Poona Ford Addresses Shaky Buffalo Bills Tenure: 'It’s Just Been Weird'
This Ford has been stuck in neutral.
Poona Ford was seen as one of the more intriguing arrivals of the Buffalo Bills' offseason, a late spring pick-up from another consistently strong program in Seattle. The undrafted Texas alum made a name for himself in the Pacific Northwest with a general sense of consistency headlined by the fact he was on the Seahawks' defensive line on nearly every occasion, missing only seven games in his five years with Seattle and none over the final three.
That consistency hasn't traveled to Western New York with him.
Indianapolis Colts running back Evan Hull (26) runs the ball against Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Poona Ford (98) in the second quarter of a preseason game at Highmark Stadium.
© Mark Konezny, USA TODAY
Plenty have struggled as the Bills have fallen from the ranks of the NFL's championship favorites but Ford has been a particularly glaring case: the 28-year-old has been included among Buffalo's inactive list despite no injury for seven games this season and hasn't been noticeable when he has taken the field (seven tackles).
“I don’t know, it’s just been weird for me,” Ford said when asked about his season this week, per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. "This isn’t what I was expecting coming here."
"I thought I was going to be able to contribute and help this team win.”
Both the Bills and Ford are at an intriguing crossroads: the team appears to be confident that he's capable of contributing but they don't have time to take risks with a 6-6 mark on their ledger and Wild Card territory gradually fading from view.
Defensive line coach Eric Washington appears to believe that Ford has enough left in his reserves to not only get on the field but potentially flip Orchard Park's fortunes.
“He has a unique skill set, (he) just (has to) continue to look forward to make sure you maintain an optimal state of readiness,” Washington said in Skurski's report. “When it’s your turn again, to go out there and do your absolute best. Poona puts forth great effort in practice. He’s outstanding in the meeting room."
“Is there disappointment, sure? Competitors want to be on the field. The numbers dictate that everyone will not get that opportunity every week. But his professionalism, mindset, the effort in practice, and all those things he’s doing to prepare himself week to week, those things have been outstanding.”
Ford will have to be patient for his next opportunity to get on the field: the Bills are idling through their bye week and return to action on Dec. 10 against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
