There has been a lot of talk about the value of the running back in professional football this off season. However, one thing is for sure, having good running backs is still a really important component of a successful professional football offense.
On Sunday, in Berea, much of the discussion at training camp was focused on Cleveland Browns running backs. In particular, discussion centered around Browns second year running back Jerome Ford.
Jerome Ford’s Football Career
Jerome Ford is currently in his second year for the Cleveland Browns.
Ford grew up in Tampa Florida where he was a star running back for Armwood High School.
As one of the top running backs in the nation, Ford started his collegiate career at the University of Alabama.
After two years at Alabama, Ford transferred to the University of Cincinnati and became a star running back under Head coach Luke Fickell.
In his senior year at UC, Ford helped lead the 2021 Bearcats to an undefeated,13-0 season.
In that amazing season, Ford rushed for 1,242 yards, had 20 total touchdowns, and averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
After college, Ford was drafted in the 5th round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns with the 156th pick of the draft.
During the 2022 NFL season, Ford played mostly on special teams for the Browns.
In fact, for the season he returned 30 kickoffs for a 24.1 yard average on returns.
His longest kickoff return was a 48-yard return on November 13th against the Miami Dolphins.
Coach Mitchell and Coach Stefanski Discuss Ford’s Role with 2023 Browns
Although Ford did not get a lot of carries last year, running back coach Stump Mitchell is confident in Ford’s abilities.
“He’s bought into wanting to be that guy,” said Coach Mitchell. “So, these guys are working extremely hard. They know if they do their job, it will allow everybody else to do their job.”
Mitchell was asked to compare Ford to running back Nick Chubb. “Well, they both are fast. They both are explosive,” said Coach Mitchell. “Nick probably has a little more power than Jerome does, but I would hope Jerome would try to match the stats that Nick can put up.”
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski also discussed Ford’s contributions to the team at Sunday’s training camp press conference.
Stefanski expressed his confidence in Ford’s abilities to contribute to the Browns offense this season.
“I think he (Jerome Ford) can play on any down, including third down,” Stefanski said. “So that’s the part for us to just work through. How that rotation ends up going, I don’t know that we know exactly how it’s going to be just yet, but it is something that we’re confident in, both guys (Chubb and Ford), for sure.”
Ford Confident For the 2023 Season
At Sunday’s training camp press conference in Berea, Ford was asked if returning kicks as a rookie was helpful in building his confidence.
“It helped a lot,” said Ford. “It helped me get a feel for the speed of the game and getting tackled by big dudes, and that’s pretty much the top of the top, so it helped a lot.”
Another way we can build confidence in addition to getting experience is by watching how others do something, or in psychological terms, modeling our behavior after others.
Ford was asked what he learned from Nick Chubb last season. Ford believed that observing how Chubb did things was very helpful.
“How to be a pro,” said Ford. “Nick does 90 – well, I’ll say 100% everything right, meetings on time. Pretty much, Nick told me he hasn’t been fined since – or late to a meeting since he’s been in the NFL. So taking notes in every meeting – if you watch practice, you’ll see him burst 25 yards sometimes all the way to the end zone. Even though we were on a 20-yard line, like bursting to the end zone, and finishing every play, he’s pretty much still teaching us how to be pros.”
Ford said that one of the main things that he is focused on improving is his work in the area of pass protection.
“Getting more comfortable in pass pro, that’s one thing that I try to get better at this offseason.”
Browns Host Third Training Camp For Cleveland Browns Fans on Monday
The Browns will host their third of eight training camps for Cleveland Browns fans at 2pm on Monday.
Monday will be Superhero day.
Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite superhero costume and then enter a contest to try to win an autographed item.
In addition, the first 1,000 fans in attendance at Monday’s practice will receive a Browns 2023 schedule poster sponsored by Levin Furniture.
The Uncle Bacon Food Truck will also be at practice for fans who would like to purchase food.
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