Which RB1's in the NFL would you take over Stevan Ridley?

[jsull87]

Ryan Williams
Michael Turner
Ray Rice
Fred Jackson
Jonathan Stewart
Matt Forte
Law Firm
Trent Richardson
DeMarco Murray
Willis McGahee
Mikel Leshoure
Cedric Benson
Arian Foster
Donald Brown
MJD
Jamaal Charles
Reggie Bush
AP
Darren Sproles
Ahmad Bradshaw
Shonn Greene
Darren McFadden
LeSean Mccoy
Rashard Mendenhall
Ryan Matthews
Marshawn Lynch
Frank Gore
Steven Jackson
Doug Martin
Chris Johnson
Alfred Morris

I still can't believe we traded that 1st to NO for Ingram... boy the pats FO must be livid with themselves for letting him get by and having to settle for Vereen and Ridley.

In all seriousness Ridley has been great for us. I would say that every back i have Highlighted i would say is equal or exceeds Ridley IMO of course. Doesn't mean i don't like Ridley, just that i can also appreciate other backs.

Ones i was 50/50 with were Gore and Richardson but i still think both are very good backs.

 

[Ring 6]

Did it hurt?

Only the credibility of the site.

 

[The Gr8est]

I signed into Patsfans.com and found myself in a Jets Insider thread.:bricks:

There is nothing to worry about. What we are seeing from Ridley is an illusion. A poster on JI proclaimed on draft day that Ridley was a 5th rounder that BB reached for in the 3rd round.

Are you gonna believe them or your lying eyes?

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

ray rice
mccoy
foster
forte
mcfadden
mjd
lynch
peterson

 

[LetsGoPats36]

McCoy and Gore on an even level with Ridley

I'm not sure which part of this sentence is the funniest.

 

[Seels]

Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice definately over Ridley

McCoy and Gore on an even level with Ridley

Depends on which Chris Johnson shows up,the old CJ is right on top with Peterson and Rice

Cedric Benson?? Donald Brown??

Ridley is no worse than 6th at his current level of play

Ridley is a bonafide pro bowler right now

You think McCoy is on an even level? Um. Wow.

I'd take:
Spiller
Trent Richardson
Ray Rice
probably Darren McFadden
Jamal Charles
MJD
Arian Foster
Matt Forte
Adrian Peterson
Lesean McCoy

I'd have to think about Ryan Matthews and Frank Gore.

 

[Ring 6]

There is nothing to worry about. What we are seeing from Ridley is an illusion. A poster on JI proclaimed on draft day that Ridley was a 5th rounder that BB reached for in the 3rd round.

Are you gonna believe them or your lying eyes?

You totally missed my point. It is like Jets Insider in that fans are drastically overrating the player because he is on our team.

Ridley has 161 career carries, and less than 800 rushing yards, plus 8 NFL receptions, and people are saying he is better than MJD, Gore, Foster, Steven Jackson, McFadden, McCoy, Forte, Charles, Fred Jackson, Spiller (who isnt even on the list) Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, Chris Johnson, Reggie Bush, just to mane a few.

 

[DocHoliday]

This is such a homer thread. Right this moment, Ridley is barely top 10 if even that.

 

[Ring 6]

You think McCoy is on an even level? Um. Wow.

I'd take:
Spiller
Trent Richardson
Ray Rice
probably Darren McFadden
Jamal Charles
MJD
Arian Foster
Matt Forte
Adrian Peterson
Lesean McCoy

I'd have to think about Ryan Matthews and Frank Gore.

How can you have probably in front of McFadden? How can you think about Gore?
There are others that belong on this list too.
Perhaps Ridley can pass a lot of them, because he looks good so far, but this thread is getting way too carried away.

 

[voluntarysaftey]

I'm hoping Ridley turns into Curtis Martin for us.

But its only been 4 games. Plenty of other players -- including Maroney and some of our current defensive players showed flashes of greatness early on and then reverted to the mean.

 

[jah]

Let's not get carried away. Right now, he's somewhere in the 13-16 range if you ranked all 32 from best to worst. I think he has a lot of potential but there are some great RBs right now.

 

[Seels]

How can you have probably in front of McFadden? How can you think about Gore?
There are others that belong on this list too.
Perhaps Ridley can pass a lot of them, because he looks good so far, but this thread is getting way too carried away.

Because McFadden was the best RB in football until he got hurt last year, does literally every single thing on the field better than Ridley, and the only real reason he's been worse this year is because he's a power running back in a zone scheme, and the lousy coaches refuse to change it.

Gore is pretty much a lock for 1000 yards every year. Ridley has been good for a few games. Maybe he'll keep it up, but if (for this year alone) if I was offered Gore for Ridley straight up I'd probably do it.

 

[Seels]

I'm hoping Ridley turns into Curtis Martin for us.

But its only been 4 games. Plenty of other players -- including Maroney and some of our current defensive players showed flashes of greatness early on and then reverted to the mean.

Right, this exactly.

and we don't know just how much having one of the best quarterbacks ever in the backfield has an influence on Ridley's ability. Is Ridley as good if they're not selling out for the pass? What if its Ryan Mallet in the back and they have to play the run -- does he get that 5 ypc? I doubt it, but who knows.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Ridley has 28 runs for 1st down...37% of his runs are for first..i think that's the best for any starting RB in the league

 

[VJCPatriot]

This thread is fun but way premature. Let's wait till Ridley manages to hit 1k before we declare him a top 6 RB in the NFL! What I love about Ridley are - his combination of burst, vision, and power. The fact that he doesn't 'dance' he hits the holes and makes positive yards but also he is way more explosive than BJGE ever was. Looks like he has a good 'partner in crime' with Bolden there too. Like what I'm seeing so far, but I'm still in the 'wait and see' mode concerning Ridley. Looking forward to seeing him tear up the Pats record books this season hopefully!

 

[Ring 6]

Because McFadden was the best RB in football until he got hurt last year, does literally every single thing on the field better than Ridley, and the only real reason he's been worse this year is because he's a power running back in a zone scheme, and the lousy coaches refuse to change it.

I meant why would you say probably? Its a nobrainer that McFadden so far is better

Gore is pretty much a lock for 1000 yards every year. Ridley has been good for a few games. Maybe he'll keep it up, but if (for this year alone) if I was offered Gore for Ridley straight up I'd probably do it.

That's also what I meant, its crazy to put Ridley in their category.

 

[drew4008]

McCoy is getting no love.

And umm.. Michael Turner anyone?

Let's settle down a little. We're 4 games into 2012, his FIRST year starting. If other teams' fans were to come read some of the posts on this thread they'd think we're total homer dumbasses.

I'm excited about his progress and potential as well, but let's slow our roll lol..

 

[BradyFTW!]

Ridley is better than:
Ryan Williams
Michael Turner
Law Firm
Willis McGahee
Mikel Leshoure
Cedric Benson
Donald Brown
Ahmad Bradshaw
Shonn Greene
Chris Johnson
Fred Jackson (can't stay healthy, probably not the best RB on his own team)
Rashard Mendenhall
Ryan Matthews

Small sample size and/or can't really say at this point:
DeMarco Murray
Doug Martin
Darren Sproles (excellent in his specialized role, Ridley is a better pure runner - really depends on what you're looking for)
Trent Richardson (I know his stats aren't great, but blame the passing game. He's literally the only player on that offense that opposing defenses need to respect)
Alfred Morris (has looked great, but who the hell knows with Mike Shanahan RBs)

Better than Ridley right now, but if I was signing one for the long term I'd strongly consider Ridley:
Frank Gore
Steven Jackson
Reggie Bush
Jonathan Stewart (I'm not even sure that he's better than Ridley. I have no idea what to make of Stewart, and he might not be the best RB on his own team, and he's hurt all the time. Really good when healthy, though.)

Clearly better than Ridley. Hard to make any kind of a case for Ridley, even long-term:
MJD
Ray Rice
Matt Forte
Jamaal Charles
AP
Arian Foster
LeSean Mccoy
Marshawn Lynch
Darren McFadden (although he's hurt often enough to give me pause)

On current talent alone, with no regard for the future, Ridley is probably about the 20th best RB in the league. I'd take any of the guys in that last two groups over him, for this season alone.

In general, it's hard to evaluate Ridley even now, because playing against defenses that are concentrating on the passing game makes any RB look better than he is. He could be the anti-Trent Richardson, although seeing him through four weeks has confirmed what I thought I saw last year: he's probably about a league-average starter, and he might even be better than that.

Also, IMO Spiller is better than Fred Jackson.

 

[BradyFTW!]

McCoy is getting no love.

And umm.. Michael Turner anyone?

Let's settle down a little. We're 4 games into 2012, his FIRST year starting. If other teams' fans were to come read some of the posts on this thread they'd think we're total homer dumbasses.

I'm excited about his progress and potential as well, but let's slow our roll lol..

Have you watched Turner this year? To his credit, he's picked it up in the past two weeks after an abysmal start, but Ridley has been better than him so far. And since RBs tend to become elite out of nowhere--most commonly in their second year, BTW--and fall off a cliff when their mileage gets too high, I don't think it's rash to make these kinds of declarations after 4 weeks. RB career arcs aren't gradual like quarterbacks'

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I may be overrating Ridley a bit,but I am excited about having a ground game in NE again and less worry about Brady having to do it all.

I do think Ridley is going to be a star in this league though.

I still think he will be a top 10 RB when the season is over.