Dee Ford has looked impressive in 49ers training camp.
Considering how battered he has been the past year and a half, it’s a positive sign that he hasn’t lost a step. However, the performance of Ford should not be anything to be enthralled about.
Ford’s impressive training camp is irrelevant.
It does not matter how good he looks if the guy is going to have a sudden injury. The odds of that happening, given his history, are fairly likely. Just look at his career and the laundry list of injuries appear constantly. It is never about IF Ford gets injured, but when. The doubt about his ability to play is not nearly as concerning as his potential next injury. All this excitement about how he has looked is just going to set people up for disappointment. Even Kyle Shanahan isn’t caught up in his performance.
“We know what he can do, so I'm just hoping he keeps coming out there without any setback. Dee has played in this league long enough, so I'm just hoping that anytime the back is like it's been for the last couple of years, I just hope it doesn't act back up.”
Ford is still a sweet pass rusher. He has been injured the majority of his career, yet has bounced back each time. He knows how to comeback from injury, so worrying about his ability was minuscule. Let’s just see how many games he can sustain health because a complete season from him is impossible. This is why the 49ers are limiting him and allowing him rest days. They know how sweet of a talent he is. It’s all about keeping him in some shape and healthy to the lead up for gameday. That is really all that matters.
It isn’t about how he looks performance-wise or even right now health-wise because it can change in an instant Week 4 of the season. So when Fred Warner is praising how good Ford looks, it’s a moot point. The same goes for Nick Bosa, Jalen Hurd, and any other player who is coming back from a serious injury. They’re taking the slow-and-steady route, which is wise. Some players need extra care over others and given how the injuries stacked the last two seasons, the 49ers need to adhere to it.
“Yeah, I think that's how we’re approaching him. That's how approaching we’re Jalen Hurd. I mean, these guys haven't played. Hurd in two years and Dee Ford in about a year and a half. So, when you look at that and they've had some issues with that, you can't just flat out count on it, but we know they are two good players that would help us a lot. And I'm really hoping that they'll get to Week 1 and hopefully be able to help us out throughout the whole year. Not just Week 1.”
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