BGI Special Edition

2013 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/140522

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 137 of 163

irish in the nfl Running Down A Dream Theo Riddick searches for a role in the Detroit Lions' offense T By Wes Morgan heo Riddick has dealt with crowded backfields before, which is one reason he spent a lot of his time at Notre Dame as a slot receiver. The New Jersey product always felt more comfortable as a running back, but did whatever was asked of him under two different Fighting Irish head coaches from 2009-12. He's doing the same now with the Detroit Lions, which drafted him in the sixth round this past April, after a senior campaign back at his natural position at running back. Riddick totaled a team-high 917 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 244 carries (4.8 average per rush) in 13 games in 2012. He added 36 catches for 370 yards and two scores, which nearly matched his receiving production in 2011. The previous two seasons, he tallied 78 receptions for 850 yards and six touchdowns in the slot, sprinkling in 25 rushes for 92 yards. Detroit will start training camp with eight running backs on the roster after adding veteran Montell Owens, who spent seven seasons with Jacksonville, in late May. Owens, who made the Pro Bowl in 2010 and 2011 as a standout on special teams, had a careerbest season in 2012 (42 carries for 209 yards and one touchdown, plus eight receptions for 113 yards and a score). Already on the roster were Riddick, Reggie Bush, Mikel Leshoure, Joique Bell, Steven Miller, Shaun Chapas and Jahvid Best, who spent the entire 2012 campaign on the physically unable to perform list after suffering multiple concussions. As a freshman at Notre Dame, Riddick was primarily used as a kick returner, finishing with 37 returns for 849 yards, and was also utilized as a slot receiver where he caught six passes for 43 yards. He's willing to do anything to break into a regular role with the Lions. "You've got to try to make the team in any way possible," he said in late June. "All positions are open at this point. It definitely enhanced my knowledge of the game and helped me be effective at different positions. "I'm just busting my tail. I'm definitely showing my versatility, but right now it's just Riddick has impressed Detroit's coaches with his versatility and willingness to do whatever it takes to make the team. photo courtesy Detroit Lions a nose grind in a sense. I'm not really asking questions out there — I'm just working my tail off." Riddick, the first college graduate in his immediate family, has moved back to Manville, N.J. Entering the summer, he already attended several rounds of organized team activities, rookie mini-camp and mandatory classes for first-year players. To that point, he had gotten attention from the Lions coaching staff for all the right reasons. After just one week of offseason team activities in May, running backs coach Curtis Modkins could already see Riddick's value. "He's doing a good job of justifying why we drafted him," Modkins told DetroitLions. com. "He's like any of the other rookies out there, he's got a ways to go, with the learning curve and the learning process, but I think he's getting it. "Every day he's improving his knowledge of the playbook for when he'll be able to go out and play with that versatility. I've been pleased with him so far." It wasn't until his senior year that Riddick got the opportunity to excel at running back, but he still finished his collegiate career with 244 carries for 1,169 yards and five touchdowns, and 120 receptions for 1,263 yards and eight scores. Modkins identified the biggest transition for Riddick (and newbies across the board) will be learning the "language" of the NFL. The vocabulary list Riddick relied on in college is mostly useless in Detroit. "It's just different terminology that you have to learn," Riddick explained. "Sometimes you get mixed up with some of the calls. Once you know everything, you play a lot faster. There's always that transition of learning, but it's different when you can just unconsciously go out there and let your body go. 136  ✦ Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview 136-139.Irish In The NFL.indd 136 6/25/13 2:37 PM

Articles in this issue

view archives of BGI Special Edition - 2013 Notre Dame Football Preview