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+---- Thread: *Week 5 - William Ridley Profile (/showthread.php?tid=4922)
*Week 5 - William Ridley Profile - MacTonight - 09-27-2017
PHILADELPHIA, PA - - As the stadium lights fall dim at Taco Bell Stadium the Philadelphia Liberty players leave the locker room as one. The Liberty players are celebrating winning their first game of the season. The Liberty weren't partying, instead the team were focused on the next game; what did they do right this week? How can they continue to improve? I'm here to meet with Liberty Rookie Linebacker William Ridley, a player who had a shaky start to his career in Philadelphia, but has put in some good performances in the past 4 weeks.
As Ridley meets us outside the locker room Damien Kroetch walks by with his game ball, Eli Kamaka and Budda Browning walk by and share a laugh with the fellow rookie. Ridley seems at ease in this environment, something he credits to the turnaround the Philadelphia defense has shown since their 45 point blowout at the hands of the Otters. “I think if you look at the guys in our locker room, the kind of players we have here, I think it's easy to see why we've been putting in good performances.”
“It comes down to comfort, we were feeling each other out during the preseason, and we started to make some progress, and I think the game against OC was just a boil over of that process. It's like cooking pasta, you get to a point where the water is getting closer and closer to boiling over, and then it does and you turn the heat down a little, you sit that wooden spoon over the top, and I think that's what the Orange County game was to us.”
Chemistry plays a huge role in any team environment and Ridley cannot speak more favorably of his teammates. “Coming in as a rookie you need to figure out where you fit in the locker room, I'm not the most gregarious player, and that's the best thing about being with the Liberty, the mix of personalities, it was very easy to settle into the locker room and find a place with the guys.” When pressed on his assertation he isn’t the most gregarious player, considering his performance on the field where he is one of the most vocal players. “I definitely feel like when I step out on the field I adopt that persona. I think it’s a little bit white line fever. When I play football it’s about controlled aggression, I’m not aggressive for the entire game, but it’s about turning the tap on for 5 seconds at a time.”
Ridley entered the league with a very quiet game against the Otters, registering one sack in a lackluster game individually. However, it did signal a surprising outcome, Ridley currently ranks T-4th in sacks with 6, behind mainstays Bjornsson, Jayce Tuck, and Dan Miller. Ridley isn’t buying into anything though. “I didn’t come into the league for individual accolades. I came to work hard and contribute to a team, as long as I feel I am doing that, then I feel I’ll find some success in the NSFL.”
Ridley has been spending the majority of his time at LOLB a departure from the Mike role he played in Tennessee, “I always saw myself as a middle of the park linebacker, but the coaches have faith I could make plays on the outside and I think so far I’m going okay, I have a lot of improvement to do, I still need to close down on the ball carrier faster, I’ve allowed too many extra yards for first downs, and I’m needing to adjust to be able to respond to those situations and get more stops.”
“It’s been great being part of a group of guys who have a tight bond, our defense doesn’t point fingers and pass judgements. We are a support network for each other, coming into an environment like that was incredibly helping in starting off on the right foot. I really hope I can contribute to the locker room in Philly for years to come, and I know it’s a cliché but it feels like we’re becoming a family.”
“One thing that grew out of our slow start, and a few heartbreaking losses was a sense of comradery within the team, for a rookie it taught me that every yard matters, every exchange matters, and I know this is Football 101, but it goes to show exactly what one or two yards can do to alter the course of games, if a few 50/50 situations roll our way we could be 4 - 1. Obviously, you can’t dwell on that, but it is nice to know we’ve been keeping games close.”
Ridley continues to develop his game and will look to make an impact on the stat sheet. But one thing you notice when talking to this young man is the intense desire he has to help improve his team. Continue to look out for further developments in William Ridley’s career.
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