self a year removed from an ACL tear, but at the end of the day, he does too much for this football team to not find a spot.