why Poona Ford izza good fit

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  • March 10, 2025 at 4:56 pm #155403
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    Rams agree to terms with DT Poona Ford: How he fits along the D-line

    Jourdan Rodrigue

    https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6191433/2025/03/10/poona-ford-rams-free-agency-signing-2025/

    The Rams agreed to a three-year deal with defensive tackle Poona Ford worth up to $29.6 million, league sources said on Monday.

    Ford, 29, is a player the team has long had an eye on as a physical, disruptive run defender with untapped potential as a pass rusher. The 5-foot-11 and 315-pound former undrafted free agent has to date played well beyond his size and draft status. Ford spent the first five seasons of his career in Seattle, then played one season in Buffalo and one season with the Los Angeles Chargers.

    How he fits

    Ford (No. 38 on The Athletic’s top 150 free-agent list) played beyond the one-year, $2.25 million contract he signed with the Chargers last spring. He had eight tackles for loss, three sacks, nine quarterback hits and a pressure rate of 7.0 percent despite only playing about 55 percent of the defensive snaps.

    His ability against the run also caught the Rams’ eye — the Chargers were seventh-best in defensive run EPA last season despite playing with lighter boxes. The Rams badly need a dynamic run defender on the interior who can also rush the passer alongside ascending stars Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske.

    League sources said that Ford preferred to geographically stay in Los Angeles, where he hopes to settle and build out his life. The Chargers hoped to keep Ford, and a second AFC team pursued him as well, a league source said.

    2025 impact

    Ford should slot in immediately next to Turner, and the two should be able to pass their roles back and forth as nose tackles and/or three techniques. Last year, defensive coordinator Chris Shula and defensive line coaches Giff Smith and A.C. Carter hinted with some of their rush design a desire to be as multiple as possible with a few do-it-all players, and pure rushers on the outside in Jared Verse and Byron Young.

    Outlook

    The growth of the Rams’ young defensive line was impressive in 2024, especially as a pass-rushing unit. Where they consistently struggled was in defending the run. The Rams allowed 100-plus yards rushing in all but four games last season, and the coaching staff and front office made shoring that up a priority this spring.

    March 10, 2025 at 5:01 pm #155404
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    I think getting a short, stout veteran NT who is known for playing the run…is just what the doctor ordered.

    Rams know who he is. They played against him when he was in Seattle from 2018-2022.

    I can’t wait to see what they do with the draft. So far this is a very good off-season.

    March 10, 2025 at 5:07 pm #155405
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    from the old draft profile, by Lance Zierlein: https://www.nfl.com/prospects/poona-ford/3200464f-5231-3563-7ceb-0c4e0d3f4032

    Strengths

    Good thickness and power in his lower body. Gets into neutral zone quickly with low pad level and in a leveraged position. Able to bend hips and strike with good lift at point of attack. Longer arms than expected for his squatty frame. Has decent lateral quickness to challenge reach blocks. Gives effort to make plays outside of his area. Flashes adequate upper body power. Gets enough upper body turn to pry into gaps. Has some disruptive qualities up the field and has leg drive to play through redirect blocks.

    Weaknesses

    Much shorter than teams usually like. Uses legs rather than hands and arm extension to try and gain control at the point of attack. Needs hands to become more violent and consistent at the point of attack. Struggles to pry himself off blocks quickly to make tackles in his gap. Gets caught behind size and loses track of the football. Pays too much attention to blocker in front of him rather than play development at times. If he doesn’t win with power as rusher, he won’t win.

    March 10, 2025 at 5:38 pm #155407
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    I was just listening to a Chargers fan call on NFL Radio with Pat Kirwin. The caller was lamenting losing Ford. Kirwin responded empathetically that Ford is nothing more than a journeyman. He was not excited about what he called an “undersized nose tackle,” and he thought that the Rams overpaid for him. FWIW, Kirwin is good friends with Pete Carroll, so I wonder if they’ve had conversations about Ford in the past.

    Anyway, I don’t usually get too worked up about the amount of money teams give a player in free agency. I’m obviously hopeful about this signing. Bobby Brown was a bit of a roller coaster ride for me and Tyler Davis looks like he still has some growing to do.

    • This reply was modified 1 month ago by Avatar photocanadaram.
    March 10, 2025 at 5:50 pm #155409
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    March 11, 2025 at 8:37 am #155425
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    canadaram wrote:

    . Kirwin responded empathetically…

    emphatically 🙄

    March 11, 2025 at 11:04 am #155429
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    from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2025/03/11/nfl-free-agency-rams-poona-ford-analysis-breakdown/82262565007/

    With Bobby Brown III being a pending free agent, the Rams wanted to add help to their defensive line and they got a good one in Ford. He’s 5-foot-11 and 310 pounds, so while he doesn’t have the best length for a nose tackle, he is excellent against the run.

    According to Pro Football Focus, he had an 80.3 run defense grade in 2024, which ranked third among all qualified interior defenders. He had 15 run stops and missed just three tackles, with an average depth of tackle of only 1.8, which means he’s making stops near the line of scrimmage.

    Last season was Ford’s best in the NFL thus far and statistically, he was one of the top defensive tackles in football. His 85.3 overall grade was the fifth-best at his position, behind only Chris Jones, Cameron Heyward, Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams. All four of them were Pro Bowlers, showing the company Ford was in last season.

    March 11, 2025 at 2:04 pm #155430
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    canadaram wrote:

    I was just listening to a Chargers fan call on NFL Radio with Pat Kirwin. The caller was lamenting losing Ford. Kirwin responded empathetically that Ford is nothing more than a journeyman. He was not excited about what he called an “undersized nose tackle,” and he thought that the Rams overpaid for him.

    Ford is short and stout with long arms and has his best year last year. Carroll didn’t play him at just at NT, for Carroll Ford was also a DE and a DT in a 4/3. Anyway. He did play well last year, and the goal is to have him be a run-stopping NT. I think he can do that.

    March 11, 2025 at 9:47 pm #155444
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    Jim Youngblood 53@53_jim70721
    I posted clips on Poona Ford. Rams did well. People can argue over the price– Whatever.

    1. He can play the run, uses good hands, quick and stout
    2. has had pass rush moves. Can get some snaps in nickel/dime

    Helps Kobie move out of NT position … to over a guard or just inside a tackle.

    March 26, 2025 at 1:47 am #155670
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    from 10 underrated NFL free agency moves: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/10-underrated-nfl-free-agent-moves-najee-harris-joey-bosa-deandre-hopkins

    6. Poona Ford, DT, Los Angeles Rams
    Contract: Two years, $15.6 million guaranteed

    Los Angeles boasts one of the better young defensive lines in the league, featuring Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner and Byron Young. However, the Rams struggled to stop Saquon Barkley and James Conner last season. Bringing in Ford, a proven run-stuffer who can also create an interior pass rush, should fix one of the few glaring needs for a team that believes it can compete for a Super Bowl. And the Rams got Ford at a decent number considering the skyrocketing defensive tackle market in free agency.

    March 28, 2025 at 2:33 pm #155712
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    from Poona Ford: Playing for Sean McVay was ‘a big part of my decision’ to sign with Rams — https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2025/03/28/nfl-free-agency-poona-ford-rams-sean-mcvay-signing-decision/82702585007/?taid=67e6a5c0b3e1fe0001533eea&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

    One of the determining factors in his decision was McVay himself. Having seen the job McVay did with the Rams over the years, Ford knew he wanted to play for him. Ford got that chance in free agency, signing a three-year, $27.6 million contract with the Rams this offseason.

    “The coaching staff is phenomenal,” Ford said, via WTOC. “I’ve always been a fan of Coach McVay from my years in Seattle watching what he’s done over there and how he’s run his program. It’s been a big part of my decision.”

    …

    He could see himself playing for McVay at some point and seems excited to finally have that opportunity.

    “I always watched him from a distance,” Ford said recently. “Being in Seattle, and playing against him twice a year, I always knew he was a guy that I could see myself playing for at some point.”

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