";s:4:"text";s:5285:" Instead of using his hands, he tries to create body lean to get leverage to separate at the top of his route.
He threatens their leverage and then attacks the space they vacate.Before going down in week 14 with an abdominal injury, Calvin Ridley was averaging 13.7 yards per reception, had 7 targets a game, and was torching corners left and right.
He would have been able to break this route inside earlier, given the leverage of the outside corner, and the route concept itself is designed to cause this kind of chaos in the secondary, but with the coverage on the play it needed help to create the collision, and Ridley instinctively knew how to make it happen. If you can stack directly on top of the defender with the DB in a trail position, you have a ton of power as a receiver. So far in his career with the Falcons, Jones has recorded 12,125 receiving yards and 57 TDs. The speed cut allows him to maintain speed and get to his landmark while the defensive back has to plant and change direction. Riley Ridley used brother Calvin Ridley's advice when committing to Georgia ... His ESPN profile lists a 40-yard dash time of 4.83 seconds. You can buy into the hype of the Saints and the Bucs all you want, but there’s a snake creeping along in the NFC South and if you don’t pay attention to the Falcons, they’re entirely capable of stealing the division crown. The extra separation he manufactures buys both him and his quarterback a greater margin for error.The last thing that aids Ridley’s separation is just pure speed and acceleration, not necessarily because he is just faster and more explosive than defensive backs, but rather because he understands how to use that threat to his advantage.
So if they’re shading with inside leverage or they’re lined up directly in front of the receiver, they likely want to protect their inside space. He looks incredibly fast on film. The safety reads that, sees the rollout, and when he starts to move over, Ridley plants to go to a post in the area the safety vacated.The physical tools pop out on film but what’s really impressive is his route technique.
He then releases back outside and is wide open down the sideline.If there’s one thing Ridley can struggle with, it’s physical corners or his hand usage when defenders get their hands on him. As a result, he gets washed into the linebacker and thrown off his route. His speed allows him to threaten deep and then snap routes off, speed cut, and create separation to set up comebacks, curls, and digs.
WR 15.4.
One of Ridley’s greatest traits as a route-runner isn’t just that he gets open, but he maximizes how open he gets, deceiving defenders in coverage and baiting them into small mistakes that make his job at the catch point easier.
While often overshadowed by receiving mate Julio Jones, Ridley is quietly developing into a premier talent at receiver. Calvin Ridley: Pos: WR, Career: 29 G, 17 TD, Falcons 2018-2019, born FL 1994 Once Ridley has his man moving that way, he cuts up field and angles outside, making the defensive back think this was his break, causing him to scramble back to regain position. Calvin Ridley is a Wide Receiver from Pompano Beach, FL....Nicknamed "Showtime" Ridley lived up to his moniker.
40-time Bench Vertical.
That isn’t just a bonus for a receiver, but it’s a crucial aspect of his game because he struggles in contested catch situations. Jan 8, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Calvin Ridley (3) against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 CFP national championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He uses good eye discipline and locks in like he’s running a seam or a deep corner to the side of the rollout. I mentioned earlier that his ability to win contested catches was poor, and in fact his ability to catch the ball generally is not a strength.
He has a variety of little moves with his head to magnify the threat of his speed, and that makes him so much more dangerous than a receiver that only relies on speed and athleticism.This is a similar story to another recent first-round pick – Nelson Agholor – who struggled badly in his first two seasons in Philadelphia because he couldn’t hold up to the physicality in the NFL on the outside. Before going down in week 14 with an abdominal injury, Calvin Ridley was averaging 13.7 yards per reception, had 7 targets a game, and was torching corners left and right.
He has great speed cuts, can snap off routes, and attacks the ball in the air. The shade of the corner indicates the area that they don’t want you to be able to access. His understanding of how to manipulate defenders is impressive for only a 2nd year player going into his third season.