NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Calvin Ridley convinced himself that something needed to change.
The Tennessee Titans wide receiver was disgusted heading into the Week 8 matchup against the Detroit Lions with the Titans starting the season with one win in their first six games. Ridley felt his 12 receptions for 183 yards in six games were far below the game-changing standards he holds himself to.
Although he isn't one of the five Titans' team captains, he took it upon himself to set the tone for a struggling offense.
"I went to work this week and changed my whole schedule to play better," Ridley said. "We all need to do that, do things a little differently than we probably have been doing."
The lack of production drove Ridley to change his approach and get back to basics. A stern talking to from coach Brian Callahan urging him to play better served as additional inspiration. Ridley went on to tie single-game career highs with 15 targets and 10 receptions.
The 52-14 loss to the Lions was disappointing to Ridley, but he finished with 143 receiving yards and produced the Titans' first 100-yard receiving game of the season -- and he did it in the first quarter.
Callahan heard the Jugs machine continuously launching footballs outside his window the Tuesday before the Lions game. It was Ridley on the receiving end.
"I look out and Calvin's out there with his helmet on with one of the equipment guys," Callahan said. "They're firing the Jugs and caught probably 200-some balls."
A foot injury held Ridley out of practice for two days last week, but that didn't stop him from putting in the work. Seeing the guys take the reps in his place, knowing they wouldn't play as much on game day, struck a nerve with Ridley and motivated him to pay them respect with his play.
"I owe it to my brothers and this organization to play good," Ridley said. "I got to do whatever I got to do to get better personally."
Titans wide receiver coach Tyke Tolbert told Ridley to go with what worked for him in the past. So, tennis balls also became a big part of Ridley's routine last week. The arrival of a new tennis ball launching machine called the "Lobster" couldn't have come at a better time.
Ridley and Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram did a lot of work with tennis balls as teammates last season. It helped focus on hand-eye coordination. Engram finished with a career-high 114 receptions and 963 yards last year, while Ridley posted 1,016 receiving yards in his return after not playing for nearly two seasons after stepping away from football in 2021 (where he played five games) to work on his mental health before serving a suspension for gambling in 2022.
The tennis balls weren't the sole reason Ridley made a successful return to the field last season. But the emphasis on locking onto football helped. That was one of the areas Ridley wanted to improve this season after early struggles, including a 30% catch rate entering last week's game as compared to the 62.9% league average among receivers.
Ridley's shift back to the basics included getting an earlier start to his day with the Jugs machine. The Jugs work continued throughout the day, including after practice. Tolbert estimated Ridley had over 300 catches per day.
The restructure extended to Ridley's pregame routine. Two hours before kickoff, Ridley was on the field catching tennis balls with Titans speed training coach John Shaw tossing them. They also worked on over-the-shoulder catches from different angles.
#Titans Calvin Ridley working 👐🏿 pic.twitter.com/dngYkOBeEf
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) October 27, 2024
Ridley's 47-yard reception in the first quarter was the exact situation he and Shaw worked to replicate. It was the same kind of pass Ridley dropped in Week 2 against the New York Jets.
Ridley admitted he should have scored on the play against the Lions, but he didn't realize how much separation there was from the safety, so he cut it back to make him miss only to get tackled at Detroit's 31-yard line.
Callahan recorded Ridley catching from the Jugs machine and showed it to the team as an example of a guy doing everything he could to improve. It was a tactic to motivate a team on its second three-game losing streak.
"It's great seeing that from a vet who has been in the league a long time," rookie wideout Jha'Quan Jackson said. "It inspires us to be our best."
"That shows right there that [Ridley's] never comfortable," team captain Jeffery Simmons added. "When you get comfortable, that's when stuff starts going down."
The frustration has mounted for Ridley, who signed a four-year, $92 million contract in March to help boost the Titans' passing game. According to Ridley, he doesn't feel any pressure from the big contract because it's not what he plays for.
"I just want to win, man. Losing sucks," Ridley said.
Ridley plans to have a similar approach this week as the Titans gear up to face the New England Patriots (2-5) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) at Nissan Stadium. Now he's primed for a matchup with Patriots second-year standout cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Ridley said he doesn't know how much Gonzalez will defend him, but the seven-year veteran confidently said he'll be ready for whatever he faces. That confidence comes from the hard work he has put in and plans to continue each week.
"We still go out there and work our butts off," Ridley said. "It's just the preparation, my prep all week, I'm just getting better now. I'm here."