ORCHARD PARK – After two years in the NFL playing three different positions along the offensive line battling injury after injury, Cody Ford came to Buffalo Bills training camp this week believing in one thing.
The Bills will finally see the player they thought they picked in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft because, up until that point, Ford said they “definitely haven’t seen him”.
Ford met with reporters Friday afternoon and answered questions about the difficulties he has faced since arriving in Buffalo in his first two NFL seasons.
Despite playing in every game of his rookie season, including the playoff loss to Houston, Ford struggled through a series of injuries that hampered his effectiveness at proper tackle.
In light of this, the Bills signed the free agent right tackle Daryl Williams and Ford was posted on guard in 2020. He saw time on both right and left sides but suffered a knee injury in the Kansas City loss in Week 6. After sitting out two games, he returned to the Seattle game only to injure his knee again, knocking him out for the remainder of the season.
“The only injury that kept me out of the games was my knee,” said Ford, who changed his number from 70 to 74. “I played my rookie year with an injury, but I didn’t miss any time. I handled it after the season and when the next season came I was ready to go. I was all-in until I injured my knee. As for the frustration, it was more frustrating just not being out there, but I can’t get mad at the injuries I’ve had. “
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Ford admitted sitting at home with a leg in plaster was tough when the Bills finished the AFC East Division title, then defeated the Colts and Ravens in the playoffs before losing to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
However, the time gone gave him the opportunity to take stock of where he was and what to do for the future, and he said he was in great mental state by the time training camp started.
“I came back to camp with a whole new mentality and way of thinking,” he said. “The only thing that made my recovery possible was to give me time to think. It gave me time to rediscover myself and find out what my why is, why I am doing it and what it takes to get the job done. “
Did he find the answers to these questions? “
“Yes, I definitely have,” he said. “I dug deep all the off-season. I heard this one quote in college: ‘You have to go back to where you were to get where you are going.’ So that’s what I did. “
Ford also started working with a mental coach, not wanting to share her name, and saying she helped him get new perspectives on things on and off the field.
“The only thing that really helped me a lot was being able to speak to someone other than just a coach or teammate or even just a friend,” he said. “Someone who is just so unbiased and just listens to you and takes everything in. It was more like she wasn’t talking to me, she was trying to figure things out. She asked me questions and it was just me to express my feelings. Just being able to be personal with her and express my feelings really helped. “
Despite the seizures early in his career, the Bills’ confidence in Ford has not wavered, although it is also clear that he will not be given anything just because he was a high draft pick.
“I think we believe in Cody a lot and I think when he was out there I think he did really good things,” said general manager Brandon Beane. “He doesn’t flinch his eyes. We play him in his first year in the right tackle, we pull him in as a security guard, we bumped him around last year. Regardless of whether it is left or right at the beginning, it is not easy for a young player to just move. “
The plan at the moment is not set in stone at any of the guards. Ford and Jon Feliciano are expected starters, but which side they will play on has not yet been determined and players like Ike Boettger, Forrest Lamp, Bobby Hart and Jack Anderson will have every chance of a spot.
“I think what we’re going to try with Cody is figured out; He’s going to work at both guards, figuring out which seat is best for him, and he has to win it, ”said Beane. “He will have to show who he is and why we chose him where we met him. I’m very confident in him and I think once he comes out and has his feet under him we’ll see the Cody we designed. “
Sal Maiorana can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.
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