Marc Bertrand: Stevan Ridley 'Still Makes Me Nervous'
BOSTON (CBS) - 31 - that's the number of times Stevan Ridley has carried the football since his last fumble.
After coughing up the football in two straight weeks against the Steelers and Panthers, Ridley made it a trifecta by turning it over in his fourth carry against the Broncos.
The third-year pro was benched against Houston in the following week and has slowly been worked back into the offense since then.
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With the significance of games increasing week after week, Marc Bertrand thinks it's still too early to trust Stevan Ridley completely, and that the Patriots should ride the hot feet of LeGarrette Blount for as long as they can.
Stevan Ridley has spoken to the media in recent days and holds himself accountable for getting benched. He knows he has a problem and it's up to him to fix it.
Marc Bertrand applauds Ridley for manning up and taking responsibility, but ultimately he hasn't gained back that trust in The Riddler yet.
"He still makes me very nervous when he touches the football," said Bertrand.
Marc acknowledges that Ridley is by far the team's best runner, but the running ability simply doesn't pay for the fumbling. Right now, LeGarrette Blount is the better option.
"I just think that while LeGarrette Blount is running well, you keep handing the ball to LeGarrette Blount until he's not running well," said Bertrand. "I like LeGarrette Blount - I really do."
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Chris Gasper thinks the Patriots wrongfully put Ridley in the doghouse, and he joined Bertrand in studio Friday afternoon to debate this very topic.
"Fumbling has been a major issue for Stevan Ridley this year: it's cost him playing time and it's cost him production," Gasper introduces. "But when you mothball the guy entirely I feel like you almost make it a bigger issue than if you just sort of let him fight through it on the field."
"He's had the misfortune of not only fumbling, but losing all those fumbles too - which in many cases is just dumb luck."
Listen below for the full discussion:
