FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- WHEN Stevan Ridley put the ball on the turf in the Patriots’ final regular-season game of 2011, then again in the New England wild-card playoff win, his coaches seemed to quickly lose confidence in the then-rookie.

Above all else, the Pats consider protecting possession to be a running back’s primary responsibility, and his first two fumbles as a professional so cost him any potential touches he might’ve had in the team’s two subsequent postseason contests. He didn’t see the field in either the AFC championship game or the Super Bowl.

But if there was in fact a breach of trust, it appears to have been forgotten as quickly as the Patriots try to remove themselves from most things in the past. The offseason began with the organization letting lead back BenJarvus Green-Ellis leave for Cincinnati in free agency. Then the offseason ended with veteran Joseph Addai being released on the eve of training camp. That left the Patriots without an established, proven, every-down runner in the backfield.

It also left Ridley knowing he’d have his opportunity again — and knowing what he’d need to do to take advantage of it.

“I’m just trying to come in here and be as close to perfect as I can be,” he said Sunday on the practice field behind Gillette Stadium. “That’s the way this offense is run. I know what Tom (Brady) wants from the offense when he’s out there, and that’s perfection.”

No matter how near he gets to that high standard, it’s unlikely Ridley will be a workhorse in the traditional sense, given how New England typically deploys its backs. Fellow second-year player Shane Vereen is likely to take some of the carries, and the versatile Danny Woodhead remains a multipurpose threat.

But based on early indications, Ridley began training camp at the top of the depth chart, and the starting role is his to lose — and likely retain if the flashes he showed as a rookie translate to more regular work. In his first season out of Louisiana State, he averaged a robust 5.1 yards per carry, and was usually better the more he touched the ball. All four times he had at least 10 carries, he gained at least 65 yards — including 97 on 10 hauls against the Raiders in Week 4.

Ridley also has the right attitude. While the natural inclination is for a player to return for his second season feeling like he knows how things are about to unfold, and more content in his knowledge of the playbook, Ridley brushed off such a notion.

“I feel a little bit better with the offense and stuff like that, but where I need to be, I’m not even close,” he said. “I feel a little bit better than last year, but that doesn’t say much.”

Vereen’s similar comments bode well for the approach taken by the Pats’ young backs — “There’s a lot of areas where I need to improve, personally” — but after injuries limited him to five games a year ago, he projects as a backup to start the year. With all of 15 carries as a pro, he needs to prove the coaches he can do it on Sunday.

Ridley does, too — but so far he’s apparently done enough to give them confidence he can be their starter.

“Pretty bad,” Ridley said when asked how badly he wants to win a job as the No. 1 back, “but it’s a joint and a team effort. We have running backs that can all play. We all do great things differently, we all do them well. Me, I’m just trying to go in there and pull my load.”

And, of course, not fumble it.

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ONLY the results will decide whether the so-called “Summer of Gronk” had any ill-effect on Rob Gronkowski. That determination can’t be made on the practice field in July. But, suffice to say, Sunday’s session was not a good one for the All-Pro tight end.

Over the duration of the two-and-a-half hour session, Gronkowski dropped three balls when faced with coverage. The first was excusable, as Brady threaded the ball between defenders, leaving his receiver to attempt a difficult grab in traffic.

The others, however, weren’t pretty. The earlier pass hit him directly in the hands during 11-on-11 drills, but popped off and up and into the waiting arms of safety Pat Chung for an interception. The latter then came during goal-line work, when Gronkowski found himself free in the front of the end zone. Brady made a perfect throw, chest-high, but it clanged off the tight end’s fingers.

After that portion of the workout was finished, Gronkowski stood on the sideline with his helmet off and his head tilted down. Brady walked over, shook his hand, and held it for a few seconds as he spoke. A moment later, a smile sprung on Gronkowski’s face.

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OTHER observations from the Patriots’ fourth practice, which preceded today’s initial off-day:

Brady and new receiver Brandon Lloyd have said their chemistry is a work in progress, but they connected on a couple of big plays Sunday. One came when Brady sucked Chung toward the line with a play-action fake, then hit a wide-open Lloyd on a 40-yard bomb; the other came in a 7-on-7 set, when the quarterback hit his deep threat in the back of the end zone.

For much of the workout, the first-unit offense line was Nate Solder, Dan Connolly, Dan Koppen, Ryan Wendell and Marcus Cannon (from left to right). Free-agent veteran Robert Gallery looked good, too.

The receivers playing with Brady during 11-on-11 work were Wes Welker, Lloyd and Aaron Hernandez. Jabar Gaffney, Deion Branch and Julian Edelman comprised the second group, while Donte Stallworth was part of the third.

Dave D’Onofrio covers the Patriots for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail is ddonof13@gmail.com.