Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones celebrates with John Ridgeway after an Arkansas win.
Any NFL fan wants to see their team’s rookies bring the intensity, but it seems like on Dallas Cowboys draft pick just went a bit too far.
Skirmishes and dust-ups in OTAs and summer practices are hardly unheard of, but a rookie getting physical in one of his first practices is certainly noteworthy. So when John Ridgeway was sent to the locker room early on June 9, media and fans took notice.
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ESPN reporter Todd Archer also Tweeted out the moment, revealing that Ridgeway’s opponent was none other than offensive lineman Josh Ball.
“John Ridgeway and Josh Ball had a little back and forth after a play. Ridgeway was sent to the locker room early,” Archer wrote on June 9.
Ridgeway has quickly drawn eyes to himself with his quotes, his football background at Jerry Jones’ alma mater Arkansas and, now, this fight with Ball. For the record, Ball is also a relatively young player, joining the Cowboys as a fourth-round draft pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
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Ridgeway Ready to Make a Name
For a defensive tackle, Ridgeway certainly looks the part at 6’6″ and 320 pounds. He arrived in Dallas after a year at Arkansas, which saw him make his first waves on the national football scale.
His two sacks and four tackles for loss in 2021 aren’t crazy numbers, but his production against good SEC offensive lines caused scouts to take notice. He initially started his college career at Illinois State, transferring to the Razorbacks ahead of the 2021 season.
After being drafted by the Cowboys, Ridgeway’s knack for a good quote immediately drew fans to the defensive tackle.
“I’m going to try,” Ridgeway said on the team’s The Draft Show after his selection. “To break someone’s neck when I get out there.”
Ridgeway has also coined his own nickname “Vanilla Gorilla” and clearly has one focus: making plays.
“I know what I’m capable of,” he said later in the interview. “I know there’s a lot of people out there who like to talk about the negative aspects of my game, but I just try to focus on what I can control. That’s tackling people, you know? Making plays; that’s what I want to do. I’d rather that speak than me go out on the internet or Twitter and start talking crap.”
Mike McCarthy Not Pleased with Cowboys Practice
While some fans may love seeing a new rookie with an edge, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy would rather have practice be smooth and efficient.
According to USA Today’s Jori Epstein, McCarthy made it known he didn’t think his Dallas team had a good practice on Thursday.
“Mike McCarthy says Cowboys ‘practice today wasn’t very good’ between some ‘sloppy moments’ and a couple ‘rambunctious’ young players,” Epstein wrote on June 9. “Attributes chippiness to heat, installing new elements, pent-up energy in jog-through setting.”
The Texas heat is certainly a factor, but it’s interesting that McCarthy mentioned Ridgeway and Ball’s skirmish in his quotes. The good news is that it’s early June, and Dallas has plenty of time to get rid of the sloppy moments before the season.