WR Calvin Ridley doesn't hold back frustrations with Titans offensive game plan
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley didn't hold back his frustrations after a 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. After signing a four-year, $92 million contract as a free agent this offseason, Ridley now has just two catches in Tennessee's last three games combined. Head coach Brian Callahan said that getting […]
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley didn't hold back his frustrations after a 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
After signing a four-year, $92 million contract as a free agent this offseason, Ridley now has just two catches in Tennessee's last three games combined.
Head coach Brian Callahan said that getting Ridley more targets was going to be a priority for the Titans in Sunday's game. And while Ridley was targeted a team-leading eight times against Indianapolis, he ended with zero receptions and a lot to say.
"I need some [targets] in the beginning of the f—ing game too then. S–t is getting f—ing crazy for me," Ridley told me. "It is what it is. I sucked today. I gotta be better, but I gotta get the ball a little earlier in the game so that I can be in the game and here with the team so that I can play well also."
Five of Ridley's eight total targets came in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game. Clearly he had an expectation that he'd be involved earlier. Ridley added that the last couple of weeks have been frustrating for him, which makes sense with his team losing and his production lacking.
The Titans cannot afford, literally and figuratively, to not get contributions from a $92 million wide receiver on offense.
So yes, there is some blame that falls on Brian Callahan and Will Levis here. Whether in Atlanta or Jacksonville, Ridley's coaches and quarterbacks have never had trouble getting him involved in the past. His speed is a weapon that is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
To Ridley's point, getting him involved early on feels like a no brainer to open up the field and playbook. But Tennessee's offensive personnel decisions were often puzzling to me on Sunday. We saw Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins off the field on a momentous 3rd-and-4. We also frequently saw Ridley and Hopkins checking out of the game on…1st and 10?
I'm not sure why we're choosing not to give the best players consistent snaps and instead telegraphing a run or screen pass. No more lining up Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Chig Okonkwo out wide while Hopkins and Ridley watch from the sidelines.
At the same time, Ridley's performance in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss left a lot to be desired. The veteran wide out had at least a couple of drops and other opportunities to make a play for his quarterback. Ridley admitted in the locker room postgame that he could have done a better job of "playing defense" on the intercepted jump ball Levis threw him in the fourth quarter.
I'm not really sure what the answer is…but frustration boiling over for Ridley on Sunday is very concerning. As I sad earlier, the Titans need production from him, and the more disconnected things get behind the scenes, the further things get from
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