ALLEN PARK >> The goal in the offseason was to improve Theo Riddick’s ability to run the ball for the Lions.
It sounds odd since he is an NFL running back, but he has excelled as a pass catcher out of the backfield in the past.
If Game 1 was any indication, Riddick is a stronger and faster carrying the ball this year with the ability to hit the holes.
“Just been doing it obviously for a very long time obviously from OTAs. So it’ getting a little more comfortable,” Riddick said on Friday.
Lions running backs coach David Walker has helped Riddick and his colleagues.
“He just simplified the game in terms of reads, the game is just slowing down to me and Ameer (Abdullah) as well. I think you can see that,” said Riddick who in 2015 had 80 catches for 697 yards and 43 carries for 133 yards.
Here are five things to know about Riddick:
1. Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter credits his improvement to visions and run reads. “He’s worked really hard with (Walker). They’ve been working really hard over the offseason to kind of get some of those reads right, get some of his vision right and at the end of the day he’s doing a better job with that,” Cooter said. “We all know he’s really an elusive runner in the open field and when he gets a little crack he tends to do pretty good things with it.”
2. Riddick signed a three-year contract extension a week ago and then two days later contributed 108 all-purpose yards in the win at the Colts. “It feels good, but it’s great just to start off the seaon 1-0. It’s great to get a victory especially on the road and it was a tough one,” Riddick said. “Happy to be here. I just want to do everything I can to obviously win as many ballgames as we can.” In the Week 1 win over the Colts, Riddick carried seven times for 45 yards and had five receptions for 63 yards. He had both a rushing and a receiving touchdown.
3. Riddick’s abilities as a runner and receiver make it tough for defenses to scout him. “If you have a guy who’s primarily there in the pass game, they’re going to expect pass a lot of times when he’s in the game,” Cooter said. “So for him to be able to do both and be able to do both at a really high level, that’s going to be really impactful for our offense.”
4. Golden Tate has known Riddick since they played together at Notre Dame in 2009. “He’s a guy who’s always had so much talent, unbelievable how much talent he had,” Tate said. “This is a guy in college he came in as a running back, then went to a receiver in a new offense, then went back to running back in another offense. So that how’s he’s a very smart player – not only did he do that he got to the NFL and made a name for himself at running back, but a guy who can go in the backfield and run a route as good as a lot of other receivers. That’s an asset to us, we all love and respect his game along with other backs. He brings a lot to the table – this guy caught 80 passes last year and he wasn’t even the No. 1 running back for us. He wasn’t even the guy. So we love him, we’re glad his hard work and passion, his love for the game has been rewarded. He definitely deserves (the contract extension), he’s a guy who shows up every day and practices his tail off.”
5. At age 25, Riddick is the oldest of the running backs and has taken on more of a leadership role including sitting on the leadership council representing the backs. “We have a young group with that being said, we’re trying to keep everyone on the same page and we’re doing that so far,” Riddick said.
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