In Fight for Playing Time, Ford Calls Rookie Year ‘Blessing’

Big defensive tackle Jonathan Ford didn't play in a single game as a rookie. This year, he appears ready to provide critical depth on the defensive line.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – As a rookie last year, Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Jonathan Ford pulled off the neat trick of being the 338-pound Invisible Man.

A seventh-round pick, Ford made the 53-man roster but was a healthy inactive for all 17 games. No matter how big the hole in Green Bay’s porous run defense, the big man just wasn’t an option.

Following the free-agent departures of trusty veterans Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry, the door is open for Ford to not just earn a spot on the roster but a role on the defense.

A couple days after coach Matt LaFleur said Ford had "upped his game," Ford was one of the better players on the field for Saturday’s Family night. On an early passing play, he shot past guard Cole Schneider for a pressure on Jordan Love. Later, he worked inside of guard Sean Rhyan to stop running back Patrick Taylor.

“Just attention to detail, playing hard, using my hands and using all the tools my coach gave me,” Ford said after the fireworks show.

He had nothing but time last year to work on the tools presented by defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery.

“Just a learning experience for me,” Ford said of his rookie season. “Coming from college and being a three-year starter and then coming in and not playing a snap, it was a learning experience for me. I think it was a blessing for me. I know it was a blessing for me to be able to learn from guys like Kenny (Clark) and the other vets that were here. I feel like I used that as my drive to drive me to get better.”

Jonathan Ford (Photo by Sarah Kloepping/USA Today Sports Images)

The biggest lesson had nothing to do with technique.

“Just work ethic,” he said. “Just working. Kenny comes here every day and works and leads by example. We have no choice but to come in and work.”

With Reed returning to Seattle and Lowry joining rival Minnesota, there are enormous holes in the lineup. Last year’s backups, Devonte Wyatt and TJ Slaton, are this year’s starters alongside Clark. That means the backup roles are up for grabs.

Ford and two rookies who are a bit on the lighter side, fourth-rounder Colby Wooden and sixth-rounder Karl Brooks, have formed the No. 2 line throughout training camp. Ford, though, disagreed with the notion that they are under pressure to perform.

“I wouldn’t call it pressure. I’d just call it getting ready to play,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s a competitive sport. We have to show up every day and give everything we have for this team. The only way it’s going to come is if we come in here and we work hard every day. So, I wouldn’t call it pressure. I’d call it preparation.”

That preparation showed up on Saturday night. Ford, Wooden and Brooks all made some impact plays to further distance themselves from everyone else on the depth chart.

“It’s just working hard every day,” Ford said. “We’ve got to get better. Every day, it’s got to be the same. It’s what you put on film every day and how you approach that field every day is what’s going to determine your destiny and your destination.”

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