FOXBORO -- Stevan Ridley fumbled in Week 17 against the Bills. He did it in his next game too, an AFC Divisional playoff against the Broncos.
Take a seat, rookie.
Ridley never saw action again after fumbling that short Brady pass in the red zone in a third-quarter drive that saw the Patriots looking to go up 49-7 on the Broncos.
Nobody was surprised -- especially not Ridley himself.
"The ball can't be on the ground man, that's no secret," Ridley said Wednesday after Patriots-Saints practice concluded. "Fumbles will have you on the bench and nobody had to tell me that. That's kind of been a rule that I've had since I was young, that's nothing new to me. But this year we're going to try to go and do the best that I can. I have to try to keep the ball high and tight and I know that if I can keep the ball in my hands then I'll be on the field, so I have my work cut out for me."
The work started immediately after the Super Bowl -- a game that Ridley watched in uniform from the sidelines. Not being able to go out there and help his team was added fuel for Ridley's offseason workouts.
"Of course, man, of course," he said of using it as motivation. "Nobody likes to ride the pine, but you know you have to pay your dues and when you make a mistake you have to man up to it and just make sure you don't make the same mistakes."
New England Patriots
The Patriots had BenJarvus Green-Ellis (who hasn't fumbled once in college or the NFL -- and allegedly not in high school either) last season, so benching Ridley wasn't a big deal. But this year? They don't have that luxury. Ridley looks to to be the favorite to win the Patriots No. 1 running back spot, and with that comes a lot more responsibility for the second-year back.
"This year you're kind of forced to grow up fast," he said. "You have to take the role that they give you, you have to perfect that and try to be really mistake-free. So for me, coming into this year it's just having a focus. A little bit more focus. Toning a few things down, putting in a little bit of extra time, taking care of your body. Coming out here on the field and being sound with what exactly you have to do with your assignments and things of that nature. So that's really how I'm going to try to best prepare myself for the upcoming season."
Ridley and Brady connected on a few passes under coverage on Wednesday, but just being out on the field with the first team for the majority of the day is the biggest difference from Year 1 to Year 2 for Ridley. You can bank on last year's 87 carries to increase.
"It's more reps man. I'm a little more comfortable out there," he said. "Am I perfect? Not by any means. I still have a lot of work to do. I'm just looking at how over time my carries and things have increased, my reps on the field have increased, but it's still a long way to go and there's still a long way to go."
Having played at LSU, the preseason game against the hometown Saints on Thursday night will surely add a little more meaning to an already meaningful game.
"Very excited about it, it's a big stage," Ridley said. "It's going to be very exciting to go out there and play against the Saints, especially coming from Louisiana, and we're up here working hard just like they are. It's the first game tomorrow, family is coming in. It's going to be a big-time atmosphere and I'm looking forward to it a lot."
But he isn't assuming anything, knowing there's still plenty of time left in camp.
"For me, nothing is written in stone," he said. "Nobody is the starter just yet. I'm just going out there and trying to make the most of the opportunities the coaches give me."
Hold on to that ball, kid, and you'll get plenty of them.