Bill Belichick has always asked many of his players while training New England patriots, whether it is a Super Bowl, a regular seasonal game or simply a practice in the training field.
A former patriot said he witnessed Belichick’s stern coaches almost immediately after being recruited.
“I guess we will start with how Bill put me in Fat Camp,” said former patio corridor Stevan Ridley, a third round selection in the NFL 2011 Draft in New England, in the podcast “Games with names” with Julian Edelman.
CLICK HERE for more sports coverage at Foxnews.com
The New England patriots corridor Stevan Ridley (22), directs the ball against the external supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals, Vincent Rey (57) at the Gillette Stadium. (David Butler II/USA Today Sports)
Ridley said Belichick put him in “Fat Camp” because he had “overweight” for an NFL corridor that came out of LSU.
So how much weight did Belichick cut Ridley?
“You have that meeting where you enter there, and you are a rookie. And he gives you your weight weight. And it brought me to the office because I go to the weight room and [former Patriots strength coach Harold] Nash said: ‘Supplement to the scale, Ridley’, “Ridley told Edelman.
“I got on the scale, and I have around 235, 238 pounds. I played around 230 as runner. Eight pounds is a lot, brother.”
NO POTENTIAL. 1 Pick General SKINGING NFL Combine Training due to injury
Ridley said the Patriots obviously knew it was a bigger corridor, and clearly did something to be recruited in the third round.
But Ridley states that Belichick told him that he had to get his game weight at 220 pounds.
“How? “[Nash] He said: ‘Don’t ask me. I tell you what the chief of the boss said. “
Ridley went to Belichick’s office to know from the chief coach himself.
The New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, during a practice on September 18, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Archive)
“I entered and said: ‘Coach, I need to talk to you about this weight. And he said:’ What is the number? I really can’t remember what I had. ‘Two twenty, that’s impossible.
“I can make fast mathematics. I am a third round draft selection, I don’t have money like that. So, Gordo camp, I went.”
Ridley was able to work in his weight, and paid dividends after reaching the preferred weight of Belichick of 220.
Despite what Ridley thought at the beginning, he worked for him.
“Fast like a cat, man,” he said, laughing, when Edelman asked him how he felt. “Finding unpleasant, friend. Once I got to play weight, I thought, ‘Hey, Bill knows what the hell is talking.'”
The New England patriots corridor Stevan Ridley faces the Oakland Raiders at the Gillette stadium. (Winslow Townson/USA Today Sports)
Ridley played four years in New England, operating for 2,817 yards, including 1,263 his second campaign during the 2012 season, which included 12 of his 22 career touchdowns with the Patriots. Ridley was part of the 2014 Patriots team that surprised the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl 2015 thanks to the Malcolm Butler goal interception.
Ridley then played for the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers after his last winning season of the Super Bowl in New England.
