I see no reason to have Ford in there, why put miles on the wheels when you don't have to. There is no reason why Shepard shouldn't be on the field. IMHO I don't think I have seen enough of Ridley to really have an opinion. Anyone that can take some of the snaps away from the I formations up the middle plays is fine by me. Seems like LSU is looking for an identity so if he can be the spark then give him a shot. Reminds of when Vincent, Addai, Broussard, and Hester were sharing time. I remember a few games where Addai just seemed to make the team run smoother... after that Hester kind of took over that.... I feel like LSU is still trying to find that guy. I would like to see more of Ridley if he is well. We maybe approaching the point where nobody can get in a grove because there is too much ball sharing though... someone else has to give up some touches and I don't think it should be Shepard or Williams.
++1 Ford is the future. Only if we get an injury to CS or KW(please God no!) then we would probably have to use Ford. Besides every time I've seen Ridley in a game he has looked damn good and coming off of an ACL, believe me he has earned it.
Ridley is 100% physically right now and has been for a good bit and the staff still needed to ease him back since he has only been practicing fully since the beginning to middle of spring practices. All the mental aspects of the injury should be gone by now as well. Last year he hit the holes fast and with power, with no hesitation. If I remember correctly he was a little ahead of Murphy before Ridley was injured last year.
This is the only good reason I've heard to redshirt Ford. If that's the case then it's the right move. If he is ready, we have to get him in the game. What does our RB depth chart look like next year? Not too good.
Miles doesn't toss info Or praise out without a purpose. When he says Ford isn't ready, that pretty much means two things. 1. Ford isn't catching on as fast as needed to play yet. 2. Miles wants Ford to know that everyone knows he's not ready so Ford will do more to GET ready if needed. He's pretty much releasing info with a purpose. Otherwise, he can give us the vague "I like where we're at" stuff and keep us all guessing. Like he normally does.
That's the winning response right there, IMO. Miles alluded to the fact that Ford is still adjusting to the speed of the college game. To me, that signals Ford doesn't have the playbook committed to memory just yet and he's going about plays THINKING instead of just reacting. I think you need to know your assignment to the point that it doesn't require thinking at all--Just react. So if that's the case with Ford, I say redshirt him. He's our future but Richard Murphy SHOULD/HOPEFULLY be healthy enough to be the front-runner for the starting spot next season with Ford getting quality carries while being brought slowly along.
I think it is safe to say Murphy will have a big task at hand trying to beat out Ridley for that top spot next season.
