***THE OFFICIAL 2014 New England Patriots training camp thread***

Brady_to_Moss said:

I hope he is more patient as well but if he fumbles early on again...I think it will be a very short leash. But he is by far out best RB

Click to expand...

He flashes but lacked big plays last year. He had the lowest YPC among the 4 RBs last year.

BelichickFan said:

Ridley is not getting patience. This has been going on since his rookie year when he was inactive for the Super Bowl. He's entering a last chance (with this team) season. Not a forgive and forget season.

Click to expand...

So, if he fumbles in games say--#5, #10, and #15 you don't believe that he'll still be getting chances?

He fumbled the exact same amount last year (4) as he did in 2012 when he ran for 1300 yds and 12 TDs.

The only thing that changed was the context of the fumbles, and the fact that he was on a shorter leash due to allowing 2 defensive scores when we were inside of the opposition's 30 yd line. Even after the Polamalu fumble in week 9 vs PIT, Belichick was still sticking up for him and saying that it's not just about one specific factor.

If he fumbles early on in the year, or has repeated weeks of fumbles = a stretch of a couple, then yes--things may be much worse for him. If not, he should be expected to get opportunities. After all, Belichick ended the year giving him opportunities, and he didn't fumble in the last 6 games. Let's not forget that RBs do fumble at times. It will be up to Ridley to keep those down to 2-3 sporadic times throughout the season if he expects to get chances.

supafly said:

So, if he fumbles in games say--#5, #10, and #15 you don't believe that he'll still be getting chances?

Click to expand...

It will depend on the context, even Belichick couldn't answer that question right now. But Bill and Stevan aren't having a beer and a laugh together right now saying "yeah, that's all in the past".

BelichickFan said:

He flashes but lacked big plays last year. He had the lowest YPC among the 4 RBs last year.

Click to expand...

Ridley had almost the identical same YPC last season as he did in his excellent season the year before. It was 4.4 vs 4.3. He was on pace for the exact same production with the exact same number of fumbles as the year before.

The only difference was that he had a stretch of very poor situational football where he not only cost his team points by errors, but his mistakes directly led to the opposition scoring on the same play. Those are 14 point swings, and it happened twice with the Polamalu fumble in between. By that time he was on thin ice, and his next (4th) fumble got him benched.

BelichickFan said:

It will depend on the context, even Belichick couldn't answer that question right now. But Bill and Stevan aren't having a beer and a laugh together right now saying "yeah, that's all in the past".

Click to expand...

No, I don't believe they are. I agree with your notion that he's definitely on a short leash. I think we may have a bit of a difference of opinions on the specifics, however.

Personally, I feel as though he will get an opportunity to correct his mistake and do his job. It will be up to him to limit his mistakes, but I do feel as though he'll make some mistakes along the way just as well. It will be up to him to try and spread any mistakes out. If not, he'll be riding the bench.

I could be wrong, we'll have to see.

strngplyr said:

Ridley is one of the most well spoken and intelligent sounding players I've heard in the NFL in recent history.

He's the rare player that accepts full responsibility and understands why he's been in the position he's been in the parts of 2013 and 2011.

If there is any player that i'm confident can be coached up it is definitely this kid. It just takes time, if you've been doing something one way for 13-14 years and suddenly find out it's not quite the best way, it's hard to break the natural habit of doing it. Muscle memory is a very powerful thing.

I think that, barring the emergence of another back as a rusher, Ridley will top his 2012 season numbers.

Click to expand...

Ridley is articulate, lively and engaging. He is also an incredibly gifted runner who (to my eyes and to the Football Outsiders stats) makes impressive yards when things are stacked against him. His balance and eye for the gap are amazing.

If he didn't have a fumbling problem -- that is, if he didn't fumble more than is to be expected -- I'd love to see him as the number one running back. But that's a big "if". Over the last couple of seasons only Jamaal Charles and Alfred Morris of the top backs fumbled more. And this is the NFL. If your game has a single weakness, you know that your opponents will spot it and feast on it.

If Ridley raises his game this season, I couldn't be more thrilled. He seems like a great kid and he's a superbly talented player.

To me the problem with Ridley's fumbles is it has some type of effect on him. He'll go 3 games securing the ball, than the 4th fumbles, and it goes on into the next game. Almost like his fumbles comes in 2's or 3's.

He fumbled vs Pitt, we had a bye week after that, than in the RZ vs Carolina, than the final nail on the coffin was Denver the week after that. And that's how its been his Pats career.

I love Ridley, so here's hoping he corrects this. We're a much better team with him.

I just don't want to be in the game thread if/when Ridley fumbles the ball in weeks 1-3. The overreaction will be magnificent. It will be the worst game thread ever. Extra points if Amendola takes a moment to get up after getting hit during the same game.

supafly said:

I'm still a bit undecided as to what position may see some shaving of fat, but yes--RB is an excellent one to assume at this point in time. We have to see it somewhere and with the possibility of keeping more at both QB and WR, keeping only 4 at RB could end up being probable.

Click to expand...

Most weeks we are only going to have Ridley, Vereen, White, and Develin on the 46 man roster anyway so unless you really value Bolden, which I am in limbo over you most likely could sign either Gray or Houston to the practice squad and have depth in house in case of an injury.

Brady6 said:

Most weeks we are only going to have Ridley, Vereen, White, and Develin on the 46 man roster anyway so unless you really value Bolden, which I am in limbo over you most likely could sign either Gray or Houston to the practice squad and have depth in house in case of an injury.

Click to expand...

I think it is way to early to pronounce White ready to be a game day active. Many players drafted at or ahead of where White was had nice stretches in camp and struggled to be active and have a role.
Bolden may be a JAG but he is a known quantity, and White has some proving to do to get to that level. I agree he is an encouraging prospect, but we are jumping the gun quite a bit on this guy.
Bolden made the team last year, and that was with Blount on the roster as the 1A base O RB. As of now Bolden has that role to lose.

Mike the Brit said:

Ridley is articulate, lively and engaging. He is also an incredibly gifted runner who (to my eyes and to the Football Outsiders stats) makes impressive yards when things are stacked against him. His balance and eye for the gap are amazing.

If he didn't have a fumbling problem -- that is, if he didn't fumble more than is to be expected -- I'd love to see him as the number one running back. But that's a big "if". Over the last couple of seasons only Jamaal Charles and Alfred Morris of the top backs fumbled more. And this is the NFL. If your game has a single weakness, you know that your opponents will spot it and feast on it.

If Ridley raises his game this season, I couldn't be more thrilled. He seems like a great kid and he's a superbly talented player.

Click to expand...

Fellow Riddler-fans, here's an interview with SR. It has him saying all of the right things. Let's just hope they translate into a stunning season. He's certainly capable.

http://nesn.com/2014/07/patriots-rb-stevan-ridley-even-boobie-miles-couldnt-outwork-me/

PatsBoy12 said:

Am I the only one who got goosebumps when I read the title of this thread? I can't believe the day has finally come. If the first day of training camp feels like this, then I can't wait for September 7!

Click to expand...

Sept 7 ... can't wait ... Oct 5th i REALLY can't wait ... Dad's flying up from Florida, I'm flying up from Houston ... First game together since 1989!

Chevy said:

Sept 7 ... can't wait ... Oct 5th i REALLY can't wait ... Dad's flying up from Florida, I'm flying up from Houston ... First game together since 1989!

Click to expand...

Hey, that's pretty cool. Congrats and have fun.

Dennard back at practice today. And Charlie Weis is there.

Re Dobson.

Jeff Howe @jeffphowe · 47m
It seems to truly be a day-by-day process for both Dobson and Easley as they rebuild strength before returning. Both hoped for ASAP return.

Click to expand...

Jeff Howe @jeffphowe · 46m
In a new development, sources revealed Dobson actually had a permanent screw inserted in his foot during the March 10 surgery.

Click to expand...

Jeff Howe @jeffphowe · 45m
Dobson only began running in July. He's continuing to build up strength so he can aggressively plant/cut. Pats won't risk re-injury.

Click to expand...

Jeff Howe @jeffphowe · 42m
Dobson's initial estimation of 2-3 months has been obviously classified as overly optimistic. Was a significant surgery, as screw suggests.

Click to expand...

PUP

The thought of him sitting for our the First 6 games doesn't sit well with me. It's not like Dobson is proven so I cannot see BB carrying him on the roster the way he did with Gronk last year.

supafly said:

So, if he fumbles in games say--#5, #10, and #15 you don't believe that he'll still be getting chances?

He fumbled the exact same amount last year (4) as he did in 2012 when he ran for 1300 yds and 12 TDs.

The only thing that changed was the context of the fumbles, and the fact that he was on a shorter leash due to allowing 2 defensive scores when we were inside of the opposition's 30 yd line. Even after the Polamalu fumble in week 9 vs PIT, Belichick was still sticking up for him and saying that it's not just about one specific factor.

If he fumbles early on in the year, or has repeated weeks of fumbles = a stretch of a couple, then yes--things may be much worse for him. If not, he should be expected to get opportunities. After all, Belichick ended the year giving him opportunities, and he didn't fumble in the last 6 games. Let's not forget that RBs do fumble at times. It will be up to Ridley to keep those down to 2-3 sporadic times throughout the season if he expects to get chances.

Click to expand...

Context did change, too, but he also had more than 100 fewer carries last year than 2012 (178 vs 290). I like Ridley but he simply needs to stop the fumbling. Take care of the ball. I saw a photo of him from a few days ago at practice and he was running with the ball high and tight. I haven't ever seen him run with the ball like that in previous seasons. I don't know if any observers of practice have noticed anything different in the way he's holding the ball but it jumped out to me in the photo.

EDIT: Here's the photo:

In a new development, sources revealed Dobson actually had a permanent screw inserted in his foot during the March 10 surgery.

Click to expand...

Son of a.....

I don't know if it would have mattered in this particular case, but this is why I'm such a big proponent of taking it slowly and extra carefully when it comes to foot injuries.

JDot said:

Re Dobson.

Click to expand...

Well that sucks. Big time. This also explains why they're taking it so cautiously with him. It's also a shame that this happened in a time where he REALLY could have used the extra time with Brady.