Reiss doesn't consider Ridley a roster lock

[Kontradiction]

Bolden is the most overrated player in Patsfan.com history. People here go nuts over UDFA for some reasons.

You weren't here for BJGE's rookie season, then. The hype machine around him was epic.

 

[varjao]

Ridley is a lock if he learns to carry the football high and tight and stops the fumbling. If he continues to carry it low and away and manages to put it on the ground like it's on fire, he's by no means a lock. Belichick was pretty clearly losing his patience with Ridley last year.

Agreed, BB would choose ball security over yards any day of the week.

It only takes one game to ruin a season, I don't like to point fingers but I believe we can count the Panthers game on Ridley with that fumble on the red zone of the Panthers field. Awful.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000284313/Panthers-fumble-recovery

Anyway I think is 98% locked at this time of the year, at a certain point of last season in a Ridley thread I said I would trade him for a 4th round pick in a minute, and I believe in this last draft we could have gotten a better RB with that possible pick or adding another pick and moving up.

Well, if he stays, he's in a contract year so I believe he will have to put up a great season to have any chance to stay in NE.

 

[RayClay]

Low and away is a careless technique for a RB. Therefore, Ridley deserves the criticism.

Couldn't agree more. It's not the amount of fumbles (it's a small sample to measure) it's the style of running and his ability to protect the ball consistently.

Faulk changed succesfully.

 

[patfanken]

Low and away is a careless technique for a RB. Therefore, Ridley deserves the criticism.

...And if THAT were the reason for all of his fumbles I'd agree with you, but you and I both know that that's simply not the case. The real question is, why are you trying to create that impression.

 

[RayClay]

...And if THAT were the reason for all of his fumbles I'd agree with you, but you and I both know that that's simply not the case. The real question is, why are you trying to create that impression.

He has literally thrown the ball up in the air while spinning. He's also piled into a crowd while holding the ball like a loaf of bread trying to get a yard.

 

[Rob0729]

he and I agree.

I think Ridley is a passable, but average back.

Blount made him look like a chump last year, and before anyone comes in here and starts talking to me about how Ridley has more potential and better burst, and all kinds of other fancy buzzwords, the proof is in the pudding, Blout took a bunch of carries all the way to the house last year, in some cases running people over to do it, Ridley on the other hand, keeps trying to dance his way through the line.

Ridley is not the long term answer at RB.

I was a Blount defender last year, but people have turned two spectacular games by Blount into his season numbers. You take away the Bills and Colts' games and people would still be biatching about trading away Demps and seventh for him.

 

[Rob0729]

Bolden is the most overrated player in Patsfan.com history. People here go nuts over UDFA for some reasons.

Bolden had one very good game two years ago and people forget he has done very little since.

 

[Rob0729]

I don't see Ridley being cut, but does anyone around here still believe he's a top 10 RB? Now those were funny days.

Ridley's not here past 2014, so hypothetically if Houston showed alot than maybe Ridley would be cut. That's too big an IF IMO, although last two years we've seen Morris and Stacy as late rounder types win eventual starting jobs and excel.

A near vet min. RB came in and stole Ridley's job last year, so I won't be surprised at anything regarding a BB RB group.

He isn't a top 10 back right now, but he certainly is capable of being one and he was certainly was one in 2012. The question is his head more than his legs. Can he mentally know how to protect the football without overcompensating and allowing it to affect his game because he is thinking too much about not fumbling.

 

[Kontradiction]

...And if THAT were the reason for all of his fumbles I'd agree with you, but you and I both know that that's simply not the case. The real question is, why are you trying to create that impression.

You must be joking.

 

[doesntmatter1]

It's a long shot, but if someone like Houston kills it then he would be expendable. I love Ridley's burst but at some point he started think he was a scat back minus the elusiveness and pass catching ability. Also, for a big back, he doesn't break enough tackles. I like Ridley, but his days as Pat seem numbered.

 

[jah]

This team has made cuts far more surprising than Ridley would be. I don't think they'll do it, but I wouldn't be very surprised if they did.

 

[RayClay]

Don't get me wrong, I like Ridley. He's a really effective, unorthodox runner in the part of the field where it matters most (moving the chains). He simply has to overcome his bad habit, because other teams will target him, then the fumbles will really come.

 

[203Pat]

Not the biggest Ridley fan but I'd be shocked if they just straight up cut him. Vereen isn't an every down guy and I just don't think Bolden is talented enough to be the starter.

 

[BradyFTW!]

That's crazy. At a bare minimum Ridley is much better than Bolden and barely costs more, so if he doesn't make the roster, it basically means that since last year we've brought in 3 guys who are all better than he is (since Blount has to be replaced as well).

In other words, no way. I'll take just about any bet, within reason, that he will not be cut prior to week 1.

 

[BradyFTW!]

You weren't here for BJGE's rookie season, then. The hype machine around him was epic.

You'd have thought that he was running straight to Canton, 3.7 yards at a time.

 

[Nunchucks]

Blunt excelled at turning short runs into touchdowns. Blount made a lot of nice runs last year and so did Ridley, but where Ridley would be tackled after 5 yards, Blount managed to take some angles that would get him some extra yards.

I think Ridley is more explosive, but Blount just had a knack for pushing his way through people for longer runs.

 

[dales804]

This is insane. Ridley is the best RB the Pats have had in a long time. Can anyone name another RB who averaged 4.5yds per carry over 555 carries. A guy who runs hard and is decent on the GL and short yardage despite not being a prototypical "big RB".

....And as for the fumbles, all RB's fumble the ball. BJGE has had just ONE fewer fumble than Ridley over the last 2 years. BTW- where is the outrage about Julian Edelman's 5 fumbles in just 36 PR's last season compared with Ridley's 4 in 178 touches. \

BTW- Adrian Peterson has fumbled at LEAST 4 times in SIX of his 8 seasons in the NFL, in fact in 4 of them he fumbled more than 4 times.

Sure we'd like him to do better. People forget that ASmith fumbled 4 times in 2001, but only twice in his next 2 years combined. fumbling is NOT a terminal illness. It is something that you can improve on. But sometimes it "just happens". If he fumbles only twice this season, I'd deem it a success.

We should only criticize a RB for a fumble IF his technique in holding the ball was bad or careless. Imagine if Brady was criticized as much for every pick or fumble he's made over his career. In fact, IIRC, Brady had a serious problem fumbling the ball early in his career. (And upon further review, Brady had 60 fumbles over the first 6 years he was a starter, and only 29 the next 6).

We are so enamored by what is the recent "flavor of the month" we often forget what we have under our noses. With Vareen and Ridley the Pats have 2 very strong and versatile RB's. If one of the rookies can upgrade Bolden I'd be fine with that. If not, I'll be fine with Bolden too.

Ridley has repeatedly held the ball in bad position to give the defense a chance to knock the ball out. And he also fumbled without being touched because of it (@BUF last year). Also, he's not Adrian Peterson; if he ran like him nobody would give a crap about the fumbles.

And Brady didn't fumble anywhere close to the numbers you gave. He fumbled 43 times his first six years as starter (2001-2006). Since then he's fumbled 21 times for a total of 64 in his career. I do remember Brady speaking during an off season (can't recall which one) about his goal of reducing his fumbles by getting stronger. Clearly that work paid off.

 

[RayClay]

Blunt excelled at turning short runs into touchdowns. Blount made a lot of nice runs last year and so did Ridley, but where Ridley would be tackled after 5 yards, Blount managed to take some angles that would get him some extra yards.

I think Ridley is more explosive, but Blount just had a knack for pushing his way through people for longer runs.

I'll take the consistent 3-10 yard runs every time. Blount got bottled up at the line of scrimmage a lot, especially for a 250 pound guy.

 

[Nunchucks]

I'll take the consistent 3-10 yard runs every time. Blount got bottled up at the line of scrimmage a lot, especially for a 250 pound guy.

He had about 20 less carries than Ridley, a 5.0 YPC (much higher than Ridley) and 5 (or is it 7?) carries for more than 20 yards.

Bottled up?

 

[RayClay]

He had about 20 less carries than Ridley, a 5.0 YPC (much higher than Ridley) and 5 (or is it 7?) carries for more than 20 yards.

Bottled up?

Do you know how averages work? If you have a lot of high yardage carries and average 5, you quite possibly are averaging in a lot of zero to 2 yard carries.