The New England Patriots have announced their inactives for their week thirteen match-up against the Houston Texans, and the list contains a major surprise:
Steve Beauharnais, LB
Alfonzo Dennard, CB
Jake Bequette, DE
Aaron Dobson, WR
Stevan Ridley, RB
Michael Hoomanawanui, TE
Marcus Cannon, OL
Heading into today, we already knew that the Patriots would be without Dennard, Dobson, Hoomanawanui, and Cannon. The three healthy scratches are Steve Beauharnais, Jake Bequette, and Stevan Ridley. Ridley is the huge surprise here, obviously. Most, including myself, thought he would get a chance to rebound from his fumbling issues this week in Houston. That is not the case, as he has been declared inactive. I don't really get the move, as I think he's a better option than LeGarrette Blount, who has had fumbling issues of his own throughout his career.
Another note here: safety Steve Gregory will make his return from a broken thumb after being out since the Steelers game week nine. His return should help shore up communication on the back end, and could allow Devin McCourty to play some cornerback, when factoring in the strong play of rookie Duron Harmon.