
[ad_1]
Ask a casual Atlanta Falcons fan to name a cornerback.
Names like All-Pro AJ Terrell, starting nickel Isaiah Oliver and even the injured Casey Hayward will likely come up … but Mike Ford probably won’t.
Granted, Ford has only played nine percent of Atlanta’s defensive snaps this year — but ask the same question surrounding players on special teams, where Ford has logged 83 percent of the snaps. , and the answer probably remains the same.
So, who? is Ford?
A fifth-year pro from Southeast Missouri State, Ford began his college career as a receiver before switching to defensive back in his sophomore year. He went undrafted in 2018, signing with the Detroit Lions shortly thereafter.
Initially cut at the end of training camp, Ford re-signed to the Lions practice squad and spent most of the season there before joining the active roster in mid-November and making seven appearances, earning four starts at cornerback.
He played two more seasons in Detroit, almost entirely on special teams – and that’s where he met an up-and-coming young special teams coach named Marquice Williams.
Ford played in 24 games over two seasons, recording 58 and 64 percent of special teams snaps, respectively, starring as a “gunner” in punt coverage and a “jammer” in punt return.
Ford is a natural fit for both, blending his background at receiver with extensive experience at cornerback to thrive. While not the most popular positions on the football field, gunners and jammers have been instrumental in special teams’ success – and Ford is particularly adept at the latter.
“When you talk about a team’s punt team, the most athletic, dynamic people on the punt team are the gunners,” Williams said. “And they don’t have to protect, they can just release when the ball is snapped. So being able to slow those gunners down is a critical part to that.”
It’s players like Ford that have helped make the Lions’ special teams unit one of the best in the league – which, in turn, has opened up opportunities elsewhere … for some.
After 2020, Williams left Detroit for Atlanta, accepting a job as special teams coordinator on coach Arthur Smith’s new staff. Conversely, Ford was cut by the Lions before the start of the season, eventually catching up with the Denver Broncos, where he saw time in 13 games and played 77 percent of the snaps on special teams.
Even though the two are apart, Williams still thinks of Ford often — largely because his game is always on display within the walls of Flowery Branch.
“When I got here, Mike Ford was one of the guys I used (for the teach tape),” Williams revealed. “I coached him in Detroit; he’s one of the reasons I’m in the position I’m in today, because of the former players I’ve coached. Guys like Mike Ford, Justin Coleman, Jason Verrett, Brandon Flowers … those are guys I use as examples. It took a lot of pride in playing that jammer position.”
What’s better than showing tape and teaching one player’s skillset to another? Getting the real version.
The Falcons did exactly that this past offseason, signing Ford to a one-year contract in April. Reunited with Williams, the 27-year-old Ford has played in all 13 games and is enjoying an outstanding campaign, currently sitting with 14 tackles (most since his defense-heavy rookie season) and likely to set a career high overall. Snaps played on Sunday when the Falcons faced the New Orleans Saints.
Ford has played just three total snaps on defense since Week 7, all in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers, but made his presence felt every Sunday – even if not by those watching on the outside.
“(There are times where) he single-handedly takes out the gunner by himself,” Williams said. “And he does that week and those plays often get overlooked because he’s out there and he’s going up against their best gunner. He does a great job of playing that position and helping our returners stand up to the football. .”
Ford, along with the rest of Atlanta’s punt return unit, did more than just help returner Avery Williams get upright — they did it at a pace better than everything else in the NFL. Through 13 games, Williams is fifth in punt return yards at 279, with his 17.5 yards per return the best mark in the league by about two and a half yards.
Without Ford, who is responsible for slowing the progression of the opponent’s best gunner, or as coach Williams called “the most athletic, dynamic guys on the punt team,” Atlanta’s success probably wouldn’t have been as high. .
The Falcons turned punts into opportunities to get first downs and turn the defense into offense – and they did that at a great clip. And perhaps best of all, while Ford brought much value to the field, he was also essential to it, imparting teach-tape lessons in more ways than one.
“I look at him as an impact player,” Williams said. “I know when he’s in our room, he brings a lot of energy, football IQ, awareness, he’s positive, he’s a leader, he leads by example. He’s been a great addition to our special team unit. He does a great job of leading by example, playing with great effort; in our room, we talk about ‘great play is made from great effort’ – and he shows great effort every week.”
While much of Williams’ praise of Ford’s skillset centers on his ability as a jammer, he does more than it just is already. The hard work put in permeates many different special teams units – and he makes his mark on each of them.
“If you’re talking about him being the gunner, being one of the first guys downfield on the kickoff or punt or being the lead blocker for Avery on the punt return trying to block their best gunners, or the key block on the kickoff return for a touchdown,” relayed Williams. “Those things happen because of effort, attitude and technique, and that’s what we harp on in our room. He exemplifies that day in and day out as a special teams player for us.”
The Falcons are eager to establish a new identity under Smith, and with special teams offering roles on the majority of Atlanta’s roster, this is an underrated area of the team’s development.
Because of this, players like Ford, who aren’t talked about often and don’t get a lot of outside attention but put tremendous effort into every single snap because they care so much about winning and impacting the game, are extremely important to the setting. . a team character.
And Ford, now back with Williams, is once again putting on the teach tape, serving as a shining example in a dark, unheralded position one snap-filled snap at a time — because that’s all. whato he is.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
Get your HOTlanta Falcons game tickets from SI Tickets … here!
Want the latest news and inside information on the Falcons? Press here.
Follow the Falcon Report on Twitter.
[ad_2]
Source link