Hey » to play hockey games. Its been a hard month. "

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Fumbles plagued Stevan Ridley even when the ball was dry. A steady rain presents another challenge to the New England Patriots running back. It wasnt a problem for him Thursday. The Patriots continued their organized team activities on a soggy day and Ridley gripped the ball as if his job depended on it. It might if he keeps fumbling. "I told one of the young guys today, thats the quickest way to get off the field," Ridley said. "You can ask me first." Hes speaks from experience. Ridley lost fumbles in three consecutive games last season. After the third, in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos on Nov. 24, he was benched for the rest of New Englands 34-31 comeback win in overtime. He lost a total of four fumbles last season leading to three touchdowns and a field goal. So hes been focusing on avoiding a repeat this year. "All you can do is really squeeze (the ball) high and tight," Ridley said. "I think that was a lesson I had to go through and, hopefully, I wont have to go through it again, but who knows? "A little bit of adversity never hurts anybody. ... You take your mistakes, you learn from them and you grow and you just keep on pushing." The third-round pick from LSU fumbled just once as a rookie in 2011, but the Patriots recovered it. He lost two of his four fumbles in 2012 before the problem escalated last year. And his rushing production dropped -- from 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns on 290 carries in 2012 to 773 yards and seven touchdowns on 178 attempts. So hes concentrating on improving his overall focus on every play. "I think if I can do that I can become a better player," Ridley said. "When you lose focus on the small things -- whether its small assignments, whether its carrying the football, whether its running a route, whether its blitz pickup -- those are things that cost you your playing time." LeGarrette Blount emerged as the top back late in the season, rushing for 431 yards and eight touchdowns in three straight games before both runners were shut down in a 26-16 loss at Denver in the AFC championship game. Blount left for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent, leaving Ridley, Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden as coach Bill Belichicks veteran backs. "You can go out there and be a starter one game and the next game youre two or three guys behind," Ridley said. "Thats what Coach stresses to us every week. We have to go out there and be as competitive as we can be. Hes going to play the matchups game and we just have to be unselfish enough to capitalize on the plays that we get." Ridleys four fumbles last year came on dry days. It rained during the last regular-season game, a 34-20 win over the Buffalo Bills, and the first playoff games, a 43-22 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Both games were at Foxborough. On Thursday, three months before the regular season, rain fell throughout practice. "Theres no contact so you should be running your routes perfect. You should be catching every ball thats thrown to you. You shouldnt be dropping anything on the ground," Ridley said. "Rain, sleet, whatevers out there, whatever the conditions are, you have to find a way to fight through that." Some had trouble. One receiver fell while trying to cut. "When you have a wet surface, you have to stick to your fundamentals," wide receiver Julian Edelman said. Wet or dry, Ridley knows he must do that all the time. "Were practicing either way. Coach says he doesnt care about the conditions -- rain, sleet, snow -- were playing in them," he said. "You just never know, but whatever it is there are no excuses." Ridley is entering the final season of his contract and tries not to think much about it. "I have to go out there and play football and hit it hard and run the ball and get wide open," he said. "I just have to be the same player Ive been." Anything else? "Try to go out there and be mistake-free." Alfredo Talavera Mexico Jersey . Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the Houston Texans No. 1 pick in the draft, was on the field Tuesday for the first time with former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J. Hirving Lozano Mexico Jersey . -- Its been 21 years since Joe Gibbs Racing celebrated its only Daytona 500 victory. http://www.nationalsoccermexico.com/jose-de-jesus-corona-mexico-jersey/ . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. Edson Alvarez Mexico Jersey . The Kings paraded the Stanley Cup through downtown Los Angeles on Monday to celebrate their second NHL title in three seasons. Carlos Vela Jersey . Today, well look at five frontcourt players today, here from the Bay Area. 1. AMIR JOHNSON (Raptors): I cant figure out what the issue or problem is, but based upon what Im seeing, hes not right.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Now that Jaromir Jagr has 700 NHL goals in the bank, the future Hockey Hall of Famer is already setting his sights on his next big milestone. There are only six guys who have ever scored more. So yes, this is a significant marker to reach. "Maybe not for Wayne Gretzky, but for the rest of us its a very big number -- 800 is a little bit better than 700," he said. Jagr scored in the second period of the New Jersey Devils 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday. Through bits of laughter, Jagr suggested that 800 goals is attainable, as well as Gretzkys record 894. With tongue firmly in cheek, Jagr said he could get to the first number in two years and Gretzkys mark in four. So far, he has no plans for the special puck that got past goalie Evgeni Nabokov. "I might save the 800th one, but I dont know what I am going to do with the 700th," he said with a smile. Jagrs tally sparked New Jerseys four-goal second period, and Martin Brodeur earned the win in his first start in over a month. Jagr gave the Devils a 2-0 lead early in the second, and Ryane Clowe, Marek Zidlicky, and Mark Fayne followed in rapid succession. The four goals came in a span of 4:36 in the first 8:07 of the second. Adam Henrique opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 5:00 of the first. New Jersey needed only 12 shots to net its first four goals and 16 total to get to five against the beleaguered Nabokov. Clowe and Zidlicky, with a milestone assist from Jagr, also tallied during power plays. "The game went away from us pretty quickly. We deflated after they scored two power-play goals," Nabokov said. "This is part of the business. You got knocked down, but you have to get up again and you have to do the job. "When the penalty kill is good, the goalie makes the saves. Today that wasnt the case." Kyle Okposo cut New Yorks deficit to 3-1 at 6:14 of the second with his team-leading 25th goal, but the Devils quickly answered with two more goals. Anders Nilsson, recalled Saturday from Bridgeport (AHL), made 15 saves in the third period in place of Nabokov, who stopped only 14 shots. Eric Gelinas scored a power-play goal with 38.1 seconds left to make it 6-1. Brodeur, the subject of trade rumours less than a week before the NHL deadline, played for the first time since being pulled from a loss to the New York Rangers on Jan. 26 at Yankee Stadium when he allowed six goals on 21 shots in two periods. Cory Schneider started all seven games since. "I am happy Im back playing. Thats the bottom line," Brodeur said. "I play hockey to play hockey games. Its been a hard month. "I wish every game was like that. It would make it a lot easier on us. I did my job in the first with the chances they had after we scored our goal to keep the gamee under control.dddddddddddd The second and third we just took over." Brodeur, who said he did the rare move of tapping his stick to honour Jagrs milestone goal, stopped 10 shots in the first period and 18 overall in earning his 14th win this season and 683rd of his NHL career. "I didnt have a great warmup, so I was kind of really bearing down in the game," Brodeur said. "They got some great chances early on and I was able to make the saves. That makes you feel a little bit good about your game." Brodeur said he had thoughts that this could be his final game with the Devils, the only NHL team for which he has played. He holds the right to refuse any trade. "Its just a little different because my name has been swarming around a little bit," the soon-to-be 42-year-old Brodeur said of trade rumours. "We have a couple of more days to go and we will see what the future will bring for me." The 42-year-old Jagr moved into the elite goal group when he netted his 19th of the season. The Islanders have been Jagrs top target in his 20 NHL seasons. He has 61 goals and 88 assists in 101 career games. "Is it that many? I love this team," Jagr said. "Its my favourite team. Thats a lot of goals. Its almost 10 per cent." Jagr stickhandled from the right wing boards into the slot and then slid a shot along the ice that eluded Nabokov at 3:31 of the second. Jagr was surrounded by his teammates on the ice with him and then skated across the front of the bench, patting gloves along the way. He received a nice ovation from the crowd when his milestone was announced. "Well they knew I scored 61 goals against them," he said with yet another laugh. The Islanders are the only team from the old Patrick Division for which Jagr, a recent Czech Republic Olympian, has never played. This is his first season with New Jersey. Jagr is only eight goals behind Mike Gartner, sixth on the NHL career list. Jagr is seventh in career points with 1,740. Gretzky netted his 700th goal on Long Island on Jan. 3, 1991, while with Los Angeles. Marcel Dionne, then of the Rangers, also reached the mark against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Oct. 31, 1987. Dionne is fourth with 731 goals. Jagr later set up Zidlickys goal that pushed the Devils ahead 4-1. It was Jagrs 1,040th assist, tying him with Dionne for ninth in NHL history. NOTES: Devils captain Bryce Salvador missed the game because of a bruised collarbone. D Anton Volchenkov took his place in the lineup. RW Damien Brunner also sat out because of a charley horse in his left leg. C Jacob Josefson replaced him. ... The Islanders loaned G Kevin Poulin to Bridgeport (AHL). ... Clowe, Henrique and Zidlicky had two-point games. ... New York had killed 21 of 22 penalties over eight games before yielding four power-play goals. 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