Less than two months before the NFL scouting combine, Calvin Ridley only got four reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. And he needed help on the fourth.
Like many players, the two-time All-SEC wide receiver hadn't lifted weights seriously since the summer.
His strength was down. So was his weight. And his body was worn down, the product of a 14-game season that, for Alabama, didn't end until the second week of January.
That should give you more appreciation for this part.
Ridley's combine bench press total: 15 reps of 225 pounds. As in 11 reps more than he'd gotten less than two months earlier.