Just when it seemed the New Orleans Saints were headed in a positive direction, Ricky Williams goes and puts a negative spin on everything.

Put your helmet back on Ricky, and fasten that strap around your mouth.

Williams spared very few in an article in this week’s National Enquirer –oops, I’m sorry, Sports Illustrated. I just had this image of a picture of Williams on the front of a tabloid with a bold headline reading, &uot;Why Ricky’s heart is hurting.&uot;

Unfortunately, this comes at a time when we have a coach and general manager making some seemingly great moves such as signing quarterback Jeff Blake, defensive tackle Norman Hand, wide receivers Joe Horn and Jake Reed, guard Tom Ackerman, defensive backs Fred Thomas and Chris Oldham, linebacker Charlie Clemons and tight end Andrew Glover. And pursuing Neil Smith.

So with renewed enthusiasm at an all-time high, Williams (Rickety Williams as some folks in New Orleans are calling him) spouts off against his teammates, coaches and the city of New Orleans.

&uot;’I’d live in Austin,” Williams says in the March 20 issue of Sports Illustrated. ”New Orleans is a great place to hang out, but not a great place to live and work.”

Williams also complains about his incentive-based contract, a head coach who hasn’t coached him yet and self-centered Saints teammates who he says delighted in humiliating him and who never apologized when he was hit in the backfield.

In an article by former LSU center John Ed Bradley, who did an article for SI about Ditka talking bad about New Orleans and upset some folks, Williams talks about how bad his offensive line is and how his teammates referred to him as a crybaby.

You think your line was bad then Ricky.

In the article, Williams talks about the Saints’ organization, saying &uot;I’d fire everyone. The secretaries… I like our trainer and our equipment manager. But some of (the other staff) wlll rat on you. It p— me off so bad.&uot;

Obviously Williams used bad judgment in not talking privately to Saint coaches and players about his problems. Even if he was misquoted or didn’t realize what was going into the article, there is still some major damage that will be tough to overcome.

It’s a shame, because this could have been a great year for Williams with much more talented folks surrounding him.

Atlanta fans have seemingly forgiven John Rocker for his comments in Sports Illustrated that sparked a wide debate.

But Rocker wasn’t attacking Atlanta and did not lash out at his team as a whole.

Williams has now infuriated Saints’ fans and that’s not a good bunch to get on your bad side.

The bad thing is that with a 1,000-yard season they would have held him on a pedestal.

But Ricky is standing on very shaky ground now after saying his teammates seemed to like it when he got hit hard and how New Orleans has never had a star (have you ever heard of Archie Manning, Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling, Chuck Muncie, George Rogers or Wes Chandler?).

Ricky, I suggest you get to camp early, keep your mouth shut, compliment your teammates and sign a lot of autographs. This isn’t Texas or high school anymore and there are no more special privileges. That boat you just rocked hit an iceberg. And right now there’s no one on board to throw you a life support jacket.

Then again there is that one guy who traded the house for you last year, you know, the one you posed by in a wedding gown. Maybe he’ll take you back.

Joey Martin is sports editor of The Democrat. He can be reached by calling 446-5172 ext. 232 or at joey.martin@natchezdemocrat.com.