KC Chiefs: Comparing Frank Clark and Dee Ford's 2019 seasons

The KC Chiefs will play in the Super Bowl after narrowly missing it last year. There was one storyline that was bound to be brought up and that’s comparing Frank Clark and Dee Ford.

Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs were only one play away from going to their first Super Bowl in 49 years. Unfortunately, an offsides penalty kept that from happening and the rest is history.

While not all the blame can be put on Dee Ford‘s simple and yet huge blunder, that moment has stayed in the spotlight for good reason. In an odd twist, Ford is playing in the Super Bowl this year, just not in a Chiefs uniform.

After missing that Super Bowl, it didn’t take long for Andy Reid and Brett Veach to move swiftly in the offseason. Reid relieved defensive coordinator Bob Sutton of his duties and quickly brought in Steve Spagnuolo to fill the vacancy.

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That hiring and a difference in the defensive scheme put Veach to work and plans were made to change the roster on defense. One of Veach’s big moves was sending Dee Ford to San Franciso in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick.

Veach likely already had his sights set on the then-Seattle defensive end, Frank Clark. After a new contract was worked out for Clark, the Chiefs sent first and second-round draft picks to Seattle in trade for the talented defensive end.

While it was easy to be somewhat skeptical of Ford’s exit and Clark’s arrival, there’s no question that Veach was making moves in order to take the Chiefs all the way in 2019. So, has what essentially turned out to be a swap of Ford for Clark been fruitful for the Chiefs?

Ford headed for San Francisco to help improve the 2018 13th ranked 49ers’ defensive, while Clark came to Kansas City to help improve the Chiefs’ 31st ranked defense. In 2019, the 49ers moved up to be the league’s second-ranked defense, while Kansas City moved to the number 17 spot. Both were major improvements for each respective team, but what did each player contribute individually?

Dee Ford on Frank Clark’s comments about him from Tuesday: “My response is no response...I choose to talk with my pads and cleats.”
— Nick Shook (@TheNickShook) January 29, 2020

In 11 regular-season games, Ford tallied six and a half sacks. In 14 regular-season games, Clark had eight sacks. In total tackles, Ford contributed 14, while Clark contributed 37. It’s hard to really compare these numbers simply because both players missed games with injuries, but that in itself could be a good reason to compare the two defenders.

Ford’s time in Kansas City always seemed uncertain because of the amount of time he missed with injuries. That likely played into the team’s decision to part with him. After all, Ford did play defensive end at Auburn and could have gone back to that after playing outside linebacker for five seasons with the Chiefs, but the likelihood of injury had to make the Chiefs leery of signing him to a contract extension.

Unfortunately, the trend continued and the 49ers saw Ford miss five games and while their defense still performed well, one is left to wonder how much more he could have contributed without injury.

Clark also had his battles, first with nerve pain in his neck and later with a stomach issue. Even though he missed two games, he seems to have fought through both ailments with a real toughness. For both players, though, they were each ready for the most important part of the season – the playoffs.

The playoffs might be where the best comparison takes place.

While Ford has roughly played half the defensive snaps in both of the 49ers’ playoff games, Clark has averaged around 80% of the snaps, making him more valuable to his team. Ford only has one sack and Clark has four, three of which helped the Chiefs overcome the Texans in historic fashion. Clark also plays with a fire and intensity that Ford lacks. In this part of the season, that definitely gives Clark the advantage over Ford.

With the Ford offsides penalty brought up again, Clark hasn’t shied away from expressing his feelings about Ford’s big mistake last year. It certainly has been an odd twist of fate that Ford would be playing against his former team just a year after that fateful penalty.

While Clark is the one stirring the pot for Super Bowl Sunday, how each of them plays will likely determine which team made the better decision last offseason.

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KC Chiefs: Comparing Frank Clark and Dee Ford’s 2019 seasons

By Chris Clark | Jan 31, 2020

The KC Chiefs will play in the Super Bowl after narrowly missing it last year. There was one storyline that was bound to be brought up and that’s comparing Frank Clark and Dee Ford.