Raheem Mostert spent time this week reflecting on his record breaking season and Ricky Williams
By Brian Miller
Ricky Williams once rushed for 16 touchdowns in a season for the Miami Dolphins. It set a team record. It hasn't been touched since. Well not until Raheem Mostert and Mike McDaniel.
Last Sunday, Mostert broke Williams' record and then, because he could, he broke Mark Clayton's single-season Dolphins record for most combined TDs, 18.
Mostert met with the Miami media this week and was asked about the record breaking day.
"“I was sitting there thinking about Ricky Williams. I grew up a big Ricky Williams fan. Just this past Tuesday, I drove back to my hometown and me and my brother got to hang out at the park and we started reminiscing about life. There was a time we both wore Ricky Williams’ jersey at one point when we were younger. So to be able to break that record, it’s so surreal for both him and I. We looked up to Ricky when we were younger.”"
- Raheem Mostert - MiamiDolphins.com
Maybe I watch too many movies but I can picture Mostert and his brother sitting on the backs of a park bench, hunched over with their hands on their knees, "right over there brother, that's where we used to play football with the kids in the neighborhood." "Yeah, do you still have your Williams' jersey?"
As I said, too many movies. The reality is though that for any kid the dream of playing in the NFL is always a special one. Any kid that puts on the pads during their life has had dreams of playing pro ball. For me it was baseball. Life, most of the time, has other plans. For Raheem Mostert, those other plans led him to his dream.
Mostert went on to tell the media that he has met Williams and that Williams did indeed reach out to him via social media to congratulate him. Mostert thought that was "pretty cool" so I suppose when a celebrity likes your "tweet" or comments on a social media post, that is o.k. to find that pretty cool.
Mostert isn't rushing for records though. He is preparing for a final stretch of the season against three of the toughest defenses in the league. All three teams are playoff contenders and with the Bills winning on Saturday night, they too are now in control of their destiny. They moved up to 6 in the playoff chase.
Mostert is closing in on a career milestone of his own. Mostert is only 34 yards from reaching 1,000 on the year. If he reaches it, it will be for the first time in his career, and coming at the age of 31 is impressive as well.
The Cowboys got railroaded by the Bills last week on the ground and Mostert knows that there will be an opportunity to get yards but he also knows that there could have been other reasons for the Cowboys giving up so much on the ground, 266 to be exact.
Mostert told the media that there could have been a lot of reasons the Cowboys gave up so much. He cited a good Buffalo Bills game plan and potential errors in play calling. He knows that from week to week, things can change but he is also excited for the opportunity. He is also remaining grounded. Mostert knows that if the Dolphins are going to win, they have to "bring their A game."
As for the reflection, there will probably be a lot more at the end of the season but for a guy that has fought his age, injury history, and the rumors of replacement through free agency, the draft, and the trade deadline, Mostert is just doing what he does best this year. Run the ball, catch the ball, and score touchdowns.