RB Jerome Ford (8.6.23)

Jerome, second year for you now. How’s it different so far? 

“I know a lot more. (It’s) different when you’re first coming in and getting a hang of everything, meeting new people. I mean, you’re still meeting new people, but you know, the system is a little bit better, the schedule is a little bit better. You know what to expect every day.”

 

Does that make for better practices for you, do you think, with your mind a little more at ease? 

“I think so. I think that first year was just coming into the NFL, the outside stuff, like just being able to start getting paid and that kind of stuff, just maturing and having the time to be like, ‘Okay, that’s done with.’ I’m used to it now. I think so, I think it helped a lot.”

 

Jerome, do you feel in some ways that you have a large pair of shoes to fill? Everybody talks about Kareem (Hunt) and his role, and now you have to play that role. Do you feel sort of pressure or are that big shoes to fill for you? 

“I think it’s big shoes to fill. Kareem obviously did great for us, and he’s still a great running back, one of the great running backs in the free agency right now. But yeah, like you said, big shoes to fill. For sure.”

 

You didn’t get hardly any running attempts, understandably, last year with three guys ahead of you. So how anxious are you to show everybody that you’re a running back? 

“Very anxious. Just still learning behind (Nick) Chubb and when the time comes and if I’m put into the game, I put on a show for everybody.”`

 

Just a follow-up on that question, kind of knowing what you were able to do in the return game last year, even though you didn’t get touches, how much confidence does that help build for you as a rookie? 

“It helped a lot. 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.”

 

What is the big thing you’ve learned from Nick, just being around him the last year or so?

“How to be a pro. 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 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.”

 

You’re going to try squatting 600 (lbs) like he does? 

“Yeah, I’m going to leave that to him.”

 

I was going to ask, what do you think when you see those videos of him in the offseason and just putting in that kind of work?

“I don’t know how long you’ve been in the league, but to be able to do that this far into it, it’s like man, that’s a lot to – I’m not going to say try to keep up with, but it’s a lot to be like, that’s where I want to be able to say I’m that far along later in my life and I’m able to still do those types of things.”

 

There’s no doubt your receiving ability attracted you to the Browns to be drafted by them. What kind of running back do you see yourself evolving over the course of your career? 

“Pretty much whatever the team needs me to be. They need me to catch the ball out of the backfield, I do that. They need me to run the ball. I do that too.”

 

Given that you didn’t have that many rushing attempts last year during the regular season, do you feel like this preseason is really important for you to get those reps under your belt? 

“I think so, yeah. For the most part though, I’m going to leave that up to Coach (Kevin) Stefanski with the whole preseason thing.”

 

We see you in practice going into year two. Is there something from your game that last year you thought going into this year you’re going to make a point of emphasis? 

“Yeah. Pass protection and knowing what I’m supposed to do in pass protection and the routes, learning the offense. Getting more comfortable in pass pro, that’s one thing that I try to get better at this offseason. And also knowing the playbook so that I’m not confused.”

 

Do you feel like you’re ready to seize the opportunity that you have? 

“I think so. I think training camp would be a big help going through the practices, learning, and getting stuff in live speed impacts against our defense and whoever else. I think that’ll be big and continue to help me move forward for the season.”

 

We see you in two more. You’re breaking free, getting out in the open field, stuff like that. Just your second year, how would you describe your field position? 

“I think it’s pretty good. I feel like you can always get better, so I feel like I can also get better in that area. I don’t this you ever – I guess you can say arrive at something. I feel like you can always get better at it, so I feel like it’s something I can get better at.”

 

Did you grow to like the kick return job, something you never did before? 

“Yeah, I did grow to like it. I liked it a lot. It was something to get me on the field, but it’s something also to help the team. But yeah, I think I liked it a lot and I hadn’t done it since I was in high school. I didn’t return kicks in college, but, yeah, I think it was fun to do.”

 

Nick is going to be catching the ball out of the backfield more this season. So, I’m just wondering, I kind of thought that was going to be a little bit more of your role – sort of a little bit. When you know that or hear that, does that make you want to even prove it more out here, that you’re the right guy for that job? 

“You can say that, but Nick does catch the ball out of the backfield really well, I don’t think there’s anything Nick can’t do. But like you said, yeah, I would like to show that I could do that, too.”

 

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