Stevan Ridley: roster riddle- PatriotsLife roundtable


Continuing our series of roundtable conversations about hot topics entering the year today is the curious case of Stevan Ridley. The 4th year veteran seems to be on the roster bubble according to some. To share your views comment below, tweet @PatriotsLife, or connect with individuals writers by their Twitter accounts below:

William Stiles (@TheFib0624)

The riddler is an interesting case, but not one I'd give up on yet. We are only one season removed from his breaking the thousand yard plateau. I know that the fumbles are a real issue, and there's no case to be made otherwise, but I seem to remember a fumble plagued back named Kevin Faulk who turned out quite well. I'm not saying that the Patriots should have a bust ready for the Hall at Patriot Place, but he certainly can turn that around. To rely on the injury prone Vereen and a slew of unproven assets may be a bit premature.

While Vereen will be the most value asset out of the backfield, having a proven commodity on a cheap contract for critical running situations can't be overstated in value. I'm not saying that the team should resign Ridley, and maybe a contract issue is what could push him out the door, but if they can keep him for the betterment of the roster this season, there's zero reason to avoid it. I'd much rather Ridley than a Ryan Mallett or Josh Boyce.

It's okay to kick Ridley to the curb after the season, but let's give him this season to pack his things.

Thome Widdison (@ETthomehome)

Mike Reiss has the Patriots cutting Steven Ridley in his latest Mock cuts. If that were to happen I believe that would be a huge mistake by the Patriots. And not just because I drafted him in my fantasy league(it was round 14, its worth a shot) but because Ridley is the best in between the tackles runner the Patriots have.

The well known knock on him is that he fumbles the ball. So does Adrian Peterson. So does every other running back in the NFL. Maybe we just got a little spoiled by Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis never fumbling while he was here and we have forgotten that.

Now I'm not condoning his fumbles, but I think it has overshadowed how good of a runner he is. Now thats all we think about when he touches the ball. I'm guilty of it. Everytime he takes the hand off I hold my breath and think "Don't fumble, don't fumble" instead of appreciating what he brings to the run game.

What it really comes down to is this. Ridley is in a contract year. Keep feeding him the ball this year till the wheels come off and at the end of the year if he as solved his fumbling issues then renegotiate with him. If he still can't hang onto the ball then tell him thanks for all you've done and good luck with your career. But one thing is for certain. This team is better with Ridley on it, fumbles or no fumbles, and cutting him would only put more pressure on Tom Brady to carry the team.

Ned Brady (@Therealnedbrady)

When Mike Reiss talks, people listen. He's earned his reputation as a fantastic reporter, is well-known for being insightful and unbiased, and might be the most plugged-in person covering the Patriots. Unlike some of his peers in the Boston media (cough Felger), he's not the type to throw a contrarian theory out there simply for attention and clicks.

That sterling reputation is the only reason I gave a second thought to his roster projection published today on ESPN Boston, which has running back Stevan Ridley as a surprise cut. Perhaps Reiss knows something the fans don't, because I can't come up with a logical reason for Ridley to not make this team.

Simply put, Ridley is the best pure runner on the Patriots roster by far. He's still young at 25, carries a cap hit of merely $939,750 in the final year of his rookie deal (less than the likes of Michael Hoomanawanui, Tavon Wilson or Patrick Chung), and is only a year removed from a 1,200 yard, 12 touchdown season. None of the backs in Reiss' projection (Shane Vereen, James White, Brandon Bolden and Jonas Gray) can come close to replicating Ridley's explosive, tackle-breaking power or nose for the end zone.

Reiss notes that Ridley's low snap total in last Friday's "dress rehearsal" preseason game was eye-opening. However, I'd put more weight on the fact that those 11 snaps came entirely with the first string offense, and that eight of those 11 snaps resulted in a Ridley rushing attempt. Ridley clearly falls behind Vereen and White on the depth chart when it comes to the passing game, hence Vereen playing 30 snaps to Ridley's 11 on Friday, but Ridley still got more carries than either Vereen or White against the Panthers. He certainly appears to be the top early down option and for good reason, as he's never averaged less than 4.3 yards a carry in his three year career.

"But the fumbles!", you say. Yes, putting the ball on the ground is always an issue, and it's been exacerbated in Ridley's case by the poor timing of some of his fumbles. However, Ridley's fumblitis might be a bit of an overblown issue at this point by fans and media alike. Don't take my word for it, listen to Matt Chatham.



Is Ridley a part of the Patriots long-term plans? Probably not, considering they can simply let him walk, draft another back next year and get four more years of cheap production. However, there's no reason for the team to not reap the benefits of having a young, talented player on the roster extra-motivated by a contract year. Plug him in to his usual role as the team's early down bruiser and watch the yards and touchdowns pile up.

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