'I'm juiced up': Calvin Ridley talks Trevor Lawrence, knocking rust off at Jaguars' OTAs

Trevor Lawrence dropped back to pass, surveying the field to look for a sure-handed target. Calvin Ridley weaved his way to an slightly open patch in the middle of the field, crowded with Jaguars defenders.

Lawrence fired a rocket from his right arm, slicing the ball through the center of the defense as Ridley extended for the catch.

Because of the pace of the ball, it nearly zipped right past Ridley. Because of his reflexes and freakish athleticism, he reeled in the heater and picked up a few extra yards after the catch.

It was one of the first instances of Ridley’s raw talent meeting Lawrence’s ability to throw passes into any window.

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“Last Thursday out here was a pretty impressive day for Trevor,” Ridley said when asked if Lawrence had blown him away with some of his passes. The star receiver talked with media at the conclusion of the fourth day of organized team activities. “I mean, I’ve seen a lot of great throws and I was like, wow, really?”

The blossoming bond between Ridley and Lawrence can be seen in little instances during the practices. On several broken or dead plays, Lawrence will fire off a pass in the direction of Ridley.

Sometimes they’re just soft lobs, others, bullets whizzed into Ridley’s grasp. In both instances, it’s just further creating an added dynamic to the pair’s relationship.

“I mean, playing catch; it's like, you know, go outside with your guy and you're throwing the ball and then you go play a game,” Ridley said.

Ridley, who’s competing in his first football team activities in nearly two years, has been held out of portions of practice in both OTAs open to media. Doug Pederson said it’s more out of precaution than anything.

“He’s the type of guy that you have to kind of pump the brakes with,” Pederson said on Tuesday. “He wants to go so much and so fast and so hard out there at practice, we just kind of have to pump the brakes and tell him now is not the time. He’s doing a good job. He’s picking up the offense well.”

According to Ridley, it’s more than welcomed as he transitions back to playing shape during the warm summer days in Jacksonville.

“I was at home for a year, I'm juiced up. I want to be out there,” he said. “Thank God I'm around a bunch of good people. A good program and they know how to do this. Cause I mean, [if] you let me do it myself, I’ll tire myself out by the time the season's here. I got a lot of good people here. I've been working out with a lot of good strength staff. I'm excited about where I'm at right now.”

In the first two open OTAs, Ridley has been the subject of marveling by the media. Whether it’s his quick feet doing cone or ladder drills. Or his laser-focused concentration to drop footballs, whip his arm in a circle around the ball and catch it without it touching the ground.

And of course, his wide array of catches in team and position drills. Ridley looks up to billing thus far.

Learning the locker room, gaining respect of teammates

Ridley said he’s a respectful player during his first press conference as a member of the Jaguars. He felt like that would help with his adjustment to being around teammates for the first time in almost two years and around a new cast of players.

So far, he’s right as players have raved about him on and off the field.

“He looks smooth, man,” cornerback Tyson Campbell said of his early impressions of Ridley. “A guy that takes his craft very seriously. So to go against a guy like that, it's a privilege. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. He's gonna make me better and make him better.”

Ridley has already made strides among the Jaguars’ receivers. He and Christian Kirk have a history that dates back nearly a decade and Zay Jones offered his perspectives on Ridley as well.

“I think he’s a phenomenal football player,” Jones said. “I told Calvin not too long ago, ‘Man, you’ve done so many great things in this league.’ He’s a well-proven guy. Look at his numbers and statistics and even just his film. The way that he’s worked before.

“He’s just a high-caliber football player. I think he’s a really great receiver. Having him as an addition is only going to help myself and the rest of the guys to be able to learn from, to watch, to support.”

Though still early, Ridley is doing his part to become an engrained part of the Jaguars’ locker room. He said he wants to learn more about his teammates on the other side of the ball as well.

“I'm trying to learn these guys, man. I haven't been in that competitive mode for a while, but I've been trying to learn these guys,” he said. “They're good, long, fast. I just been trying to learn them and I'm excited to be on their team. Working against us, I know they're going to be ready and obviously, they had a great year, so I'm excited. “

’Harder than ever’: Ridley ready for training camp, season

Tuesday marked 100 days until the NFL season officially begins. It’s a number that seems far off, but considering training camp starts in late July, it’s a lot closer than it appears.

Ridley said he isn’t having a hard time waiting for the season to start, but it is harder for him to slow down during OTAs. He wants to go full speed yet understands it’s not beneficial to wear himself out before camp starts.

“I'm having a hard time more[so] waiting with this,” he said when asked if it’s a struggle for him to wait right now. “I'd rather just go a thousand, you know what I'm saying? So, that's the hardest part coming here every day and just telling myself, ‘All right, we going to take it slow and we're going to make sure we are good in the season.’”

There’s a sizeable break from the last day of veteran minicamp to the start of training camp and Ridley already has plans for what he wants to do with his time away from the team.

“Hit it harder than I ever hit it before in my life,” he said. “I'm going to find myself a great place to train and make sure I'm getting those throws in. I'm going to get with Trevor at some point, but just train my body my legs, get my legs as strong as I can and just come back in a little bit more different shape.”

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars Calvin Ridley knocks rust off at OTAs