Patriots running backs Stevan Ridley and Joseph Addai won’t be shocked by anything that comes their way during training camp.
That’s because they’re part of a large group of alumni who return to LSU each summer to work out prior to training camp.
“If you can train down here and get in shape in this heat, you can pretty much play anywhere,” Ridley said to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “It’s always good to come down here and get this work in before we kick off the season.”
LSU players are also around, working out with Tigers strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt. But the NFL reunion has been on in recent days, with players such as Giants cornerback Corey Webster, Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn, Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne, Chiefs defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey and Panthers wide receiver Brandon LaFell joining them.
“Once you’re there, you’re family and you’re in there forever,” Ridley said. “You’re a Tiger forever. You can always come back and know that you’re going to get a good workout, and that’s why so many guys do that, really because Moffitt is a maniac in the same way. He’s going to ride us just like we are freshmen coming in.”
Ridley said he remembered attaching himself to Addai when he was still in college, trying to draw inspiration from the former Colts running back. They still push each other, as they ran 20 extra 60-yard dashes after their workout to get ready for their start-of-camp conditioning test.
“Down here at LSU, it’s all about competition,” Ridley said. “We’re trying to be better than the guy that’s beside us. It’s really like playing a trick on your mind that you’ve got to come out here and bust it and be the best at every rep. Coach Moffitt, that’s what he expects out of his football team, and that’s what he expects out of us when we come back. He’s yelling, and he’s getting it. He wants us to have perfect reps. Don’t just come in there just to do the lifts to get by. He wants us to come in, work hard, get better and get better every day. That’s why guys come back.”
Of course, the oppressive humidity of Baton Rouge adds something to the workouts, creating an atmosphere you can’t replicate in Massachusetts.