Dee Ford is repaying the Chiefs for their faith, patience

Tamba Hali sat at his locker, smiling on Sunday. To his left, fellow outside linebacker Dee Ford — one of the heroes of the Chiefs’ 30-14 win over the Indianapolis Colts — was holding court among a throng of media members.

Hali looked Ford’s way and grinned, ever so slyly.

“Go talk to him,” Hali said, in a way reminiscent of a proud father.

Hali was not being dismissive; far from it. It’s just that, for the better part of 2  1/2 years, Hali has cajoled and counseled Ford on the art of pass rushing, and after what may ultimately be remembered as Ford’s breakout game — the former first-round pick sacked Colts quarterback Andrew Luck 3  1/2 times on Sunday — the 33-year-old Hali wanted to make sure his protege got some love.

“It felt great,” an ebullient Ford said after the game. “It’s pretty self-explanatory.”

Especially considering it was a performance that led to his coaches, for the first time in his career, offering up significant praise for prolonged, solid play, as he currently is tied for fifth in the entire NFL with seven sacks.

“I think he’s put together back-to-back-to-back weeks here, ” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who put some pressure on Ford before the season by saying he could either take it up a notch or be an average starter. “I think he’s raised his game ... all these reps that he’s getting is really showing everybody what he’s all about.”

Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton agreed, citing Ford’s dominant performance against Indianapolis.

“He had an unbelievable game,” Sutton said. “Some of his best rushes had nothing to do with sacks — they were outstanding rushes. Outstanding.”

Outstanding. Strong word, one previously used for Ford when referring to only one thing — his rare burst off the edge.

But coaches and teammates say Ford’s strong play of late is due to the fact he’s starting to put it all together, something inside linebacker Derrick Johnson predicted before the season.

“Some people say Dee don’t know what he has,” Johnson said in August. “He’s beginning to know what he has now — I’m all in with him. I think Dee Ford’s a heck of a player.”

It was a strong take at the time, especially after two seasons in which the 6-foot-2, 243-pound Ford recorded a modest stat line of 31 tackles and 5  1/2 sacks as a reserve behind Hali and Justin Houston.

And there was still some question as to whether Ford would or could deliver even a month ago, when he had only 1  1/2 sacks and admitted that he needed more production.

But the bye week was good for Ford — he received treatment for ongoing tendinitis in his knee, which hampered him at the end of organized team activities in June — and over the last three games, as Reid noted, Ford has exploded, racking up 5  1/2 sacks.

Sutton said the extra reps afforded to Ford this season — Houston has yet to return from offseason knee surgery, though he could return soon — has allowed Ford to get in a rhythm and learn how to set up offensive tackles with a variety of pass-rush moves, something the Chiefs had been waiting for him to do.

Hali said the biggest difference he’s seen in Ford is a willingness to embrace the power game, as Ford has done a better job engaging tackles and — after watching what the quarterback does — disengaging and closing in on the quarterback, instead of simply relying on his explosiveness to speed-rush his way up the field like he did in college.

“We know how talented he is getting off the ball,” Hali said. “And we said ‘Dee, in our league, you’re not just going to beat guys like that. You’ve got to set it up. With you, we want you to go into the guy first and then work off of it.’

“He’s done it so well ... even if he’s losing, he knows how to come back inside or stay outside.”

Both Sutton and Hali noted that when you’re too reliant on the speed rush, NFL quarterbacks will simply step up into the pocket and allow the tackles to wash you away from the play.

“If you’re a run-around-the-edge guy, the (offenses) love it because the good quarterbacks know how to take care of their tackles,” Sutton said. “They just (step up), and it’s over. The worst place to be is behind the quarterback.”

But Ford’s new approach of engaging, finding and attacking has been effective, especially when coupled with his improved angles to the quarterback — which Sutton said has been honed with hours of film study — and his newfound relentlessness as a pass rusher.

“It’s the only way you’re going to rush in this league,” Sutton said of Ford’s improved effort. “There’s no way in our league you can be an effective rusher unless you’re just relentless — it just can’t be done.

“One thing he has is that he has such great speed that if a quarterback does step up or does step out, even if it’s away from him, he can track him down.”

Ford’s opponents see it on tape, too. Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley said Ford resembles the player he and the rest of his staff coached during Ford’s breakout performance during the 2014 Senior Bowl.

“We loved his spirit — I thought he played with great energy,” Bradley said. “He had an ability to get off of the ball ... when I watch him on tape, he’s got those same talents, but he’s more mature now. He plays with that style every play, and I’m really happy everything is coming into play like it has for him.”

Interestingly enough, when quizzed more about Ford, Bradley casually mentioned that he would have been a nice fit in the Jaguars’ 3-4 “under” defense as a “Leo,” who essentially serves as an undersized pass-rushing linebacker.

Ford, who was projected by many as a late-first or early second-round pick, was taken 23rd overall in 2014 by Kansas City — 16 spots before Jacksonville’s next pick.

“I think there’s definitely a place for guys like that in the NFL, especially with the rush being so important,” Bradley said. “So, it’s not surprising to me that he’s developed the way that he has.”

Ford still has room for improvement. Reid and Sutton noted that Ford has made big strides as a run defender and cover linebacker, but he can still be more consistent in all facets. And hey, there’s still a half-season left for him to finish.

And if you want to be cynical, there’s also the reality that Ford had his massive game last weekend against a team with a woeful offensive line that has yielded the most sacks in the NFL.

But the fact remains, Dee Ford is on pace for 16 sacks this season. And even if he falls off his current pace some, he is still likely to record double-digit sacks, barring injury.

That, to be sure, is a victory for Ford, who is on the verge of getting the critics off his case, and the Chiefs, who have waited on him patiently, now stand to reap the benefits.

“It ain’t done yet, it ain’t done yet,” an enthusiastic Hali said at his locker after Sunday’s game. “We’re going to try to get him as many sacks as he can possibly get because he’s very, very talented ... very ambitious.

“We tell Dee Ford: ‘Man, you’ve got all the ability — we’re going to be in the right places, you’ve just got to make plays.’ And he’s doing it.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Dee Ford is repaying the Chiefs for their faith, patience."