Jacksonville Jaguars star wide receiver Calvin Ridley had a strong season debut, hauling in eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown in his first game back from a full-season suspension for gambling. He hasn’t been able to match that production in the team’s past two games, but it sounds like head coach Doug Pederson still has faith in him.
Calvin Ridley has had just five catches for 72 yards in total over the past two games. He undoubtedly would like to get back to the production he enjoyed in Week 1, and Pederson thinks the key is for him to just relax and be himself.
“I grabbed him coming off the field and I reiterated to him to take a deep breath, stay locked in, stay engaged,” Pederson said according to the Jacksonville Jaguars official team website. “I told him he was a big part of our system and the offense and he’s going to have a lot of success. I just wanted to reiterate that confidence in him. Calvin wants to do so well, so good, so much. He wants to prove, but he doesn’t have to. He’s a good player and he doesn’t have to do all that. Just be Calvin.”
We’ll have to see whether or not Ridley takes that advice to heart this week when the Jaguars take on the Atlanta Falcons – Ridley’s former team – in London.
