Saturday Patriots Notebook 2/28: Will Ridley Return in 2015?, 'Staredown' Coming With McCourty?, More

Will Ridley get a shot at redemption in New England in 2015? (USA TODAY Images)

It's amazing how one great year can be so overshadowed by one bad one in the NFL. But unfortunately this is a league that focuses on what a player has done lately and not who they were even a year ago.

That's just the way it is and it's always been that way. Unlike baseball or any of the other sports, contracts and roster spots aren't awarded thanks to lifetime achievements. The world that is the National Football League is a revolving door of hundreds of players each year who start out with promise while many of them end up returning to normal civilian life. Some go out and make a name for themselves. Some slide down the ladder back into obscurity. It's not an exact science, and every year there are always players who surprise you on both ends of the spectrum.

For Stevan Ridley, he's a player who has been on both sides of that fence. The former 3rd round pick out of LSU evolved into a player who rushed for over 1,200 yards in just his second season, only to slam into a wall the following year and his timing couldn't have been any worse. Coming off of his frustrating 2013 campaign where fumble troubles derailed his follow-up season, Ridley was in need of a terrific 2014 as he headed into a contract year.

Instead, he ended up tearing his ACL and MCL against the Bills in week six. Season over.

Just to add a little insult to injury, he got to stand on the sideline and watch his friends and teammates win it all without him. Now he's the forgotten man who has to not only prove his knee is healthy enough for him to get back to playing at a high level, he has to also prove that his rough patch is over and brighter days are ahead.

"Where I'll be playing, and who I'll be playing for, is still unknown," Ridley told Sirius XM Radio Friday. "But I know I've come in and done my job up to this point and now I have to put it in my agent's hands to get me on another team, or stay where I'm at, and make sure I'm in pads playing ball somewhere next year. I know if you think about it too much it will worry you sick."

Looking at Ridley's entire body of work with more open-minded outlook, it's been a long time since the Patriots had this caliber of talent in their backfield. He's a guy who has been one of the best combinations of quickness and explosiveness that they've had since back when Corey Dillon was with this team and changed the dynamic of their running game. From there the Patriots went through a variety of running backs before Ridley came along, and as he weathered the storm in 2013 the addition of LeGarrette Blount ended up being a good thing for the veteran back.

Blount's style is drastically different from Ridley's, and the two did a great job of giving two different looks over the course of the latter part of the season. Both played well in the final five games of 2013, and 2014 saw Ridley carry the ball 94 times without a fumble before that horrible afternoon against Buffalo where his season came to an end.

After heading off to what he thought were greener pastures by signing a contract as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Blount took advantage of Ridley's misfortune after he was cut by Pittsburgh midseason. From there he jumped back on board the Patriots' offense and ended up being exactly what their ground game needed. All the while, Ridley wasn't back out there with him after being forced to undergo surgery and start focusing on 2015.

Now the Patriots will need to make a decision, and the obvious answer for Ridley and his agent is to try and reach a one-year deal to keep him here so that he can work his way back into what will likely be a productive offense yet again next season. It's great for the Patriots because they get a guy who doesn't have a choice but to be at his best, and it's always an advantage to have a guy who is playing with a lot to prove and a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

Should he move on, it will be disappointing given what we know he's capable of. We already know Blount's a solid back. We also know what Ridley brings when he's at his best. He was just starting to show it again before he got hurt, and hopefully he'll get at least one more year to get back on track here in New England in 2015.

McCourty and Patriots Headed for a "Serious Staredown"?

Greg Bedard of MMQB had an interesting take on the upcoming negotiations with Devin McCourty, and wonders if the negotiation may get contentious if McCourty balks at an extension after he's given the franchsie tag designation.

From Bedard:

"Safety Devin McCourty and the Patriots could be in for a serious contract stare-down before the start of free agency. Safety is now a premium position, and with the dearth of free-agent and draft talent this year, McCourty has a lot of leverage to get a top contract. And I'm not sure the Patriots would pay another top contract in the secondary if their plan is to keep cornerback Darrelle Revis. But I expect McCourty and the Patriots to get something done, amicably, at some point. Most likely scenario: McCourty gets the franchise tag and agrees to a slightly team-friendly deal down the road. He's not a boat rocker. And there are more important things to him than money. The only way things get contentious is if the Patriots tag McCourty and then he balks at an extension. The Patriots don't like that (see Welker, Wesley)."

Hopefully that doesn't end up being the case. McCourty recently talked about the fact he felt the salary cap was a "team-friendly" number, and hopefully the two sides can come to an agreement to keep him here for the foreseeable future.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Cleaning up some of the items that didn't make it in here from earlier this week, it appears that the NFL.com's Bryan Fischer believes that if Georgia running back Todd Gurley is sitting there when the Patriots go to make their pick at 32, they have to take him."I don't see how you pass up on Todd Gurley if he's there at 32," NFL Media analyst Curtis Conway said. "They may not go running back in the first round, I could see running back more in the second round for the Patriots. But if Gurley is sitting there at 32, you have to take him." ... Heading into 2015 another question mark is the receiver position, mostly because Aaron Dobson hasn't quite settled into a role yet after battling through injuries and other issues that have set him back. Mike Reiss talked about him in his mailbag this week, and believes Dobson isn't necessary considered to be a roster lock and the Patriots could address the position in the draft. "There aren't a lot of Megatrons and Bryants around, but this wide receiver class is deep and you might be able to get part of what you're looking for after the first round. On Dobson, I think it's fair to say that any honeymoon-type period is over. Entering his third year, he isn't considered a roster lock from this perspective." ... Vince Wilfork is apparently investing in technology, with a report this week pointing out that a smartphone app - Boston's "Wigo" that helps college students answer, 'Who's going out tonight?' - has apparently raised an additional $1.5 million in funding and Wilfork is on one of their investors. According to the report, it's been downloaded at 1,400 campuses in the US so far and could be something that appears on its way to catching on. .... Former Patriots tight end Ben Coates is apparently headed to the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame's class of 2015. According to WSPA.com, the Greenwood native and former Patriots star will be among several notable names to be honored on May 11th. ... We'll end on an entertaining note this morning. UBC Professor Marina Adshade had an interesting take on how the Super Bowl affects men's "desire for porn" in the Huffington Post this week. From the article, "When Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson's pass at the goal line, near-certain victory turned into certain defeat; Seahawks fans were left feeling crushed and, at that moment, each and every Patriots fan felt like a champion. And you know what champions do? They go forth and procreate." Hopefully your Sunday night a few weeks ago helped to prove this study correct.