Ridley

[RayClay]

I could not care less who our best RB is as long as The Committee continues to contribute their varied talents

Love Ridley

Well said.

Now remember, it is better to have died as a young boy than...

 

[RayClay]

Maurice Jones-Drew has fumbled six times this year. I think I'd still rather have him than BJGE.

I'd rather be 13-3 than 5-11.

 

[sg14]

Can someone tell me about the fumble?
Was it a good hit on the ball/ player or bad technique by Ridley?

Ridley does tend to spin, run backwards that I am sure the coaching staff is wanting to correct.

 

[SpiderFox53]

Our best RB is the one who can pick up the blitz. That rules out Woodhead.

That's unfair. Woody is very good at getting in the way of the blitzer. He's just not so good at not getting run over by that same blitzer. His size is not his fault.

 

[West Philly Patriot]

I'd rather be 13-3 than 5-11.

Objection, Relevance?

I'm sure MJD's league leading 1600+ yards are the reason the jags are 5-11 and BJGE's 667 yards are the reason the pats are 13-3. Thank god we didn't end up with Shady McCoy and his 8-8 record.

 

[LoganMankinsPancakeBlocks]

Yes, the torch has been passed. Ridley is our best back and that's why he has led us in carries and yardage for each of the past 3 weeks. He's simply the better, more explosive runner as his huge YPC advantage shows.

Green-Ellis will still have a role as a short yardage/goal line back where he is excellent and extremely reliable but I see no reason to go back to Green-Ellis as the #1 back. 3.69 YPC over a full season is inexcuseable in an offense run by Tom Brady, where you won't find stacked boxes to try and take away the run like in some other offenses.

I will say that I think Green-Ellis is hurt and capable of playing a lot better than he has this season. There was speculation he had turf toe earlier this year after, I believe, the big game vs. the Jets when he sat out practices with what was just called a toe injury. That's the type of injury that can linger all season for a running back and really hurt their effectiveness and I don't think it's a coincidence his production has fallen off a cliff since then.

But it boggles my mind that people are willing to accept a 3.69 YPC just because a RB doesn't fumble. It's a nice quality for sure but this isn't the QB position where whether a guy is turnover prone is a huge factor in whether your team wins or loses. The leading RB in fumbles lost is only 3, or less than once every 5 games. Not fumbling at the RB position is nowhere near as important as how effective you are when you get the ball.

 

[patsfan-1982]

Ridley is a good back but we will see a lot of BJGE in the playoffs cause he never turns it over

 

[SpiderFox53]

The Patriots are starting to employ that 'two back approach' which is so common in today's NFL...a running back corps by committee is the best way forward. Pat Kirwan wrote about it in his book...the issue in the past with running backs is that teams would give their best back the huge bulk of the carries (kind of like what Adrian Peterson is asked to do for the Vikes) and with that, their careers were drastically shortened.

Ridley is the speedier and more agile guy...I personally think Green-Ellis is the better power runner although I'm not knocking Ridley's ability to do it. You use your agile and speed guy in the situations which best dictate to use him, then you have your short yardage/goal line back (that's Green-Ellis). The committee approach is the best way forward and we'll continue to see it...but Ridley should definitely start to see the bulk of the carries in my opinion. There's little doubt about that in my eyes.

Having that approach prolongs the life expectancy of your feature back and keeps him fresh. The Giants do the same thing with Bradshaw and Jacobs. Vereen is the future at 3rd down back and I don't see why Woodhead hasn't got a future here. Re-signing Green-Ellis is a must in my eyes.

The Patriots started using this approach while Corey Dillon was still on the team. Other than that, I agree completely with your post.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

Can someone tell me about the fumble?
Was it a good hit on the ball/ player or bad technique by Ridley?

Ridley does tend to spin, run backwards that I am sure the coaching staff is wanting to correct.

I've seen him carry that ball a a bit lose. I believe he got hit from behind and the ball bounced forward like 10 yards and out of bounds.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I prefer Ridley going forward, but at this point in time I think that there very much is a question over which one is better. They both have a role, though, so it's no some pressing issue where they're competing for a roster spot.

 

[SONS_OF_BELICHICK]

We have a good set of backs that offer a variety of skill sets ....

Faulk is going to retire so ....I think they will sign a free agent RB next year.
As for BJGE, I think he offers the hammer the patriots want so that TB doesn't have to sneak so often . The problem is what is he going to cost next year? Would you take him if he was wants 5 to 6 million???? I think he is about a 3 million back for us.
I think RB is the least of our worries next year....

 

[randomk1]

I'd rather be 13-3 than 5-11.

Those 5 wins are likely only because of MJD. It's not even close.

 

[BradyManny]

Is there any doubt he is our best RB?

BJGE may still have his role, but Ridley is much more dynamic.

 

[Dragda]

this is like arguing which screw driver is better, a phillips head or standard. It depends on what you are screwing. There's a punchline in there somewhere...

 

[scout]

Bring Ridley along, he has the potential to be the back who takes over games. There is no one I'd rather have carrying the ball in the fourth quarter running down the clock then BJGE. I think everyone can agree with that.

 

[PlainOldEd]

There is no doubt Ridley is the best rb on this team. He has been since the preseason.

I like Ridley, but this is a ridiculous statement.

 

[PonyExpress]

I like Ridley, but this is a ridiculous statement.

Ridley provides Pats with something they haven't had since 2004: a legit NFL runner. This was manifest from Ridley's first preseason appearance. See note #4 in post #13 of the following thread:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...schi-tap-lions-vs-pats-page2.html#post2653835

 

[The-Hooded-One]

We have a good set of backs that offer a variety of skill sets ....

Faulk is going to retire so ....I think they will sign a free agent RB next year.
As for BJGE, I think he offers the hammer the patriots want so that TB doesn't have to sneak so often . The problem is what is he going to cost next year? Would you take him if he was wants 5 to 6 million???? I think he is about a 3 million back for us.
I think RB is the least of our worries next year....

Who in the world is going to pay BJGE 5 million dollars?

 

[weswelker#83]

BJGE may still have his role, but Ridley is much more dynamic.

But he dropped a ball, yesterday, and lucky us the ball came out the field.
Do this in playoff and see what will happen.

 

[RobertWeathers]

But he dropped a ball, yesterday, and lucky us the ball came out the field.
Do this in playoff and see what will happen.

I tend to agree. If it's a tight game I highly question Ridley getting fed the ball not because he has a propensity to fumble (because we don't know if he does or not) but because he is a rookie.

With that said, if there is a playoff game that is going the same way as it did vs the NYJ last year (which screamed for a big-play RB), BB will roll the dice and put in Ridley.