RB Jerome Ford surprised the sports world when he played in Sunday's game against the Seahawks despite wearing a boot to protect his ankle earlier in the week. Ford was a limited participant in practice on Friday and was officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game. After the team landed in Seattle on Saturday, Ford told his coaches that he was ready to play.
"I wanted to play," Ford said. "That is pretty much it. I want to be on the field with my team and help any way I can to have success. I felt that if I could play, I should shoot for it even if it was 1 percent."
Ford finished the game with nine carries for 37 yards, which was due to him being the third running back for Sunday's game against Seattle. It was the first time he wasn't the starter since Week 2.
"I was trusting the process throughout the game," Ford said. "The coaches were watching me in the first half and felt I was ready to get more attempts in the second half. I didn't care how many attempts I would get; I just went where I needed to be."
Although not completely healthy, Ford's participation helped the Browns' run game on Sunday, as the team managed to rush for 155 yards and score a touchdown. Since the bye week, the Browns have rushed for over 150 yards in every game – an improvement from Weeks 3 and 4 when they did not break 100 rushing yards.
"I think the schemes, the technique, those types of things, they're executing the plan," HC Kevin Stefanksi said. "I think the coaches put together a really good plan. And I really trust our guys. I think we have some diversity of skill sets with our runners."
Ford has been a large part of the success of the run game. Since the bye week, he has rushed for 195 yards on 37 carries and a touchdown. He has been averaging 5.2 yards per carry in that stretch.
"Jerome is a great running back and teammate," RB Kareem Hunt said. "It was good for him to come back and be able to contribute like he has been doing. We definitely need him."
Ford's personality when he is around his teammates is different than he is in front of the cameras, media and anyone he doesn't know. To the outside world, he comes off as shy and soft-mannered. But he is the total opposite when he allows you to get to know him.
He is outgoing and likes to talk about sports, hip-hop and anything trending in the media. He shows his personality when he streams every Tuesday on Twitch.
"I love streaming, playing the game, and interacting with any fans who join my chat," Ford said. "When I am streaming, I feel more relaxed and comfortable being myself. I am going to stream way more when the season is over and take it more seriously."
Ford's username on Twitch, where he streams on Tuesdays until the season is over, is "Rome813tv." He plays Roblox and Call of Duty on the stream because he is good at the games. He doesn't play Madden because he doesn't think it's accurate because players use glitches to win games.
He also has giveaways on his stream and brings people up to talk to him about sports, music, and some political stuff.
"I am a laid-back guy who enjoys the simple things in life," Ford said. "I stay at home and stream, which is fun to me. I am very talkative there. When I am not streaming, I am with my daughter. I love her. In the offseason, I am going back to Florida to be with her, and am going to build an obstacle course and have her race my friend's daughters."
