It's only minicamp, but this Rams newcomer is dropping jaws with 'easy power'

The Los Angeles Rams opted to hold their annual Rams minicamp in the exotic location of Maui, Hawaii. While football drills and installations may not be the sole focus among players and coaches at minicamp, this is a vital step in team-building. And that is crucial to a team that continues to develop, gain experience, and grow not only as individual players, but as football units and as a team as well.

But becoming a team is not about patching a myriad of the same type of player or flooding the group with similar skills. The best way to forge a championship-capable football team is to interweave different players who command unique and differing attributes into the offense and defense. From there, the coaching staff must then coach up the coordination and communication that allows those differing skills to be optimized on the football field.

One such uniquely gifted player, veteran nose tackle Poona Ford, was signed to the team to spearhead improvements in the Rams' run defense. Of course, that's nothing new to the wily veteran. He has been the crux of NFL rushing defenses for many years, and his 2024 results with the Los Angeles Chargers not only confirmed that he is the real deal but set a market for the powerhouse nose tackle in the 2025 NFL Free Agency market. That market included the Los Angeles Rams, a team eager to get better at stuffing the run.

And based on the comments of team captain, NT Kobie Turner, Poona Ford may be the keystone to the Rams' run defense in 2025.

When Rams reporter Stu Jackson asked The Conductor what Poona Ford means to his football existence, he lights up a bit out of respect and admiration, and replies:

"He is one of those guys (who) has easy power. Just the way, the human that he is, the way that he has come into this (defensive linemen) room. He was a little bit quieter at first, but now he has completely opened up to us. We just have a great time together.

Then, once we get on the (football) field, or once we are talking through things in the film room, you know exactly what he is about. You know the player that he is, and his caliber. And you see it come to life, day in and day out. So, I am super excited.

He is one of those guys who gives you run-stopping ability and pass-rushing ability. And, he is also one of those guys who is going to play really hard, too. The big fellow can run. So, he is going to fit in well with this group."

Rams DT Kobie Turner

Fans are still a bit in the dark as far as what Ford brings to the team. But it's very encouraging to hear from one of the team captains on the defensive side of the football, and to hear that Poona Ford is blending right in with his teammates.

The Rams defense's lifeblood is chemistry. OLBs Jared Verse and Byron Young bring quarterback pressures, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske bring quarterbacks down. And now, the team has a master of tackling for a loss and stuffing the run in Poona Ford.

Stuffing the run is not something the Rams defense must master; it's the first thing that this team must master. Believe it or not, veteran nose tackle Poona Ford has already convinced his teammates that he is ideally suited for the role. Now, it's simply a matter of putting all this minicamp work into actual football field production.

For Rams veteran NT Poona Ford, that seems like a simple task.

As always, thanks for reading.

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