Daily Madden: Former NFL Star Ricky Williams Takes On Coaching Role
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Former Pro Bowl running back and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams has taken a job as an assistant coach at a small college in Texas. "You're not sure what you want to do or what you're going to do after you're finished playing," John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew.
"The one thing you know about Ricky Williams is that he knows what a running back has to do and what a running back has to be. Now that doesn't make him a teacher, and that's the next step," said Madden.
"He knows what has to be done and he knows how to do it, but you know the big thing about being a coach is can he teach it."
Williams, the 2002 Pro Bowl MVP who was later suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy, will work with running backs at the University of the Incarnate Word.
Madden said Williams will have to show that he can educate young players. "They always say that the C students were the better teachers -- that the A students didn't understand the C students, but the C students could understand the C student and the B student and an A student," said Madden.
"There is something to that, that the guys that were the great players can't understand an athlete that doesn't get it as quickly as they could, or couldn't naturally do some of the things that they could do. And they don't work with them and they get frustrated and they don't know the teaching progression."
Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter is back on the 15-day disabled list after straining a quad. It happened in the 39 year old's first game back with the team after missing the start of the season with a broken ankle. Madden fears the injuries could signal the end of Jeter's career. "He would like to have gone out like Mariano (Rivera) did and not this way," Madden said.
"He'd like to have gone out on his own terms, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. The body just doesn't come back the way it did."
Daily Madden
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