Alabama17Tide
Member
Ridley: Silent but deadly
Terrin Waack | Special to TideSports.com
Dave Hyatt | Gadsden Times
Calvin Ridley doesnāt like to be around other people before games, nor does he listen to music as a pregame boost.
Instead, the University of Alabama wide receiver talks to himself. He doesnāt even bother with headphones to keep up a pretense.
āI guess I just tell myself Iām a good player,ā Ridley said. āI can do this.ā
Heās right. He can.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pound sophomore playmaker has tallied 43 receptions so far this season for 504 yards. He has had two games with more than 100 receiving yards ā 129 against Western Kentucky and 174 versus Kentucky.
Although he is leading the Crimson Tide, Ridleyās numbers donāt stack up to what they were last season. Thereās not a large difference overall, but he hasnāt had nearly as many successful deep shots. His longest has been 51 yards, falling 30 yards short of last seasonās highlight reception.
āItās not that we havenāt tried at times,ā coach Nick Saban said. āWe just havenāt succeeded, but heās handling it very well.ā
Ridley is working to fix that, too. He stays after practice and repetitively runs through deep routes.
Looking back at previous attempts, Ridley knows he needs to sync up with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
āSometimes I might not run fast enough or he might throw it farther,ā Ridley said. āItās just being more consistent with each other in practice.ā
At this point last season, Ridley had 45 receptions for 525 yards. By the end, the former five-star recruit set a UA freshman record with 89 receptions for 1,045 yards.
Ridley immediately proved he could catch the ball, recording three receptions in his collegiate debut, but now he is showing he can help in other aspects. During Alabamaās most recent game against Texas A&M, Saban noticed Ridleyās effort even when the team ran the ball.
āYouād say this guy was shot out of a cannon, trying to get over there and block somebody,ā Saban said. āHeās actually doing the things that he needs to do to help the team try to be successful.ā
That includes transforming into a running back when needed. Ridley has rushed five times for 21 yards and a touchdown. He only carried the ball once last season for 2 yards.
Although heās practicing explosive plays, Ridley doesnāt mind when the action isnāt centered around him. Heās a team player.
āEven if he doesnāt get all the touches that he thinks he should or whatever, he hasnāt said anything to anyone,ā offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher said. āHe hasnāt been complaining. He comes out and just works hard every day.ā
The work ethic Ridley shows reminds Pierschbacher of Amari Cooper, who played at Alabama from 2012-14 before heading to the National Football League. Itās a weighted comparison, as Cooper holds the Alabama career receiving yards record with 3,463.
Much like Pierschbacher saw with Cooper, Ridley works his magic in silence.
āYou get around him and heāll start being loud and start yelling ā just kind of the life of the party sometimes,ā Pierschbacher said. āBut on the field, heās really quiet.ā
Ridley lets his play speak for itself.
TideSports.com - Ridley: Silent but deadly
Terrin Waack | Special to TideSports.com
Dave Hyatt | Gadsden Times
Calvin Ridley doesnāt like to be around other people before games, nor does he listen to music as a pregame boost.
Instead, the University of Alabama wide receiver talks to himself. He doesnāt even bother with headphones to keep up a pretense.
āI guess I just tell myself Iām a good player,ā Ridley said. āI can do this.ā
Heās right. He can.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pound sophomore playmaker has tallied 43 receptions so far this season for 504 yards. He has had two games with more than 100 receiving yards ā 129 against Western Kentucky and 174 versus Kentucky.
Although he is leading the Crimson Tide, Ridleyās numbers donāt stack up to what they were last season. Thereās not a large difference overall, but he hasnāt had nearly as many successful deep shots. His longest has been 51 yards, falling 30 yards short of last seasonās highlight reception.
āItās not that we havenāt tried at times,ā coach Nick Saban said. āWe just havenāt succeeded, but heās handling it very well.ā
Ridley is working to fix that, too. He stays after practice and repetitively runs through deep routes.
Looking back at previous attempts, Ridley knows he needs to sync up with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
āSometimes I might not run fast enough or he might throw it farther,ā Ridley said. āItās just being more consistent with each other in practice.ā
At this point last season, Ridley had 45 receptions for 525 yards. By the end, the former five-star recruit set a UA freshman record with 89 receptions for 1,045 yards.
Ridley immediately proved he could catch the ball, recording three receptions in his collegiate debut, but now he is showing he can help in other aspects. During Alabamaās most recent game against Texas A&M, Saban noticed Ridleyās effort even when the team ran the ball.
āYouād say this guy was shot out of a cannon, trying to get over there and block somebody,ā Saban said. āHeās actually doing the things that he needs to do to help the team try to be successful.ā
That includes transforming into a running back when needed. Ridley has rushed five times for 21 yards and a touchdown. He only carried the ball once last season for 2 yards.
Although heās practicing explosive plays, Ridley doesnāt mind when the action isnāt centered around him. Heās a team player.
āEven if he doesnāt get all the touches that he thinks he should or whatever, he hasnāt said anything to anyone,ā offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher said. āHe hasnāt been complaining. He comes out and just works hard every day.ā
The work ethic Ridley shows reminds Pierschbacher of Amari Cooper, who played at Alabama from 2012-14 before heading to the National Football League. Itās a weighted comparison, as Cooper holds the Alabama career receiving yards record with 3,463.
Much like Pierschbacher saw with Cooper, Ridley works his magic in silence.
āYou get around him and heāll start being loud and start yelling ā just kind of the life of the party sometimes,ā Pierschbacher said. āBut on the field, heās really quiet.ā
Ridley lets his play speak for itself.
TideSports.com - Ridley: Silent but deadly
