Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley is getting a lot of buzz this offseason. After serving a one-year suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy, Ridley is back and ready to make an impact. A lot of analysts have been bullish on Ridley this year including former head coach Chuck Pagano. Pagano compared Ridley to beloved Looney Tunes character Road Runner in a recent article.
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Calvin Ridley Gets Compared To Road Runner
Pagano talked about the tape on Ridley and how fast he looks.
“You pull up YouTube, watch the NFL Network, whatever you want, and look at this guy’s highlights from training camp. He looks like the Road Runner.
It looks like everybody else is in slow motion, and Ridley is moving at 1,000 miles per hour. In 2020, he had 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns — a phenomenal season. In 2021, he was banged up, had to leave the field for personal issues and was suspended in 2022.
Now, he’s got a fresh start with Pederson and company. I expect Ridley to have a huge year for the Jaguars because a lot of attention will go to those other dudes (Kirk, Jones, Engram). Ridley has to have a huge chip on his shoulder, so he will come out swinging. Look for Ridley to have a phenomenal year for Jacksonville.”
Pagano is pointing out that because of Ridley’s absence from the field we have forgotten what he can do. With Trevor Lawrence under center, Ridley is slated to have a huge statistical season.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71957760/1456864210.0.jpg "NFL Analyst Compares Calvin Ridley To Beloved Cartoon Character 2")
Can The Jaguars Take The Next Step?
Last season, the Jaguars won a playoff game and went toe-to-toe with the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs. In 2023, the team is hoping they can build off of that. Jacksonville is in the easiest division in the AFC. The AFC South has two rebuilding teams the Colts and Texans. The Titans always overperform but there is a world where their season goes south quickly. If the Jaguars can make it into the postseason, they have a great shot at making some noise thanks to last season’s experience.
It remains to be seen whether the Calvin Ridley move will pay off for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Any time a player is gone for this long it can go either way.
