Kendra Middleton: Message to Patriots fans about Calvin Ridley
What if I told you a JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS fan had a piece of advice for the Foxboro Faithful? You would probably laugh and say “yeah, get wrecked kehd.” At least, I can only assume as you continue to sip a large iced regular and honk at people on Route 1. My Mom, like yours, always said “don’t cry over spilled milk,” which is what I have seen a lot of Patriots fans doing on the timeline since the news of Calvin Ridley going to the Tennessee Titans broke yesterday.
Like you, I was shocked. It was a joint gut punch to Jaguars and Patriots fans in the same breath. The rug had been swept from under the feet of Patriots fans over a receiver for the second time in a short period. And for Jaguars fans, a pick was being taken, and a great player shipped out. Not just shipped out, but shipped out to a hated rival. And I mean hated. But, lucky for you, as someone who watched every single snap of Ridley’s career with the Jaguars, I am here to remind you why you shouldn’t cry over spilled milk in this particular instance.
Calvin Ridley is a GOOD receiver. Is he a No. 1? No. Sure, he sneakily, and I mean SNEAKILY, had a 1,000-yard season. But if you consider the dropped balls, it could have been a 1,500-yard season. Maybe more. And sure, you can point to him sitting out a season or Trevor Lawrence over-throwing him at times. But there were two consistent issues for Ridley. The first: he disappeared. Not just for a game at a time, but often weeks at a time. His production came in bulk and was often streaky. It was almost as if, without the combination of Christian Kirk and Zay Jones both being available and healthy to free him up, he was non-existent.
And the biggest issue of them all? He never knew the playbook. Truly. If you go back and watch the film, when Lawrence missed him, he was almost ALWAYS running the wrong route. So much so that Jaguars fans have taken to social media to say they aren’t concerned to see him go to another team in the division because he can’t share secrets from a playbook he never learned. In one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, Calvin can be heard saying to Hobbes “I didn’t even know he existed a few days ago and now he’s gone forever. It’s like I found him for no reason. I had to say good-bye as soon as I said hello. Still… in a sad, awful, terrible way, I’m happy I met him.”
What can Patriots fans take away from this? Since Ridley’s gambling scandal, you probably forgot he existed (unless he was on your fantasy team and decided to have a game every few weeks). And you aren’t sad you missed out on over-paying him; you are sad your organization cheaped out – again. Don’t cry over spilled milk Patriots fans. Receivers can be found everywhere in this draft. Cry that your organization may not draft them.
xoxo, Jags girl
