The worse thing about the one-year suspension for Ricky Williams is that he won’t be permitted to be around his Miami teammates for support nor will he be able to use the team’s facilities to prepare himself physically for the grind of being a 30-year-old running back in 2007. Miami coach Nick Saban was pleasantly surprised with how Williams fit in with his teammates last season and by November, Ricky was showing signs of returning to top form without the help of a quality offensive line.

The Dolphins still have a huge financial claim against him, plus Williams will soon have a fourth child to support. He needs a high-paying job. Football appears to be his only option, but the odds are truly against him because he’s going to have to train and push himself.

What about Woodson?

When the Packers, a 4-12 team a year ago, were awarded three prime-time games when the schedule was announced earlier in the month, it was apparent to everyone that the club had told the NFL office that Brett Favre would be playing in his 15th season. Favre officially told the team on Tuesday that he will be attending next week’s mini-camp, regardless of who they draft this weekend. Favre must need the $10 million he will earn because the Packers don’t figure to improve that much this season with or without ex-Raider Charles Woodson.

The Raiders thought Woodson would sign with Tampa Bay, but you have to wonder if Woodson, who is being asked to move from cornerback to safety by both clubs, has the fortitude to deal with Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Unlike his stay with the Raiders, Kiffin will push him and make him practice and point out his mistakes.

Bush's off-field issues

It may eventually be proven that USC’s Reggie Bush knew more about his mother’s living arrangements, courtesy of Michael Michaels and a minor San Diego sports agency trying to land the Heisman winner, but the bottom line is that the Houston Texans aren’t concerned and it won’t impact his draft status. If the Texans opt not to pay Bush, the New Orleans Saints will step in and draft him second overall. The NFL doesn’t care if Bush’s mother, brother and stepfather lived in a house rent-free for an entire year.

The Bush story is a bigger one for USC and college football.

And like someone told me yesterday, if the NCAA knew about everything illegal with big-time football programs, many of the Top Ten schools would have to forfeit every game and finish 0-11 every season.

Raiders’ QB situation

Why would Al Davis want to draft either Matt Leinart or Vince Young? OK, the answer may be that he knows they can never win with Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo. However, don’t the Raiders need to start winning now? They were 4-12 last season and how can they improve on that record with a rookie quarterback? Finally, what does that say about spending a third-round pick on Walter last year and a second-round pick on Tui in 2001? Would you call those wasted picks?

L.A. story

After years of wishing for Pasadena or some other locale to step up, the NFL is leaning toward endorsing the Los Angeles Coliseum next week in Dallas as the future NFL site whenever L.A. gets a team or lands an expansion team. Anaheim makes sense, too. The league has been so frustrated with the Los Angeles situation and it’s inability to sway any politicians to their side for anything but the Coliseum.