WILL RICKY GO UP IN SMOKE?

Byline: BILLY WITZ

When Ricky Williams reports to the Miami Dolphins training camp today, he'll be tested by teammates who think he walked out on them. He'll be tested by new coach Nick Saban to see just what kind of player he is. And he'll be tested by the media who want to know where his head is at.

There's one test, however, that won't go away: A drug test.

Williams, one of the NFL's most productive running backs, left the Dolphins and a $3.5 million salary last summer after testing positive for marijuana. It was the third time he'd tested positive, earning him a four-game suspension that he'll now serve at the start of this season.

Another provision of the NFL's drug testing program is that Williams is now subject to as many as 10 unannounced drug tests in a calendar year. If he fails another test, Williams faces a one-year suspension.

Dr. Paul Roman, the director of the University of Georgia's Center for Research on Behavioral Health and Human Services, says the degree of support Williams receives from the drug program's counselors and from the Dolphins can be crucial to whether he stays clean.

In other words, he can get by with a little help from his friends.

``It depends what top management thinks,'' said Roman, who studies substance abuse programs. ``It's important to get the proper kind of treatment so (Williams) isn't left rummaging around on his own. To say here's a phone number is not adequate. It should be another part of the coaching staff in a way.''

Roman lauded the Yankees as an organization that has been aggressively pro-treatment, but said there's been little research on substance abuse programs in sports because many pro teams consider it an intrusion.

``Team cultures vary on the extent of helping each other versus competing,'' Roman said. ``They want to play as a team, work as a team and win as a team. But the downfall of an individual can benefit others. If a guy goes down the tubes, you can take his place.''

A significant factor, of course, will be just how badly Williams wants to play football. Enough to stay clean?

After leaving the Dolphins, Williams told the Miami Herald that one of the reasons he left was to be free to smoke marijuana without any recriminations from the NFL. He'd grown tired of using masking agents and simply didn't bother anymore.

Also, players who are in the NFL's program must always keep the league informed of their whereabouts - be it at home or at a Buddhist retreat in India - so they can be tested at a moment's notice.

An Esquire reporter tracked down Williams in Australia last fall and reported Williams shared a joint with him that was ``sturdy enough to prop open a door.''

Still, Roman believes if Williams is interested in putting pot away, it shouldn't be terribly difficult.

``There's a lot of hype that marijuana is addictive, but I don't see the support for that,'' Roman said. ``I'm not saying it's a good substance, but it's not heroin, it's not crack, it's not meth.

``I'd certainly make the assertion that if he wants to pass drug tests, he's capable of doing it. If he wants to, he can, but the culture around him will have an impact. It's the great unknown.''

--Strange relationship: When Tim Brown officially called it a career last week, he was called Mr. Raider and viewed by Al Davis as the embodiment of the organization. It probably wasn't the type of epitaph Brown envisioned in 1994, when he signed a free-agent offer sheet with arch-rival Denver.

The contract was filled with poison pills, making it expensive for the Raiders to match. Davis stunned everyone when he did.

``I thought I was absolutely gone,'' said Brown, who spent 16 years with the Raiders before finishing his career with Tampa Bay last season. ``The (nasty dispute between Marcus Allen and Al Davis) had just happened and Al knew I was a big Marcus Allen supporter, so I didn't think it was possible that he'd bring me back knowing how I felt about him.

``When they brought me back, it sort of brought about a change in our relationship. If he was going to bring me back, I wasn't going to be tormented so I had to go see him. He didn't like some of the things I said and vice-versa, but at the end of the day we walked away with a mutual respect. The last four or five years, the relationship was pretty good - as good a relationship as it can be with Al Davis if you're a player.''

While Davis praised Brown last week, he didn't attend his retirement press conference in Oakland, nor have they spoken since Brown was released last August.

--Return of the Raiders?: For all the negotiations the NFL has undertaken about returning to Los Angeles, Brown isn't so bullish about its return - unless it's the Silver and Black.

``I just don't think this city is ready to support any team other than the Raiders,'' Brown said. ``The fan base here (is) guys who are going to go to Raider football games. People are not going to buy PSL's and season tickets, and know that they're not going to come to a game unless the team is hot. It's very hard to have 65,000 people who are going to support this venture all the way through, especially when some of these new stadiums are asking people to buy these public seat licenses three years in advance.''

And the chances of the Raiders returning? Consider that the Coliseum, according to a source, sought to include language in its term negotiations with the NFL that would prohibit them from returning. But both the Coliseum's and the NFL's attorneys concluded that such a provision wouldn't fly in court.

--Deep sixed: Tennessee's surprising decision to draft cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones with the sixth pick - instead of Antrel Rolle - doesn't look very smart now, considering his seeming omnipresence on a police blotter.

As profootballtalk.com recently noted, recent No. 6 picks have been one headache after another. The Browns' Kellen Winslow, after an injury-shortened rookie year, will miss this year after tearing up his knee when he crashed his motorcycle. Prior to that, the Saints took defensive tackle Jonathan Sullivan, who when injured last year was seen filling his piehole at the pre-game media meal. In 2002, the Chiefs took Ryan Sims. Who, you say? Exactly.

--New role: When Travor Turner played at UCLA in the late '90s, he chased quarterbacks. Last week, he was imitating one.

The former defensive end-turned-actor served as a stand-in for Daunte Culpepper when the Vikings quarterback was filming an NFL promotional spot at the Coliseum.

``I never thought football would lead me here,'' said Turner, who began getting roles as an extra through some friends who played at USC. ``But this is something I want to pursue.''

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The true test for Miami running back Ricky Williams in his return will be passing up to 10 unannounced drug tests by the NFL each year.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images