Well, time to talk about this.
2 fumbles before halftime. 1 returned for a TD. Immediately benched.
Does he even last the season?
2 fumbles before halftime. 1 returned for a TD. Immediately benched.
Does he even last the season?
Ridley's butterfingers...not delicious
- Thread starter Smiling Joe Hesketh
- Start date
You only get so many chances. He has all the talent in the world but as Belichick has said, "dependability is more important then ability" and NE can't rely on him right now.
He was sent right out there after the first one. He hasn't seen the field since the second. And given what happened to Maroney, he may never see it again.
We've heard time and time again that BB absolutely hates "error repeaters".
Ridley with 2 fumbles today. I think we're going to see a lot of Vereen / Blount, and wouldn't be surprised to see Develin active next week.
Ridley with 2 fumbles today. I think we're going to see a lot of Vereen / Blount, and wouldn't be surprised to see Develin active next week.
Ed Hillel said:
If anything, the fumbles are a reason to let him walk as a free agent at the end of his rookie contract and draft another RB next season. There's just no way this team - lacking offensive skill talent - can cut Ridley for another bad fumble(s).
That said, get ready for RB workouts galore this week during practice.
I can't think of too many backs who once they got the 'Fumble Prone' tag put on, they later got it fixed. It's usual either/or and Ridley has the stink.
The gap between Ridley and Vereen and even Bolden and Blount isn't big enough for Bill to take the risk that Ridley continues to fumble without even being hit.
I hope he stays on the bench.
I hope he stays on the bench.
Wasn't Tiki Barber the guy that Coughlin "fixed?" (Not up on Giants lore, but I recall the press about an NYG running back having fumblitis and being rehabilitated).
It doesn't change this thread and the points made. In BB's world, this is not a skill that lasts long.
It doesn't change this thread and the points made. In BB's world, this is not a skill that lasts long.
I can forgive a fumble when you get drilled but the second one and his reaction (or lack thereof) are inexcusable. It is too far because I actually do think there is a large talent gap between him and the other RBs but you just can't put the ball on the ground like that.
He will get a chance to redeem himself, though. The season is long and running backs get dinged up.
He will get a chance to redeem himself, though. The season is long and running backs get dinged up.
Yup and Faulk. But in general, the odds are with the once-and-always theory.Mystic Merlin said:
I am unsure of the mental acuity of a fumble prone football player who uses the ball as a landing pad while slipping to the turf.
This guy might need the helmet on 24x7.
This guy might need the helmet on 24x7.
The argument is the same as it was last year. There are other good runners on this team. The rushing attack is only partially about the RB. Blah blah blah.
I was for benching Ridley for Vereen last year, when the fumbles weren't even that big a deal. You can guess where I stand on it now. Vereen offers more versatility, and honestly looks to have a lot of the same burst that Ridley can provide. So long as Ridley carries any serious increased risk of fumbles, he should remain stapled to the bench as he was today. I'd give him a few more shots this year to prove this game today was an abberation, but he doesn't have that much good will left.
I was for benching Ridley for Vereen last year, when the fumbles weren't even that big a deal. You can guess where I stand on it now. Vereen offers more versatility, and honestly looks to have a lot of the same burst that Ridley can provide. So long as Ridley carries any serious increased risk of fumbles, he should remain stapled to the bench as he was today. I'd give him a few more shots this year to prove this game today was an abberation, but he doesn't have that much good will left.
Reminded of the scene(s) in "The Program" where James Caan has Omar Epps carry the ball all over campus. "Anybody but you returns this ball to me, you're gonna wish you were never born."
He'll get another shot, but if he coughs the ball up again it will likely be his last carry of an significance.
He'll get another shot, but if he coughs the ball up again it will likely be his last carry of an significance.
I"m sure that was part of it bit i also recall that he started holding the ball more vertically (for lack of a better term) in his arm, tucked close to his side, than the traditional way ball carriers hang onReverend said:
Ridley's still the best goal line option though. Blount looked seriously allergic to hits in today's game.
Let's put Bolden and Blount to the side as I'm on shakier grounds there.Ralphwiggum said:
But fumbling aside, why do you say that the gap is wide between him and Vereen? I know that Ridley has produced more but Vereen seems to pile up yards and catches whenever he gets the chance. It's hard to make an apples to apples with these two but I just don't get why you are saying that.
You are right that they will probably come back to Ridley out of necessity. I would opt to do so only when I had to and certainly not in the next few weeks.
That's what I recall too, Al. Tiki used to loosely carry the ball, basically holding it only with his hand and his forearm, with one side of the ball completely exposed and away from his body. Like this:
Coughlin and the Giants' staff coached him to hold it high and tight, tucked against his body at all times. That's how Tiki solved his fumbling problem.
Coughlin and the Giants' staff coached him to hold it high and tight, tucked against his body at all times. That's how Tiki solved his fumbling problem.
To be fair to Ridley, the second fumble was pretty fluky. Something was going on with that turf today and lots of guys were slipping. It's hard to really control holding the ball when you fall awkwardly like that. I was more concerned with his lack of effort afterwards.
I think he thought he was down--which is obviously no excuse.Ed Hillel said:
Per the gamethread, when I saw the replay of him watching from his knees, I heard the music from Platoon when DaFoe got gunned down. Not good. And I like Ridley.
Yes, and he looked funny carrying the ball the new way, but it pretty much solved his fumbling problem. Didn't seem to slow him down at all either. Will BB and his coaches try something, or will they declare him kind of hopeless?Soxy Brown said:That's what I recall too, Al. Tiki used to loosely carry the ball, basically holding it only with his hand and his forearm, with one side of the ball completely exposed and away from his body. Like this:
Coughlin and the Giants' staff coached him to hold it high and tight, tucked against his body at all times. That's how Tiki solved his fumbling problem.
Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
He does, but only because in the immediate future Ridley will not be put in the position to cost them games. He'd better get used to sitting for a while.
They can't afford him right now. I'm surprised by the surprise over the difficulty of today's win. People need to remember they lost a ton this offseason. And they need to recognize that on paper -- which is where we will be the first few weeks of the season -- it takes two hands, not one, to count the teams that are clearly superior and deeper from a talent standpoint.
I don't think they will waste his talent, but I also don't think they will position him to cost us games. The Pats have zero margin of error right now in the race to 10 wins. Every game will be a struggle, road games particularly.
dcmissle said:
The idea that Cincy and NO are both "clearly superior and deeper from a talent standpoint" isn't going to garner a lot of support anywhere, much less here. Cincy lost to a pretty average Bears team today, and NO wasn't even a playoff team a year ago and didn't do anything to get better in the offseason other than put some time between them and Bountygate.
To bring it back to the point, I don't buy the notion that the offense is hurting for talent. They have TB and they have an above average OL (which would be elite with better guard play). They have an elite slot receiver in Amendola who can be even more than that from some of the more downfield routes he ran today. Ditto for Edelman. They need their best receiving threat back on the field (Gronk), and they need one of the new faces to step up on the outside - be it Thompkins, Dobson, or Boyce. But that's not a unique situation. There aren't a lot of teams out there with more than 3 or 4 high quality receiving options, and the Pats have rarely had it in their history when they've been successful either.
And even more to the point, I think this team has a good amount of talent depth at RB in particular, and can afford to let Ridley rot for a bit if they want/need to. Vereen fits the versatile offense a bit better as it is, and Bolden and Blount can both be given opportunities for the harder running yards if necessary. They don't need to force him on the field because of some abstract concept of an aggregate talent level an offense requires.
You are dead wrong. NE outgained Buffalo 431-286, forced 9 punts and 2 TOs and possessed the ball for over 37 minutes. The three TOs kept Buffalo in the game. Ridley has changed the complexion of the last two games that mattered. He needs to fix this or he needs to be gone.dcmissle said:
DC, the fumbles weren't the difference between a win and a loss today - they were the difference between a win and a blowout. I think the Pats showed today that if they play clean they're in the top tier of the AFC. And they didn't
have Gronk today.
have Gronk today.
We haven't really seen Vereen when he's taking a majority of the carries (particularly between the tackles) but to my eye Ridley runs lower and does more after first contact. It isn't enough of a difference to outweigh the fumbling, though. I guess we will see, I definitely could be wrong.TheoShmeo said:
On the flip side, Buffalo generously contributed about a zillionty-seven penalty yards.ShaneTrot said:
Always glad to get a W, of course, and the Pats are blessed to be playing in a division that should provide at least 6 (and you'd sure think 7) wins this season.
But I was pretty concerned about the Pats performance coming off of today. Amendola and Tommy Kelly aside, all the other new talent didn't show much. Yeah, it's only one game. But that's all they've played so far!
Yesterday: "Ridley is the most talented RB on this team"SMU_Sox said:
Today: "Ridley sucks - cut him"
It would be foolish to bury him beyond this game.
This.Ed Hillel said:
There were like 5 safeties before 2PM eastern today. A lot of sloppy play.
As TB said in the press conference, they have work to do obviously but a win on the road when you turn the ball over like they did today is not a bad first day.
That's what I recall too, Al. Tiki used to loosely carry the ball, basically holding it only with his hand and his forearm, with one side of the ball completely exposed and away from his body. Like this:
Coughlin and the Giants' staff coached him to hold it high and tight, tucked against his body at all times. That's how Tiki solved his fumbling problem.
That carrying technique is called a "2 point" technique because the ball makes contact with 2 points of the arm - finger(s)/forearm - for stability.
It is also the arch nemesis of all running back coaches.
The more stable method is 3 point (finger/forearm/bicep), but is difficult to maintain while making moves.
Coughlin and the Giants' staff coached him to hold it high and tight, tucked against his body at all times. That's how Tiki solved his fumbling problem.
That carrying technique is called a "2 point" technique because the ball makes contact with 2 points of the arm - finger(s)/forearm - for stability.
It is also the arch nemesis of all running back coaches.
The more stable method is 3 point (finger/forearm/bicep), but is difficult to maintain while making moves.