NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS MEDIA DAY - RUNNING BACK STEVAN RIDLEY - Ingles

Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(on whether he’s surprised at the success he’s had) “I would have to say so. You look at this game, and this is the pros, the big leagues. You never know how you’ll do. One thing about LSU (where Ridley went to school) is that they prepare you for the next level. For us, we know how to work hard down there, and coming into the league, I think hard work always pays off wherever you are. If I’m committed to my career, my teammates and my coaches, you have no choice but to be successful, and that’s what I try to do each and every day.”

(on the Patriots having an LSU pipeline) “Right. I look at (RB Kevin) Faulk, a guy that’s from down there, and LSU is a school that has a lot of tradition. You look at the Patriots, it’s a team that has a lot of tradition, and I think that’s what they both have in common. Faulk is trying to teach me as a 13-year veteran to a rookie from the same school he’s coming from. If I can have half the career that Faulk did, I’ll be a happy man. At the same time, I’m trying to go out there and get 13 (years) out of it, too. Faulk is teaching me those things, how to handle coach (Bill Belichick), how to handle the different things that come along with this game. It’s more than just playing football. You have to be an adult. This is your job, and that’s what he’s teaching me, the right way to do things.” I’m just trying to go out there and be a good (LSU) Tiger and good Patriot at the end of the day.”

(on LSU always having a strong and deep running back corps) “Man, I’m going to tell you this: that (LSU locker room) room is a special room, a room of history. You look at the backs that are in the NFL. I remember when I got there, (Chargers FB) Jacob Hester was there. He wasn’t the fastest guy; he wasn’t the strongest guy; but the one thing about him is that he had heart, and that’s one thing that I took note of as a young player, and that’s someone I looked up to. I look at how fast the four years went by, playing with those guys and running behind that offensive line. LSU has always had great backs and a big offensive line, so we know how to run the football. For me, that’s the easy part of my game, running the football. I have to focus on some of the other things to bring my game all the way around so I can be a complete all-around back.”

(on Frank Wilson, who was Patriots RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ RB coach at Ole Miss and Ridley’s at LSU) “Coach Frank, I’m going to say this: he’s a realist, man. Frank never sugar coated anything and he told us we’re only as good as we want to be. You have to perfect your trait, and our trait was running the football. If you’re dedicated to that, you can take yourself a long way. I’m here to say I never thought I’d be here in a million years. I never thought I’d be playing football in the NFL, but one thing I did know how to do was work hard, and that’s something coach Frank told me: keep your nose clean and work hard and the sky is the limit. That’s all I can do right now is just stay focused, keep that tunnel vision on and try not to be distracted with all the extra stuff even though it’s great. It’s great to be here, but at the end of the day, when you step on this turf and in between the white lines, you have to come out here and put your ‘A’ game on the field, and that’s all that I can do.”

(on how this experience feels) “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime, and it’s a true blessing. Like I said, this is a dream come true for me, but it’s not true just yet because we have to finish this on Sunday night. But for me, I’m not taking this opportunity for granted, and I know who’s in control of my destiny. So for me, it’s just going out and being the player God created me to be, and that’s all I can do.”

(on the purpose of this game) “The purpose of this game is just to go out there and play ball. It’s the big stage, and there’s a lot of people watching, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But I find peace when I’m on the field, and I know there’s someone cheering from above. I’ve been raised in a Christian home. My mom raised me in a church. It may not look like it, but I have fun and do my thing, but at the end of the day everyone can’t perform on this level. For me, it’s a blessing that I’ve been able to come out here and just play and be the person and player I am and have confidence in what I do, because I know that God has my back. It’s just going out there and playing ball and making it easy on Sunday.”