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Can the New England Patriots continue to sit their best running back? Deactivated last week against the Houston Texans, Stevan Ridley is no sure bet to play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. After fumbling in a league-leading three straight games,Marc-Andre ter Stegen Jersey, Ridley has lost the confidence of coach Bill Belichick, who leaned on a combination of Shane Vereen and LeGarrette Blount in Week 13. ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss posited this week that the days of Ridley as the lead back,Brad Guzan Jersey, logging 45 percent of the offensive snaps,Charley Taylor Redskins Jersey, are probably over. If so, that's a risky play. Ridley's ball-control problems trail back to before this season,Deion Sanders Falcons Jersey, but he also leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns since Week 6. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 11th most elusive back in football,Brad Jones Eagles Jersey, and his 57.6 yards per game leads the team. New England -- with Vereen, Blount and Brandon Bolden -- boast one of the league's deeper stable of backs, but Ridley is the best pure runner of the bunch. Lesser teams would have no choice but to put him on the field. New England's 88 yards on the ground against Houston marked the team's third-lowest output of the year. Granted,Jonathan Cooper Patriots Jersey, they played from behind and leaned on Tom Brady's 365 yards through the air,Jerseys From China, but Ridley's absence was felt. As in year's past,Senquez Golson Steelers Jersey, New England's offense is heating up at the right time. The return of Rob Gronkowski and the reliable play of Julian Edelman have the Patriots shredding teams through the air. Still, there's going to come a time down the stretch when the ground game will be asked to guide this team out of a dark corner. That's playoff football. With the AFC ripe for the picking,Boston Red Sox David Ortiz Jersey, Belichick's decision to sit his best back -- if it's a final one -- might come back to haunt this team when it matters most. The latest Around The League Podcast debates the Seahawks' Super Bowl chances and asks Who do you trust? as the playoffs approach. |
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