DA's not here anymore. You don't have to call him the Riddler.
But seriously, the Pats are going to be in the market for a RB come the draft. His fumbling has reached epic proportions and the entire league knows to do everything in their power to slap at the ball when they tackle him.
It was obviously a huge turnover but let's not get carried away. If this whole thread is really about calling a spade a spade, then people need some proper perspective to make the right call.
If you look at total fumbles, you'll see it's pretty common. Lost fumbles is another story, but a lot of that comes down to luck.
8 other rushers have 3 fumbles as well this season. Some of the elite backs in the NFL have 3 fumbles (Peterson, Charles, Lynch), while others with similar carries have also had 3 fumbles (Bush, Spiller, Mendenhall, Tate, Fred Jackson). That's almost half of the top 20 backs in the league in total yards, with another 4 backs with 2 fumbles.
And Ridley isn't even the only Patriot with 3 fumbles, yet I don't see ANYONE calling out Julian Edelman for his 3 fumbles, despite 60 fewer touches (including punt returns).
Obviously turning the ball over is never good, but to say it has reached epic proportions is
absolutely false and misleading.
Also, don't forget that ball security can be taught. Remember Kevin Faulk? He had 3 fumbles in only 79 touches his rookie season, another 6 the next season, and a few more years where ball security was an issue, but he was a solid contributor on several championship teams who became one of our most reliable players.
I certainly haven't forgotten the calls to cut Gronk after his two fumbles in the Cleveland loss a few years ago. It's a lesson to not get carried away over a terrible turnover.
