‘Built to hit home runs,’ former coach says of ex-Bearcat Ford
Two plays into the second half of the 2021 Peach Bowl, new Browns running back Jerome Ford used a jump cut to get outside and outraced the Georgia Bulldogs defense for a 79-yard touchdown.
Then-Eastern Michigan assistant Darren Paige was at home watching on television and the dazzling play made him even more eager to sign on as Ford’s position coach at the University of Cincinnati.
Nine of the 14 Georgia defensive players selected in the past two NFL Drafts made a tackle in that New Year’s Day game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Bearcats were without top back Gerrid Doaks, so Ford was thrust into the spotlight.
Completing his first year at UC after transferring from Alabama, Ford rushed eight times for 97 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards against Georgia. But Cincinnati suffered its only loss of the season, 24-21, on a 53-yard field goal with three seconds remaining.
Ford’s spectacular touchdown against the Bulldogs was the first of four of at least 75 yards that he posted in his final 15 college games. Browns area scout Max Paulus brought up Ford’s long runs after he was selected in the fourth round, 156th overall, of last weekend’s draft.
“I think he’s built to hit home runs,” Paige said of Ford on Monday in a phone interview. “He has that ability to take things the distance when he finds a little bit of a crease, a little bit of space. He processes what the defense is giving him and he can put the
pedal to the metal and take it the distance.
“I think the Georgia game opened up the doors for what was to come last season for him.”
Paige saw Ford total 20 touchdowns — third in the nation in 2021 — as he helped Cincinnati to its first appearance in the College Football Playoffs. Ford rushed for a career-high 1,391 yards (6.2 average) and a school record-tying 19 touchdowns and caught 21 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown.
The Browns added Ford to a crowded running back room that includes threetime Pro Bowler Nick Chubb, 2017 NFL rushing champion
Kareem Hunt, D’Ernest Johnson, and 2021 draftee Demetric Felton. But if Ford can improve his receiving skills, he could supplant Johnson, a restricted free agent who has not signed his tender, or eventually Hunt.
A Rossford, Ohio, native, Paige has spent 10 years as a college position coach and has directed receivers for nine of those. When asked if Ford has the receiving ability to become a third-down back, Paige laughed.
“I was hard on him,” said Paige, who also spent 2012 as a graduate assistant at Kent State. “I was really tough on my guys about catching the ball and seeing it all the way in. He’s a little bit awkward when it comes to catching the football, but the guy didn’t have a drop all season. He had a couple long receptions [two catches for 67 yards against Tulsa], wheel routes out of the backfield.
“If he needs to improve on something, it’s definitely his route-running and just being comfortable and catching the ball more consistently. We didn’t split him out a ton. He didn’t have a huge menu of routes. I think that’s an area where he’s definitely going to be able to grow.
“As he continues to grow in that capacity, I think he’s really going to be a weapon for the Browns.”
Ford knows what to expect from Browns running backs coach Stump Mitchell when it comes to the passing game.
“Learning the details of pass concepts, detailing my routes and just accepting coaching and listening to my coaches,” Ford said. “I think that has been a big help with me in developing.”
Paige saw that work in regards to another of Ford’s weaknesses, his field vision.
“We had changed some things from the previous year, how we were blocking some things schematically,” Paige said. “As he continued to study it and get more reps at it, you definitely saw his vision improve and you saw him get through some spaces that maybe we didn’t really design as coaches to be available for him.”
Ford ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in 4.46 seconds, but Paige believes Ford is faster than that when he gets in the open field. Paulus praised Ford’s “electric speed, burst and explosion” on Saturday.
Paige thought back to a 56-21 victory over the University of Central Florida on Oct. 16, when Ford rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns, including a 79-yarder, in the first half.
“We had a good bead on what they were doing defensively and he had a great understanding of what we were going to get in some situations,” Paige said. “The offensive line was doing a tremendous job. He’s got that knack for finding just enough space to get through and then he’s fast enough to be able to accelerate and finish it. He was in a groove that day.
“That’s why I say his numbers don’t really match up to really how fast he plays. I don’t care what your 40 time is. If you’re able to process information and execute fast and play to that ability, I think the sky’s the limit for a guy that has the ability to do that.”
Ford has even more motivation now. He participated in Senior Bowl practices, but he missed the game to see his daughter’s birth. That trip required a two-hour Uber ride from Mobile, Alabama, to New Orleans for a 6 a.m. flight to Tampa.
“That’s something we had a lot of conversations about,” Paige said. “Like most new parents, you want to be the best you can be and you know you’ve got somebody depending on you. Even though he may not have said it, that was something that was motivating him to stay focused on what was important.”