Shadowed by an MVP-caliber season by Tom Brady, Ridley's performance has been exactly what New England was hoping for when it got him for a steal in the third round of the 2011 draft. Ridley was the seventh running back chosen in that draft, taken after Miami's Daniel Thomas, Dallas's Demarco Murray, and of course, New England's first choice at back, Shane Vereen.
Ridley won the starting role during preseason and hasn't looked back, currently ranking seventh in the league in yards (842) and second in touchdowns (7). (photo: jdn, Flickr)
Ridley's nearing the top of the Patriots' all-time leaders, as well, currently 19th in team single-season yardage. If he can continue his current average of carries (18.5) and yards (84) per game, he'll finish the season with more than 1350 yards, good enough for fourth behind Jim Nance among all New England backs in history.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, Ridley has a few hurdles to surpass before he can don that crown. New England is set to face a slew of solid run defenses in its final six games, namely Houston's second-ranked squad and San Fransisco's sixth-ranked group. The Pats also have three division games to handle, two of which are on the road. And two of those games are against the Miami Dolphins, whose rush defense isn't so bad either (9th).
Then there's the issue of consistent carries, which is always up for grabs when playing under Bill Belichick. Ridley's touches have been all over the place, with 28 in the team's win against Denver to 13 in last week's victory versus the Colts. Vereen, rookie Brandon Bolden and playmaker Danny Woodhead are in line for touches, as well.
Ridley said Tuesday that Belichick is going to make adjustments week to week in terms of the offense game plan, and the only thing he can do is go out and perform as planned. And as far as working on improving on last week's rushing performance, Ridley said it comes down to work ethic.
“Keep playing hard and keep working hard," Ridley said. "Some games it's going to be there and some games it's not.”
Ridley and the Pats face off against the Jets on Thursday, a squad New England won't want to sleep against despite the 30th-ranked rush defense. Ridley acknowledged New York's defensive potential Tuesday, saying he expects Gang Green to come out firing on all cylinders.
“They're known for their defense, they're going to come in there and play hard," Ridley said. “It's a great rivalry; we're going to go play ball.”
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