RB Jerome Ford (12.18.23)
Hey, Jerome, just wondering again. I know it’s hard to come up with things to say over and over again about Joe Flacco and how good he is, but what’s he really like in the huddle? Not just from keeping everybody calm standpoint, but just from a competitive and sort of fiery standpoint?
“He’s great. It’s been fun, honestly, playing with him and just watching him work. You see the passes that he makes. And every time he makes a pass like that, you see him fired up. Usually outside of that, he’s a calm, cool dude. Really chill. No real panic. He’s always like, the best way I can explain it is everything could be exploding around him, and you’ll just see him sitting there calm, trying to get everything together and figure stuff out. No panic at all. And I feel like it kind of just helps us and we feed off of it. And seeing him calm in tough situations, it helps us remain calm in situations.”
Yeah, Jerome. Obviously, yesterday you guys weren’t able to run the ball as effectively as maybe you would have liked to run. How much are you guys missing your starting offensive lineman? With Joel going down yesterday with the back injury and Wyatt Teller’s the last man standing there. But just what type of an effect are these injuries up front having on the run game right now?
“I guess they have a little effect, but I guess you could say that we got a run game, it isn’t, I guess, where it could be. We got new guys coming in, filling in, and they’re doing a good job. I just feel like, yeah, the run game might not be perfect, but we still able to win games. And I feel like the best stat at the end of a game is a W. So whether the run game is good or not, as long as we get the W, I feel like we’ll go with that.”
Jerome, can you just take us through that fourth down play where DTR (Dorian Thomspon-Robinson) threw the ball in the flat and what you saw and how important that was in the comeback?
“He came in and he motioned me out. I ran out, and I could see that nobody was like, no linebacker came out to match me. So, I saw that it would be three on three, our three wide receivers versus three DBs or linebacker, whoever was there, and he spit the ball out. And I knew the only thing that was on my mind was to catch the ball and get the first down, and we did it. We executed the play pretty good and it helped us out a lot. Getting that fourth down and being able to get points up on the board.”
And the way you guys are winning games, I think it’s like five in the last couple of minutes. Does it feel like something special is going on with this team?
“Definitely. I feel like the time that we spent at Greenbrier and the time we spent on the road during camp in Philly, I feel like those are the things that brought our team together, and we knew back then that it would take all of us. And I feel like those are the things that are a big help. So we are kind of just leaning on each other, whoever’s playing and praying for who is not playing, and I think our team got a lot of resiliency to it.”
Hey, Jerome. To follow up on Scott’s (Petrak) first question about that pass. I mean, in general, it seems like in recent games, that’s something that stands out about your game individually and what you’ve been able to do there and how many targets you’ve been catching. And I know this is something you did in college, but how do you think that part of your game has materialized as your second year has gone on here?
“I think it’s helped a lot. Like I’ve always said, anything that I can do to help the team, I’m willing to do, whether it’s hand out water or hype my team up. Whatever I could do to help, I will do. And just being able to be a factor in the game, whether it’s running the ball or catching the ball, I feel like it helps me, help the team.”
And what’s it been like this year? Kind of developing that chemistry or needing to develop that chemistry with all the different quarterbacks, you’ve obviously had to. But Joe (Flacco), what has it been like developing that chemistry in the pass game with those guys?
“It’s been fun. It keeps your mind busy. You know, figuring out who’s going to check it down and when and knowing when to be available and being on time in the pass game? I feel like being on time in the pass game in the grand scheme of things, is really what helps the quarterbacks and us get on the same page. And as long as we’re available when they need us, it’ll just continue to improve their confidence in us and our confidence in them. And I think doing it in practice and we take it to the game and that’s what’s going to help.”
Jerome. One more question. On that fourth down play, did that play go back to DTR’s (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) days as the starter or was it put in for this game?
“I guess you could say it goes back to his time as a starter.”
Was it actually practiced this week at all or is it just something that you guys?
“Yeah, it was definitely practiced this week.”
Jerome, going back to Scott’s (Petrak) question a little bit, but about this, you guys being able to really take on this next man mentality and really actually embody it as a team. What specifically is it about this group that has allowed you guys to just take that mantra and really embody it as a group?
“I think it starts at the top. Coming down from coach (Kevin) Stefanski and to us, like he said last week, whatever it freaking takes. Some other words on there that I don’t think I’m allowed to say, but whatever it takes, every game, whether it be down, everybody could be a backup. And I feel like just the energy coming down from him and all the coaches, it kind of just trickled down to us and I feel like we’ve adopted it. And whatever it takes, whether we down 20 points, down 14 points, whatever it is, we rally together and like coach said, we drag them into the mud with us and we fight and we scrap.”
Hey, Jerome. Obviously run game like we talked about wasn’t working so much yesterday, but I guess I’m just curious when that’s the case, the play action game has been such a weapon for you guys offensively, just what allows you guys to still be effective with that on the offensive side of things when the run game maybe isn’t working as well?
“I think great fakes, attention to detail, doing all the little things to at least sell the run a little now. I feel like coach Stefanski does a great job coaching us up on what to do and calling the plays and when we follow what he says to do, it ends up working out.”
I just want to ask you personally, how do you think that you’ve grown as a running back this year since you’ve been the featured guy from the third game on?
“I think with the help of coach Stump (Mitchell) in the running back room, I’ve been able to grow on a mature level, like as a person, not just as a player, but my maturity level, how I handle myself, how I take notes. Just being behind Nick (Chubb) and watching him, I’ve pretty much been able to throw a lot, I feel, and my approach to the game, and I feel like that’s been translating to on the field. I feel like, that’s the biggest one, you know maturing and knowing what it takes to be a pro and making sure that I’m doing everything that I can on and off the field to have success and help the team.”
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