Report: Ridley May Not See Action vs. HOU [Edit: Officially Inactive]

[shmessy]

That's rich ........

Sports is a game of mistakes ... the team that makes the least usually comes out the winner. We have a coach who strives to make the least mistakes ... even his own.

I didn't see him benching himself after the Indianapolis 4th and 2 game.

Benching for a physical mistake on a night when there were 11 (ELEVEN) fumbles is his prerogative.

I hope this "strategy" works for the team in the long run.

 

[IcyPatriot]

He's not infallible. I just think this is poor resource management. You can not play him but still have him active in case you need him.

This is sending a message to a player and I don't think December football games are the best time to do make those sort of coaching decisions but we're also talking about a guy who benched his best offensive player at the start of a playoff game for some subtle jokes made in a press conference so what do I know.

What we don't see is how hard or not Ridley is working to correct his problem.
I think this move is more than just what we see on the field ...
Someone is getting the message that he is not doing what he's told to correct his errors.

Until he does ... he's not seeing the field.

 

[Rob0729]

It is kinda funny that people were killing the Pats for not playing Ridley more early in the season and now people are cheering benching him.

 

[Foxypats]

We need Ridley for the playoffs. He is the one RB that can get those tough yards and keep the chains moving. He is better in goal line situations. Hopefully this move will help him overcome his issues and not hinder them. The last thing we need is for him to have self doubt and become tentative, especially with January round the corner!!

 

[tombonneau]

What we don't see is how hard or not Ridley is working to correct his problem.
I think this move is more than just what we see on the field ...
Someone is getting the message that he is not doing what he's told to correct his errors.

Until he does ... he's not seeing the field.

IMO this is the only valid excuse. If Ridley is being trouble behind the scenes and ignoring coaches etc. but that would be literally a complete 180 to everything he has said or done in public.

I am pretty sure him spiking his helmet last week demonstrates that Ridley understands the magnitude of his problem. Throwing more attention and gas on the fire will not help.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Ridley is a tough runner, and I'm sure with Faulk's help and the right attitude he'll rectify the fumbling issue. I remember Faulk's fumbling issues well, and he was able to fix them. According to Ty Law and Troy Brown on CSN this morning, Faulk used to carry a ball around with him all the time--cafeteria, meetings...--and asked his teammates to try and dislodge the ball at any time. They even had wagers on it. I just hope that Ridley has the commitment to work that hard at solving the problem.

At first I was surprised that Ridley is inactive today but after thinking about it...if they're not going to play him then why use an active slot for him. I'd rather give his slot to Josh Boyce and see what he can do in a game.

Not being able to see a little more of the young WR to this point in the season is definitely a disappointment second only to the key the injuries we've seen. I really would like to see if he can even give the team the boost in the return game that we've been in search of for the past few seasons.

 

[JackBauer]

Don't like this move at all. Not a bit.

 

[shmessy]

We need Ridley for the playoffs. He is the one RB that can get those tough yards and keep the chains moving. He is better in goal line situations. Hopefully this move will help him overcome his issues and not hinder them. The last thing we need is for him to have self doubt and become tentative, especially with January round the corner!!

"The last thing we need is for him to have self doubt and become tentative, especially with January round the corner!!"

I hear ya, Foxy. I'm questionig how doing something like this can help that goal.

However, the fact that he will have Faulk (someone who has been in the same situation) in his ear all game long in the stands may be a good thing.

I just don't see how screwing with this kid's brain is beneficial.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

What a stupid move....stupid stupid stupid

 

[shmessy]

IMO this is the only valid excuse. If Ridley is being trouble behind the scenes and ignoring coaches etc. but that would be literally a complete 180 to everything he has said or done in public.

I am pretty sure him spiking his helmet last week demonstrates that Ridley understands the magnitude of his problem. Throwing more attention and gas on the fire will not help.

Reiss has reported that the guy has been near tears the past two weeks after the game.

By all indications, it seems that he gets it.

There were ELEVEN fumbles last Sunday night - - two by the "player of the game" and one each by the rival GOAT QB's.

I don't see why Ridley so desperately needs to be lined up by the firing squad.

 

[unoriginal]

Unlike other posters here, I am not against using Brandon Bolden and Shane Vereen versus the Texans.

Since they blitz so much and go one-on-one in the secondary, I think playing your pass-catching backs primarily against their linebackers is a good matchup advantage, regardless of whether or not Ridley has an allergic skin reaction to pigskin.

Houston was Vereen's coming-out-party last year, and Bolden is Ridley-lite with a little pass catching added in. Blount over Ridley may be punishment, but its not like Blount hasn't been effective either.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I don't see why Ridley so desperately needs to be lined up by the firing squad.

The only thing that makes it different is that Ridley's lost fumbles in three straight games.

One week is not a trend; after all Kenbrell Thompkins was a healthy scratch a few weeks ago. If he's still benched next week, THEN it's time to start panicking.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Would people not be upset if Ridley was active but didn't receive any carries, what's the difference?

Ridley is fumbling every 34 touches this year. That is pathetic for a RB. BB is punishing him for his fumbling problem. How else do you punish Ridley?

Like CT points out, KT played poorly, became a healthy scratch, and worked his way backed on the field and is playing better. The punishment worked for him.

 

[Froob]

Hopefully we see a new Ridley vs Cleveland next week. No better to teach him than Faulk.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Would people not be upset if Ridley was active but didn't receive any carries, what's the difference?

Ridley is fumbling every 34 touches this year. That is pathetic for a RB. BB is punishing him for his fumbling problem. How else do you punish Ridley?

He's still fumbling less often than Kevin Faulk did in his first three seasons.

 

[BelizePats]

Sitting him is the right move. The kid needs to just sit and watch and practice/learn how to hold the ball when running into contact. You cannot put the rock on the ground and if you do, you sit. He's the best RB we have. Period! But, this is now into a realm beyond just physical talent. Mentally, sitting him is the right move.

 

[JackBauer]

Reiss has reported that the guy has been near tears the past two weeks after the game.

By all indications, it seems that he gets it.

There were ELEVEN fumbles last Sunday night - - two by the "player of the game" and one each by the rival GOAT QB's.

I don't see why Ridley so desperately needs to be lined up by the firing squad.

Texans are not a good team. Should have kept him active an then fed the ball to Ridley if/when they got out to a comfortable lead. Give him as many carries in garbage time as possible before the playoffs.

 

[patsinthesnow]

He's still fumbling less often than Kevin Faulk did in his first three seasons.

Yup, it can be fixed. Although this Faulk example is different IMO. This team wants Ridley to be a 300 carry workhorse. Faulk was relegated to a 3rd down RB role where he only reached 100 carries a season once after the fumbling problem.

I'm not sure Faulk ever completely fixed his fumbling. Kevin Faulk, RB at NFL.com

He still fumbled in limited touches and would of had plenty of fumbles on a Ridley type workload, no? 3 fumbles in 2005 and 2 fumbles in 2004/2006 on less than 100 touches each season.

 

[patfanken]

There are only 2 reasons why Ridley have been deactivated from this game.

1. There is an injury involved that we are unaware of.

2. He continued to show a disregard for ball security during the week's practice.

I DO NOT believe that a HC as good as BB would crush a kids confidence based on one play LAST week, especially if he had been working hard at it all week. You don't reward effort with punishment.

No, more likely Ridley continued to do the same things in practice that put the ball in bad places as before. Things like that spin-0-rama move, or carrying it it low and away from his body.

I'm a big Ridley supporter. If BB is still punishing him for last week, then for a rare moment I am against this. However, I suspect its not about last week, its about this practice week, and the the lessons haven't been learned yet.

 

[patchick]

I just don't see how screwing with this kid's brain is beneficial.

What a stupid move....stupid stupid stupid

My hope is that this isn't a punitive "go sit in the corner and think about what you've done!" move, but a time out to get his head right.

There's no question that Ridley "gets it" about the impact of his fumbles. If anything, I worry that he's beating himself up TOO much at this point -- and seems likely to press and try too hard to compensate for past mistakes. Sending him into the game in that state of mind, and under a huge public microscope, could just make matters worse.