There are, indisputably, at least three kinds of causes for fumbles:
- Bad technique.
- Bad/unlucky field vision. (This applies especially to strip sacks of QBs, but can also apply to ball carriers.)
- Hellacious hits.
I'd raise the number further, by saying there are different circumstances for technique, the extremes being when you're trying to push through a pile and when you're trying to juke somebody in the open field.
What I can't accept from Ridley is poor technique when he's plowing through heavy traffic. My first thought for the coaches is to do whatever it takes -- including intimidation-through-benching -- to correct that, while groaning and bearing it if he fumbles in more open-field kinds of situations.
My reasoning behind that is that wrapping up the ball up tightly presumably takes him out of his preferred posture and balance; otherwise he wouldn't use bad technique in the first place. And there's less cost from that disadvantage when he's plowing through a melee than when he's running in the almost-clear.
