Shelby: All you know how to do is play it safe. I suppose that's why someone like you sits in the shadow of a great man for as long as you have, passing up one command after another. Proceed to deck eight.
Riker: When it comes to this ship and this crew, you're damned right I play it safe.
I always felt Riker acted a bit of a jerk earlier in the scene to Shelby, which may have ended up drowning out his actual good message to Shelby at the end, that when it comes to the crew he plays it safe. Shelby obviously never listened to the moral of this.