Ford a Bills diamond in the rough
In what has essentially become a second preseason for the Buffalo Bills, running back Keith Ford became the latest player to come out of nowhere and make a key contribution.
Last week against the Lions, Ford carried 14 times for 46 yards and was the last remaining healthy running back on the roster by the second quarter of Buffalo’s 14-13 victory. Ford had just been called up from the practice squad a few days earlier, and he stated his case for the opportunity to come back to Buffalo in 2019 and compete for a full-time job.
“Coach always says be ready, your name can be called at any time,” Ford said. “Be ready, stay in the game plan, so just from the start I made it happen, just make a routine and keep preparing for the week.”
Ford transferred from Oklahoma to Texas A&M and had seasons of 669 and 548 rushing yards which wasn’t nearly enough to draw an invitation to the Scouting Combine. Not surprisingly, he went undrafted, but the Bills signed him on the advice of running backs coach Kelly Skipper.
He was cut at the end of training camp but was quickly signed back to the practice squad where he caught offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s eye with his work ethic.
“Got a soft spot for him, the way he works,” Daboll said. “One-hundred percent all the time, out at practice on the look team. Gives great effort, one of the guys that kind of stands in the background when we’re working on our reps and is asking a lot of questions. Just a young guy that’s trying to develop the best he can, and you appreciate guys like that.”
Sunday, the Bills hope to have LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory active after both missed the Detroit game. However, Marcus Murphy was placed on injured reserve, so Ford will slot into the third spot, and if McCoy, Ivory, or both, can’t play against the Patriots, or at least get through the game, Ford will be on the spot again.
And against a New England defense that has struggled against the run, this could be an opportunity for Ford to shine.
However, the offense will likely revolve around quarterback Josh Allen, who took some positive steps forward against Detroit in directing his second fourth-quarter comeback victory. Allen will be facing the Patriots for the first time after missing the first meeting due to his elbow injury.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has made countless rookie quarterbacks look silly, so this will be a supreme test for Allen.
“It’s another opportunity for Josh to grow and develop,” said head coach Sean McDermott. “Now it’s on the road against a very good football team, against a defense that he didn’t face the first go around. All that will be somewhat new, but will provide him an opportunity to take another step in his development, his growth and then our offense’s growth as well.”
SERIES HISTORY: 117th regular-season meeting. Patriots lead series, 72-43-1. New England has won 32 of the last 37 games. The only times Buffalo has won since the start of 2000, the year Bill Belichick took over as Patriots coach, came in 2000, 2003, 2011, 2014, and 2016. Tom Brady, who became the starting quarterback in 2001, has a record of 29-3 against Buffalo.
