It?s said that being away from a profession that you love, is hard to stay away from. From famous athletes like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, to schoolteachers across the country, it?s a situation that does occur. The drive and passion they have for their profession never goes away, and in the back of their mind they always are contemplating on returning. The only problem is that age has caught up with them, so they have to find another avenue to still utilize their devotion to their passion.

So what happens if an athlete suddenly retired out of nowhere and now all of the sudden has a change of heart? For Ricky Williams the rumors swirling about his departure last August left Miami in a frenzy they never were able to dig out of. But with a new coach, quarterback, and offensive lineman adjustments, Ricky has all of the sudden rethought about playing football.

New Dolphins head coach, Nick Saban had been trying to contact Ricky for several weeks, and just recently received a phone call from the former back saying that he has interests in returning and has stopped smoking marijuana. Both are good signs from the Dolphins, but the slow pace of Williams making decisions isn?t. Anyone can have interest in doing something, but until they declare or set out to do it there is really no direction to take with them.

Nick Saban and the Dolphins organization will need to know Williams decision soon. If he plans on returning, Miami could use the second overall pick in another area of concern, which would be like having an additional first round pick. If not, than Miami will likely go after one of the top-flight running backs from Auburn.

Even if Williams comes back, he?ll have a lot to prove to the Miami Dolphins fans and left over teammates from prior years. It?ll be hard to do, since a lot of them feel that the sole reason for the Dolphins abomination season was from Williams. More than likely the Dolphins were in for a let down year, based on their quarterback, offensive line, and defensive run stopping struggles.

A bright outlook on the entire situation, is that Williams will be fresh. Williams was being overworked as a Dolphin, and that would have been catching up to him rather quickly. In fact, most top tier backs start to deteriorate at the crossroads of their careers because of multiple reasons, but mainly because of being worked hard on a weekly basis. It?ll be reverse for Williams, as he should have that extra burst and juice in his legs to keep his level of play top notch. It may take a preseason and a few games to get back in football shape, but from then on he should be fine. Just because he hasn?t played contact football in a year and a half, doesn?t mean he forgot. It?s like riding a bike, a person may not ride one for five years, but if someone came along with a bike, they?d be able to do it.

Most people figured Williams would end up back in the NFL eventually, as he is going to need the money. But one thing that?ll always be cast over him, is his true love for the game. Does he love the game enough to end on a good note when he is ready to leave, or will he abruptly walk away because he has millions in his pockets?