When the Jacksonville Jaguars came to Nashville a couple weeks back, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley downplayed the situation.
Now, as the former Jaguars receiver returns to Jacksonville for the first time in a Titans uniform, he's changing his tune.
"I gotta get them. I want to get them," Ridley told reporters Thursday. "I worked hard today. I want to work hard the rest of the week. We’re going to Jacksonville. I want to get them. I want to beat them. They talked (expletive) to me last time. I’m ready to get ‘em."
Ridley caught seven passes for 59 yards in the Titans' loss to the Jaguars on Dec. 8. Now as the Titans (3-12) visit the Jaguars (3-12) at EverBank Stadium Sunday (noon, CBS) in a meeting of two teams with nothing to play for, Ridley said this game matters a little more to him.
"I really wasn’t listening," Ridley said of the smack talk in the first meeting, "but they stopped me a couple times and I heard chirping."
Ridley is up to 57 catches for 857 yards and four touchdowns in his first season of a four-year deal with the Titans. With 143 yards in the last two games, Ridley can get to 1,000 for the third time in his career. Ridley's 15.3 yards per catch is tied for the highest mark of his career and ranks 12th in the NFL among qualified receivers. Tight end Chig Okonkwo is the only other Titans player with even half of Ridley's receiving yards and Okonkwo and running back Tony Pollard are the only players with half as many targets as Ridley.
