stevan ridley

Why did the Patriots beat the Titans? A lot of reasons. But a main one was simple and old-school. They ran the ball and stopped the run. Maniacal runner Stevan Ridley gained 125 yards on 21 carries… which a TON of carries for a passing team. Aerial assassin Tom Brady? Well, he threw just 31 passes, which is his sweet spot. Instead of sitting back in nickel or dime and waiting for the Patriots to go at them in the air, the Titans had to defend the run. Or, try to. OC Josh McDaniels kept them guessing, making the Patriots offense nearly impossible to stop.

Ridley had five carries that went for 15 yards or more. No Patriots running back in at least the past 25 years has done that in a single game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Not John Stephens, not Curtis Martin, not Corey Dillon. The big running play had been noticeably absent from New England’s attack for several seasons. BenJarvus Green-Ellis provided a great deal of stability to the running game – he never fumbled and he provided consistent gains in short yardage – but the big play simply wasn’t in his repertoire. In fact, Green-Ellis had just four 15-yard runs all last season – one fewer than Ridley managed in his first game as a primary back.

Rising 1. Stevan Ridley, Patriots tailback: The starting running back job appears to be locked up for Ridley, who has been the most consistent Patriots tailback in training camp and the preseason. Ridley is running well and put together another solid effort Friday night against Tampa Bay. Ridley rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. These kind of performances is exactly what the Patriots want out of Ridley, who took advantage of his limited opportunities.