Receiver Calvin Ridley has played with a few different quarterbacks in his career, so he has a good idea of what it takes for one to be successful.
Now working with rookie No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, Ridley had one notable thing to say about the young quarterback’s mindset as he’s gotten to know him. He noted on Tuesday that Ward came to his house and got to meet his brother. And after Ward left, Ridley’s brother noted the calmness that exuded from Ward.
“He’s relaxed,” Ridley said, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. “You need that at the quarterback position, man. You can’t just be an overthinker, a jittery guy. You’ve just got to kind of be OK with, you know, fucking up, doing good.
“You’ve just got to have that ‘fuck it’ mentality. He’s kind of got that.”
That’s good news for a Titans team that has lacked a franchise QB in recent years who can elevate the team in critical situations.
The other thing Ridley is doing at this point is trying to make sure he and Ward are on the same page, and he’s doing it from the quarterback’s perspective.
“I honestly want to hear what he thinks because I want to be in the spot where he wants me,” Ridley said. “So I ask him first, what did I do wrong on the play? No matter the throw, or the catch, or whatever it is — what do I need to do to make you feel better? And then I try to pick his brain of what do I need to do to make you feel better? So that’s pretty much what we’re doing.
“Like I said, it’s easy to relate to him, for me. He’s fun, easy to talk ball with. I just like him a lot, man.”
We’ll see how the budding chemistry between quarterback and receiver translates to the field in the fall. Last season, his first with Tennessee, Ridley finished with 64 receptions for 1,017 yards with four touchdowns. He also took eight carries for 55 yards with a TD.
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