WILLIAMS NEEDS DIFFERENT PUNISHMENT

Ricky Williams has time to kill.

And that's not good.

Williams, the Dolphins' odd-bird running back, has begun his four-game
suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. For the next six
weeks, Williams can attend team meetings, lift weights with teammates and
receive medical treatment. He cannot participate in or watch practice. He
cannot attend games.

So, what will he do?

"I'll sit at home with my little boy and watch on TV," Williams told
reporters in Miami. "I've never had a chance to do that."

The NFL's stance on substance abuse is admirable. One-fourth of a season is
a heavy price for any player to pay, not only for what it costs in lost
wages but also lost opportunity. NFL careers don't last all that long, and
if Williams fails another drug test he will be suspended for a year.

But let's talk terms.

Is it truly in the best interests of an athlete with a weakness for
marijuana, or any illegal substance, to cut him off from the team, to
prevent Williams even from watching? Isn't the point of getting high to
escape feeling low? And, is it really punishment to let a rule-breaker watch
TV with his son while he serves his time?

Williams says he won't even miss playing football, that he retired for a
year and didn't miss it, so this will be no different. By cutting him off
from the most important team activities is, in essence, rewarding him with
free time. That's not how the penal system works.

Williams should have to watch every practice, go to every game. When the
team travels, he should have to get on a plane, sleep in a hotel room and
pay attention during meetings.

Also, he should fill water bottles, clean up the lockerroom after everyone
leaves, and sort the laundry.

Most important, he should stand on the sideline during games, accountable
for his actions, while teammates play without him. He should look them in
the eye and know he was unable to help.

Williams was the Dolphins' top rusher during the preseason with 126 yards on
30 carries. It stands to reason the team will miss him, especially with
rookie running back Ronnie Brown still getting acclimated after a long
training camp holdout.

Miami has a bye in Week 4, which means Williams' suspension lasts through
Week 5. He will be eligible to play for the first time Oct. 16 against the
Bucs at Raymond James Stadium.

But it shouldn't be his first game.

PUNTER FROM DOWN UNDER: One of the NFL's oldest rookies won a job. Ben
Graham, a 31-year-old former Australian Football League star, is the Jets
punter after beating out veteran Micah Knorr. The left-footed Graham won the
job with booming, 70-yard, end-over-end kicks hardly anyone can field
cleanly.

"We kind of laugh at our guys. They see it every day and they can't catch
it," coach Herm Edwards told reporters. "And our guys are tickled to death
on the sideline when he starts punting in games. They're almost betting
money that they won't be able to handle it."

HIGH PRICE, LOW RESULT: Peerless Price isn't the first receiver to discover
it's easier to get open with a Pro Bowl receiver on the other side of the
formation. Price, who was released by the Falcons, joins Alvin Harper and
Az-Zahir Hakim among receivers who struggled to jump from No. 2 to No. 1.

Harper went from Dallas to Tampa Bay, Hakim from St. Louis to Detroit, Price
from Buffalo to Atlanta. All were successful No. 2 receivers with their old
teams. None met the demands of top billing with their new teams, including
facing the opponent's best cover corner.

IT'S JOEY JOB: What might have been an interesting quarterback controversy
is over before it began. Jeff Garcia broke his left leg in Detroit's final
preseason game, leaving the Lions without a proven backup to starter Joey
Harrington.

Information from other news organizations was used in this report.