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The Los Angeles Rams beefed up their defensive line in free agency by signing Poona Ford, who’s coming off a fantastic season with the Chargers. He’s going to not only improve the run defense, but he’s a talented pass rusher who can generate pressure from the nose tackle spot.
Jason Kelce, who was a six-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champion during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, says he hated playing against Ford. While on the “Pardon My Take” podcast recently, he named some defenders who gave him the most fits and while Ford isn’t necessarily a big name, he made life tough for Kelce.
“For some reason, not the best guys sometimes gave me issues,” Kelce said. “Like, Poona Ford, backup nose guards sometimes gave me like the most fits out of anybody. Poona started in Seattle, played really good this year. kind of had a down year in Buffalo but he had longer arms than me and he’s shorter than me so for me, it’s like, all right, at least when I play a bigger guy, I can get up under him and win the leverage battle. And if I play a shorter guy, at least I have longer arms. So when you play somebody shorter with longer arms, like, I’ve negated every technical advantage I have. I have no mass advantage.
“I hated playing Poona.”
Ford is only 5-foot-11, so he’s 4 inches shorter than the 6-3 Kelce. But he’s also 310 pounds, so he’s a stout, powerful nose tackle who uses his leverage to beat offensive linemen, similar to how Aaron Donald did.
Ford went undrafted in 2018 but he’s made a name for himself in the NFL and just landed his most lucrative contract yet: three years, $27.6 million. He’s going to be a valuable piece of the defensive line next season, bringing a different style of play to a group that features Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske – a pair of athletically gifted defenders with eye-popping speed.
The three of them, paired with Jared Verse and Byron Young on the edge, are going to be a nightmare to block in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams DT Poona Ford was a player Jason Kelce 'hated playing' against
Continue reading...
Jason Kelce, who was a six-time All-Pro and Super Bowl champion during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, says he hated playing against Ford. While on the “Pardon My Take” podcast recently, he named some defenders who gave him the most fits and while Ford isn’t necessarily a big name, he made life tough for Kelce.
“For some reason, not the best guys sometimes gave me issues,” Kelce said. “Like, Poona Ford, backup nose guards sometimes gave me like the most fits out of anybody. Poona started in Seattle, played really good this year. kind of had a down year in Buffalo but he had longer arms than me and he’s shorter than me so for me, it’s like, all right, at least when I play a bigger guy, I can get up under him and win the leverage battle. And if I play a shorter guy, at least I have longer arms. So when you play somebody shorter with longer arms, like, I’ve negated every technical advantage I have. I have no mass advantage.
“I hated playing Poona.”
Ford is only 5-foot-11, so he’s 4 inches shorter than the 6-3 Kelce. But he’s also 310 pounds, so he’s a stout, powerful nose tackle who uses his leverage to beat offensive linemen, similar to how Aaron Donald did.
Ford went undrafted in 2018 but he’s made a name for himself in the NFL and just landed his most lucrative contract yet: three years, $27.6 million. He’s going to be a valuable piece of the defensive line next season, bringing a different style of play to a group that features Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske – a pair of athletically gifted defenders with eye-popping speed.
The three of them, paired with Jared Verse and Byron Young on the edge, are going to be a nightmare to block in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams DT Poona Ford was a player Jason Kelce 'hated playing' against
Continue reading...
