The first number Travis Minor wore for the Dolphins was 34.
He doesn’t want it back.
“I know I’m not Ricky Williams,” Minor said. “Nobody out there is Ricky Williams. No, I’m comfortable with my number now. I think 34 is Ricky’s number.”
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It is telling that Williams told Minor of his intent to retire before he told Dolphins coaches and executives. Williams phoned Minor to tell him, essentially, that he was turning things over to a friend.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t take him serious, but, I thought it was just Ricky being Ricky,” said Minor, the Dolphins’ top back heading into training camp. “Then you see it flash across the TV screen and you realized it was real.”
Yes, Minor, the former Florida State standout with 144 rushes in three seasons and no professional starts, is the Dolphins’ most experienced back.
Coach Dave Wannstedt wondered aloud Wednesday how many carries Minor has had and how many yards per carry he has averaged.
“Travis is a tough kid,” Wannstedt said.
It turns out Minor averaged 4.7 yards per attempt last season, significantly better than the 3.5 Williams did.
Of course, Minor, a third-round draft choice in 2001, ran for only 193 yards last season.
Listed at only 5 feet 10 inches, 205 pounds, can Minor handle the bulk of carries for an NFL team? Despite praising Minor’s instincts, speed and quickness, running backs coach Joel Collier said: “We don’t know.”
Well, Minor has at least one key believer in running back Warrick Dunn, a fellow Seminole who says he is Minor’s distant cousin.
“Travis has waited his time and is deserving of this opportunity,” Dunn said from Falcons training camp. “Now he doesn’t have to make a play when given so few plays in a short period of time. He can get comfortable.”
Minor, who generally is unassuming, said he can lead the Dolphins to the playoffs.
“I have confidence in my abilities and I know that the past two years what I’ve contributed is nowhere near its potential,” Minor said. “I feel like I can make a big play. I feel like any time I get the ball I can score and take it the distance. At the same time, I feel I can be tough and get some yardage when people don’t expect me to.”
Collier said if the Dolphins run 30 times in a game, they might hand the ball to Minor 20 times, plays initially planned for Williams.
“Travis was very rarely hurt here,” Florida State running backs coach Billy Sexton said. “To me, Travis was 30 pounds heavier than Warrick Dunn and he was faster. He’s very intelligent and I’m just hoping the best for him. This is a great opportunity for him. I know every time we gave him an opportunity he capitalized on it.”
If the Dolphins bring in a veteran back to compete, Minor said it’s fine.
“Whoever they bring in,” Minor said, “is not going to be Ricky Williams.”