Kansas City Chiefs OTA Quotes: Dwayne Bowe and Dee Ford
By Ben Nielsen
Jan 6, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) is tackled by Auburn Tigers defensive end Dee Ford (30) during the first half of the 2014 BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Friday represents the final voluntary OTA of the offseason before the mandatory three-day minicamp next week. After the minicamp the Kansas City Chiefs will be off the map until training camp beings at the end of July. Let these quotes from Dwayne Bowe and Dee Ford distract you from the reality that there will be no football for a solid month.
DEE FORD
Q: What’s your comfort level like now as opposed to a couple of weeks ago?
FORD: “It’s better, but I’m still learning. I don’t feel like my head is spinning, but I still have a lot to learn. It’s going well.”
Q: What have you picked up from the veteran linebackers?
FORD: “I’m learning maturity. The pass rush is all about mentality (more than) just straight pass rush because at some point they’re going to figure out what you can and can’t do. So it’s all about changing it up and deception. We talk about deception all of the time. We want to deceive the offense. It’s just another level of mental training that I’m learning from Tamba (Hali).”
Q: Tamba Hali has compared you to Derrick Thomas. How do you react to that?
FORD: “I’m honored and flattered, but I don’t know. I’m just going to keep doing what I do and hopefully I can prove it in games. It’s one thing to say it in OTAs, but I have to prove it in some games.”
Q: What about Joe Mays comparing you to Von Miller?
FORD: “That’s an honor too. I don’t want to think too much of it and get big headed because that’s natural. But, it’s an honor. I’m just going to keep doing what I do and try to perfect it.”
Q: Is this what you expected it to be?
FORD: “This is home. This is definitely home.”
Q: People talk about your first step. Is that something you learned or something natural?
FORD: “It’s a little bit of both. I took the natural ability and applied some hard work to it. You can get more explosive. It’s all about how you train and really just studying the science of the first step. I’m going to continue to develop it to get it even better. It’s a little bit of natural ability, but I still work at it.”
Q: Anything about NFL life that has surprised you yet?
FORD: “No. It’s everything that – you know I listen to what people say before I got here. We’ve had tons and tons and tons of meetings about what to expect. I’m really listening and it’s really everything I expected.”
Q: Are you studying a lot since you’ve been here to grasp this defense?
FORD: “Yeah. I don’t want to say football is my life, but it’s what I do 90% of my day. It’s just all about studying. If you really want to be great, like I said, it’s more of a mentality than actually playing the game. You have preparation before you even step on the field.”
Q: What’s your dream as a pass rusher?
FORD: “I don’t want to be touched. That’s every pass rusher’s dream. I don’t want to be touched. I don’t care if it’s a busted block or if I’m that fast off of the ball. I don’t want to be touched.”