Poona Ford Reflects On His Time With The Seahawks, D-line Chemistry & Being Ambidextrous

Poona Ford Reflects On His Time With The Seahawks, D-line Chemistry & Being Ambidextrous

How’s it going everyone? Hope you can make it to Sofi Stadium this weekend for a first place collision between Seattle and Los Angeles. Indeed, the Rams are set for their biggest test of the season and so am I. Start your stopwatch and enjoy this edition of Rams Revealed with Puna Ford. Well, Puna, good to sit with you. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. You maybe not so much. No, I’m open to it. Okay. I just hear that you’re a man of few words. Fair. Yeah, very true. By nature or just around the media? Just in general? Like I won’t really say much. Okay. Yeah. I won’t say who, but I have a little wager with someone in the facility that I can get you to sit here for 10 minutes. That the overunder is like nine and a half. Think I got a chance? Maybe you might. I don’t know. Better chance than the centers you go up against on a weekly basis. Um, all right. I got a little bit of an icebreaker. Let’s see where this leads. Okay. I know there’s a few things that you like to talk about. We’ll get to them eventually, but I’m going to rank the best arms on the Rams roster, and you stop me when you get to yourself or where you think you fit in. Okay. Cuz I hear you can spin it. From who? We’ll get to that next. All right. Am I right, though? Yeah. Okay. Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Garopolo, Stson Bennett, Cam Curl. I feel like I got Cam. I ain’t going to lie. Two two. I feel like I got both of them. Okay. All right. So, we’ll just go right after the quarterbacks with which hand, right? Cuz you can throw it both ways. You’re ambidextrous. I know this. Research. Research. Trying to get past this nine and a half minute mark. Yeah, I can throw both hands. Okay. Do you do everything amberc? Can you write with both hands? No, I write my left hand. Okay. So, you’re signing autographs left-handed? I can shoot a basketball with both hands. Shoot a basketball with both hands. Kick with both feet? No. Okay. Mhm. Do you feel that that ambidextrous nature allows you to play football better? Does it help in the trenches? I feel like it does help. Okay. Cuz it like it helps you be able to play both sides like left and right. Okay. You played both sides of the football growing up, right? You had some good offensive skills, too. Mhm. Taking handoffs, necessarily throwing it though, huh? Yeah. Okay. When’s the last time you threw a football for real? Uh, probably like Yeah, probably around high school, I’ll say. Okay. Yeah. I was supposed to have some like my own packages, but I hurt myself to my senior. Okay. So, that robbed you of the the offensive start. It robbed me of my shine a little bit, man. I mean, you’re giving me some ideas though, like a little red zone RPO package. The mesh point Puna coming downhill with a chance to flip at the end zone. Maybe. Okay, just let me lead block. I feel like I like that more. Lead block. Okay, so just true eye formation fullback paving the way for Kairen or Blake. We’ll put in Shanzir. See what he says. Mhm. He’s open to new things apparently. What do you make of this new three tight end identity that the Rams are rolling with? I feel like our tight ends are great. I’m going to leave that to them. Leave that to them. Yeah. What kind of stress does it put on a defense when you’re flipping between 11 personnel with Puka and Advante Adams and then you’re loading up with three tight ends and having to deal with that presentation? Uh I feel like it just allows you to stay balanced as an offense really. You be able to like I guess move the ball around and also like run it. Yeah, pretty good offensive day in that win at San Francisco. How did you enjoy that? What did the Rams do well? What can they do better between now and Seattle? Um, I don’t know. I feel like they was, you know, hitting on all cylinders. Uh, but for this game, I’m important. I feel like, uh, Seattle got a good run defense and I feel like it’s going to be important for us to get our run game going this week. Yeah. As we approach the midway point of this season, how would you evaluate your performance, your first campaign as a Ram? M I thought it’s been pretty good. Like you know we winning. So that’s always great. I love winning. I don’t like losing. I don’t take losing pretty well. Okay. But I ask you about yourself. Myself? Yeah. I don’t know. I’m not really one to talk about myself. I can tell. I’m trying to get there though. But they’re winning because of you. No, not necessarily. Come on, Puna. The last I think seven opponents only six or you’ve held six below 100 yards rushing. I mean that’s not just me though. It’s kind of like collectively all of us together. But, you know, that’s just like the chemistry we have. Everybody like, you know, play for one another. You’re the tip of the spear, though. What about that chemistry in that defensive line room? Uh, I feel like it’s pretty good. You know, me being the oldest in the room, it’s kind of interesting. This is a first for me, but uh, Coach Gman kind of like challenged me to like to lead the guys a little bit and that’s what I can be kind of trying to do. When you say a first, it’s the first time you’ve been kind of the senior statesman in a position group. Yes. I mean, I’m not trying to date you, but I know you got a birthday around the corner. Absolutely. 30 next week. Yep. Dirty 30. All right. What kind of present you hoping to get yourself? I don’t know. I don’t know to be honest. I ain’t going to lie. I’m not really big on my birthday cuz I’m always working. I’ve been working on my birthday since like forever as I can remember. But it just be nice to like just chill with my family and stuff like that. You’ll be out here installing something on a Wednesday. Yeah. Well, how about an eighth win? We’d love to get that for you. That’d be a great birthday present. Back to your position group for a second. Who are you closest friends with here just a few months into your Rams tenure? Uh, probably I say Merch. Probably like that’s who I like hang out with a lot, him and uh Bill. What do you like about Merch? Merch? I mean like like you know he’s a one of the bigger personalities on the team but I don’t know but I know Merch for a long time like I uh I hosted him at Texas on his official visit. So but yeah I know Merch for a long time and that’s probably that’s probably why we uh hang out so much. Yeah cuz he can talk the whole time. You just listen, right? I just chill, laugh, you know, chime in whenever. What was Larel Merchesen like as a prep recruit in Austin, Texas? I mean, he was kind of quiet, I guess, at first, but I don’t know. I kind of knew he wasn’t coming there. Yeah. Yeah. You were ahead of your time, man. You could have made some money in this NIL era down there in Texas right now. Pretty cool. I just really wanted a car. That’s it. Well, I hope you’ve been able to pick one out for yourself now. Um, that you’ve made a nice long career in the National Football League. Aside from the money, what was it about this opportunity with the Rams that attracted you in free agency? Uh, you know, just uh just the opportunity to really uh play under coach McVey, you know, being playing against him since my time in Seattle. I always thought he was a great coach and it’s someone I could see myself playing for. a great coach because he made life difficult for you as an opponent or I mean we not get into that but he did but like yeah just like just his style as a coach like he’s young energetic and that’s just something that you know makes you want to play for a guy like that. I I am always curious when players have been on the opposing sideline. What’s the perception of McVey and the Rams from afar versus the reality now that you’re inside these walls? uh just being on the other side I was like I don’t know like we kind of like hated each other as far like you know being division rivals and stuff like that but it’s just like man I’m like especially like going up his office I’m like man it’s like the scheme is crazy the scheme is crazy so that’s really my biggest thought on him like playing against him back in my early career is there one moment or one game that stands out from your time in this rivalry Seattle against Los Angeles that still sticks with you? Uh yeah, probably from my rookie year. It was like a big it was like a scuffle at the end of the game when uh they were playing in the coliseum still. That’s probably what really stuck out to me. Well, from what I remember. Yeah, it was a pretty prominent defensive tackle involved in that scuffle if I recall. Yeah, I wanted to meet him, but I guess he had that was my first uh Yeah, that was my first game. So, you’re trying to meet Aaron Donald? Maybe someone you looked up to? Admired? Of course. My mom bought me his jersey in college. Your mom bought you Aaron Donald’s jersey in college Christmas one year. You still have it? Yeah. Get him to autograph it. Uh, not really. I’m not really into that. Not into that. No. But he did inspire you, of course. like being one of the, you know, shorter defensive linemen in the league, especially like to do what he done and accomplished. It’s just it just gives like, you know, show the guys hope. So, you’re in the coliseum thinking maybe I’m going to meet this guy and he’s too busy beefing with your offensive line. Yeah, man. All right. That gives new flavor to this uh this game coming on Sunday. I like that. Let me talk about those measurables real quick and we’ll come back to the Seahawks. According to the listing, like shortest defensive lineman in the league, 511 and change. Does that sound about right? Yep. But show us the wingspan. Six foot eight. I don’t know, man. It’s been a while. I haven’t done this since like college. Okay. How does that play? Why does that matter? Oh, just like it helps me like like I said like earlier, like it helps me get separation from the old lineman. Yeah. What are the other ingredients that have allowed you to overcome being an undersized, undrafted defensive lineman to make it this far? just like, you know, being like shorter and being able to like get under a taller uh offensive lineman. Like a lot of them are pretty much all of them are taller than me. So like it’s easier for me like to get up under them and like them not being able to move me and stuff like that. I’m sure it crossed your radar what Jason Kelsey said about you, right? Yeah. Everybody sent me that. Yeah. Uh for those who didn’t catch it or don’t know what I’m referencing there, he says, “When you play somebody shorter with longer arms like I’ve negated every technical advantage I could have, I hated playing puna.” Mhm. Is that like the highest compliment that a of course Hall of Fame Center could offer you? Yeah, it was it was an honor. Oh, that’s terrific. All right, let’s go to the Seahawks. What’s it like preparing for a first place showdown against the team that raised you at Sofi Stadium? Uh it’s just I don’t know, you know, being on the other side cuz like this is my uh first time playing them, you know, since I left. And I don’t know, I’m just, you know, we got two really good teams going up against each other. I’m just I know not just me, but like everybody is looking forward to the challenge. What are your recollections of your time in the Pacific Northwest? Fond memories? Uh, yes. I mean, I I kind of loved it up there. Like the weather isn’t wasn’t as bad as people like said it was, but like it’s just whatever you make of it. So, I enjoyed my time there. Grateful, of course, cuz they gave you the opportunity. You got an extension, right? I think before anyone else in your class, drafted or otherwise, got an extension, you were first. So, what did that mean to you that they invested in you and your future? Uh, just like, you know, that they believed in me and like believed what I could be as a player and that was just like a good feeling. Let me ask you about your name, Puna. Mhm. Will you share with us the origins of that nickname? The origin? I tell like um like this is something my grandma gave to me, but like I don’t know. I got like a few different names. I’m open. Open like which one? You tell me. How do you know my real name? Uh I don’t know if the pronunciation is correct, but Kayn Nikia Ford Jr. I just asked for my first name, not the whole thing. Oh, you don’t want you don’t want your government name out there? You just put it out there, man. But we can edit it. No, I don’t care. Okay. No social security number, though. No, but yeah, you said it right. Okay. Surprisingly, usually people be like Kalon or something, but not Kaitlin. I lose a lot of 50-50 bets, but I got that one. All right. So, Puna comes from my grandma. And then my mom, she called me pun. And like my mom and like my sisters, my little brother, they all called me Pun. And then like my grandmas, the even the one that like gave me pun, they both just call me Pooh. At what point did you decide to just run with it and like have that be your roster name? I don’t know. It kind of just chose me. Like that’s what people have been calling me like my entire life. Yeah. And so that’s just what it was. And where are you from? Family origins, geography, South Carolina. South Carolina. You and Tyler Davis connect through South Carolina, too. Speaking of another defensive lineman. Yeah. Yep. But he came to uh our camp one year. Him and like another player. I think it was like Xavier Woods or something. But uh a couple Clemson guys. Then like like I said like my coach was doing that camp for a while. So I used to have like a lot of top guys like one year we had like Ezekiel Elliott like Dexter Lawrence and Christian Lucas was there one year. It’s just like a lot of uh just a lot of like South Carolina schools but it was nice to cross paths with them. You’ve been in the Pacific time zone a long time now though. Do you feel like a West Coast guy at this point? Do you like it out here? It’s all right but you know I stay true to my roots. That’ll always be home. Yeah. What’s after football for you? I don’t know. I got like a I kind of got an idea, but like I’m not really in a rush. Yeah, to be honest. But probably go back home just, you know, be a dad and just enjoy my family. I’m coming right back to fatherhood. I promise. But how many more years do you want to do this? As long as they let me, man. As long as my body lets me. So, we’ll see. It’s kind of a thankless task, isn’t it? But you enjoy it. I do enjoy it, man. I love the game. I love the locker room camaraderie and just, you know, just going out there on Sundays having fun with the guys. How do you measure success? Like how do you leave a field feeling like you thrive, that you had a great day? A win first and foremost. Uh just, you know, just like just not giving up like not having a 100 yard rusher. That’s that’s a win for me personally. Uh, I’m not really too big in the stats, but just those that’s what I like judge the game off of pretty much. When you do get rewarded with a chance to rush the passer to get vertical and you racked up some sacks last year, take a careerhigh. You’re in the box score this year as well. What does that feel like as a reward? It feels good. You know, it makes you like, you know, want to get more, but like like you try not to chase sacks cuz like you don’t want to like, you feel me? abandon like your focus on like what the uh the entire goal is. But you can celebrate the success of others like when V8 or Agent Zero or Kobe get a sack. You know that you played a role in that either earning them the right to rush the passer by occupying an offensive lineman. Who’s got the best sack celebration? Um I think Kobe does the conductor. Yes, hands down. Who needs to work on it? I don’t know. I thought everybody got their own little celebration. That fits too. But yeah, Kobe has the best. Fist kicks down that door pretty good, doesn’t he? All right. I said fatherhood would uh be our finishing topic. I want to go there. Tell us about your daughter, Puna. What do you want to know? What’s her name? How old is she? Kinsley. Kinsley. She’s four years old. Okay. So, her birthday was October 10th. It was not too long ago. Okay. So, a fall birthday like yourself. Just celebrated a fourth birthday. What did you guys do to celebrate? um she uh she came out here earlier, but like that was when we had to go to Baltimore, so I wasn’t actually able to get to uh celebrate her actual birthday. But she uh we just like we just here like we make cakes and stuff like that and like we go to play places, parks, whatever. She’s just an active baby. She likes she does a lot. She’s very active. Does she understand what her dad does for a living? I don’t know yet, but like she comes to the games and she I think she like enjoys it. Especially like when she see her like she see herself on like the big screen. She’s been out there a few times. She just she loves that. On the infinity screen at SoFi. Oh, that’s that’s special. That’s very cool. Was a trip to Baltimore helpful in getting some time with her, reconnecting, being on the East Coast for a full week? Uh yeah, it was pretty it wouldn’t it was pretty cool. It’s just like different though just you know being away from your actual home and like you’re in a hotel for like a whole week practicing at Camden Yards. What was that like to be on a baseball? It was cool though. I’m not gonna lie. To see like a actual baseball state and be inside of it and like the locker rooms are like way different than ours. That made an impression on you. I can tell. Were you expecting that or is that just a surprise? I don’t know what I was expecting honestly. And they have like great shower pressure like the water pressure in showers. Camden Yards. Yeah. Unexpected. It was impressive. Okay, so you guys split up offense and defense, right? One in each clubhouse, one in each weight room. Yeah. And the showers were the great takeaway. Yeah. When they tell the story of the 2025 Rams and how this winning streak started and what led them to success, do you think Camden Yards and shower pressure will be a footnote? Uh, I wouldn’t say just that, but just like just, you know, being out in Baltimore together as a team. It was pretty cool. We did a few things. We like tried some restaurants and stuff like that. Just some like real camaraderie. So, I feel like that was kind of a building. So, okay. So, a second training camp of sorts. There’s some merit to that. That that that helps. Yeah. All right. Well, you’re way past the 10-minute mark. Mission accomplished. I feel like that’s a win for me. I want a win for you to celebrate your 30th birthday. Puna, thank you for giving us a little peak into what makes you a great defensive lineman and a father. We wish you and your daughter all the best. Glad you’re with us here in Los Angeles. Thank you. Go get the Seahawks. Yes, sir.

Los Angeles Rams nose tackle Poona Ford sits down with J.B. Long to talk about his time playing with the Seattle Seahawks, the defensive line’s chemistry translating into successful outcomes, and the advantages of being ambidextrous.

0:00 Intro
0:55 Ambidextrous nature
2:55 Rams’ 3 tight end identity
3:50 Win over 49ers
3:43 Evaluating his first year as a Ram
4:29 Defensive line chemistry
5:24 Friendship with Larrell Murchison
6:28 Opportunity with the Rams
7:11 Perception of McVay & the Rams
7:45 Playing against the Rams as a Seahawk
9:06 Ingredients to overcome being a shorter d-lineman
10:14 Preparing to face the Seahawks
10:39 Recollection of time in Seattle
11:15 Origins of his name, “Poona”
12:29 Growing up in South Carolina
13:09 Acclimating to the west coast
13:19 Life after football
13:58 Measuring success
14:56 Best sack celebrations
15:18 Fatherhood
16:38 Practicing at Camden Yards

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