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Stevan Ridley on the Ravens defense: ‘They know how to play the game’ 09.19.12 at 2:31 pm ET
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Stevan Ridley on Wednesday in Foxboro looking ahead to the Ravens. (Mike Petraglia/WEEI.com)

FOXBORO — When Stevan Ridley looks across the line of scrimmage on Sunday night, he’ll see a familiar face looking back at him. The 23-year-old Patriots running back will see veteran Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis, someone who broke into the league in 1996 — when Ridley was seven years old.

“You have to know where he is every time he’s on the field,” Ridley said of the 37-year-old Lewis. “He’s smart, man. He’s physical. He knows the game. He’s played that position as long as I’ve been watching football, so he’s someone I’ve been watching since I was a kid.”

But that doesn’t mean Ridley can be in awe of Lewis, despite the fact that the linebacker is bound for the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

“I have to go out there and treat [him] just like another linebacker — he’s a player, he bleeds, sleeps, just like I do,” Ridley said before practice on Wednesday. “This team is just going to go out there and play our game, We’re going to do what we want to do and we’re going to play ball, hardnosed, just like we’re supposed to.”

Ridley and the rest of the Patriots’ offense are preparing for a typical matchup with Lewis, Ed Reed and the rest of the Ravens’ defense: a physical showdown against one of the smartest and most battle-tested units in the league.

“They have some strong players who have been there for a long time. They know how to play the game,” Ridley said. “It’s going to be a hard-fought, physical game. For us, we’re just starting the day on Wednesday. It’s the first day we have to get on the practice field. We’re going to try to get our keys, make our reads, and do our assignments. We’re going to try and play Patriot football.”

The Patriots are coming off a surprising 20-18 home loss to the Cardinals, a game where Ridley finished with 71 yards on 18 carries and the team as a whole ended up with 90 rushing yards. The LSU product, is looking to lead the running game back to the levels it enjoyed in Week One, where the Patriots rushed for 162 yards (125 of which came from Ridley) in a 34-13 win over the Titans.

“When they call my number, I have to go out there and make a play,” said Ridley, who has 196 rushing yards through two games. “Our offense is going to get back on track. We had a tough loss last week, and we can’t sit on that. We’re going to prepare for the next game, and that’s what it is for us. It’s Week Three, early in the season. We can make any jump or get upset or anything like that. We have to play football. And we’re going to keep plugging away, just like we do every week.”

In the wake of the defeat, several players indicated that one of the reasons for the loss was a bad week of practice.

“This week, I guess they’re putting a little bit more emphasis on [practice] because it’s the Ravens and that defense has a lot of tradition, a lot of playmakers on it,” Ridley said. “But around here, it’s pretty much the same standard, in and out of each week: We’re coming out going to work and we have to work hard.

“That’s football. We do this for a living. For us, we have to come out every day and be prepared. Be alert. Be sound. And go out there and practice our assignments so we can go out there and make the right reads and the right plays for our team.”

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  • Titletown1

    Actually, I think they were up by 5 with 1:33 left.

    But no excuses, in order to be competitive, you have to knock over the tomato cans on your schedule; and the Bobcats are a full fledged, no kidding, completely empty tomato can.

    The Celts were fine playing an up tempo game, but when they slowed it down to a half court game going to Pierce, it killed them. There are times they just look out of synch and sometimes just plain tired. Oh well, it’s an 82 game grind.

  • Sicko

     Nope it was 91-87.

  • Sicko

     With the ball and then Garnett missed that jumper.

  • Fab4ever

    Spa nked!!!! Wait, I didn’t mean that…right. I know; When I played against Vinny DelNegro in high school…um, nope. OK, I got it…Had Trader Danny not gotten rid of Perk and Big Al…darn it…I think I’ve got a “Krust-like” flu….OK, Rondo isn’t a point guard, him and the dumb assist record….OK, I need some Advil.

  • Sicko

     Lol, man I really think you miss the “krust man”. In a weird way I too miss his constant idiotic comments. The problem is his rants always took things to a much too personal level.

  • Fab4ever

    It’s one thing to have a bonafide opinion..the taunts & threats were another thing entirely…As far as the C’s go, in some weird bizzaro world moment, I kind of expected this letdown of sorts…I think we have to come to some logical conclusion that maybe the team isn’t quite as good as a 7 game win streak would lead us to believe and we certainly are much better than the Bobcats despite a loss….The Rondo thing is interesting..I’m listening to some who say Rondo, despite his court savvy, didn’t always do the best job of distribution, hence Ray Allen’s frustration of working his arse off to get open only to have Rondo NOT pass him the ball…We’re now seeing guys like Green working hard and getting the ball…and making plays….We know what Rajon brings and it’s too bad he’s gone…it also coule be that the C;s are finally gelling with all the new guys…but we cannot expect them to go far without Rondo…at least I don’t think so….

  • Sicko

     Yeah, great points and I agree the ball is moving a lot better. I just don’t like putting all the past problems on Rondo and letting the new guys off the hook. Playoff time is when they will really miss him when the opposing defenses step up their games. I remember a few year ago the Celts had issues in the playoffs even advancing the ball over half court when Rondo was sitting.

    Games like tonight just happen once in a while. Look at the Pats losing to Arizona at home this year.

  • Lack_of_titles_in_town

    Barbosa’s injury is the one that put a nail in the coffin.  Celtics can not make trades and they lose a player that could break down an offense when the team got stagnant.  $on of a B!tche$.

  • Ty

    The injuries on this team have gotten to a ridiculous level now. The Celtics won’t use the injuries as an excuse, but there’s no shame at this point in admitting that it’s gotten to the point where it’s going to limit this team’s potential.  It’s a shame.  Last year was pretty ridiculous too, and they still went a lot farther than people were expecting/predicting.  I love the fight and heart in this team, so no matter what happens, it’s still a pleasure to watch them grind it out.

  • Matty

    at least this team has one more game left before the all-star break. this team is running on fumes right now. and that ca n’t last forever.

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