Entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent, undersized defensive tackle Poona Ford made strong impressions from the outset after signing with the Seahawks last May.

Following an impressive offseason and training camp, Ford snagged one of Seattle’s 53 spots on the final roster, becoming the latest undrafted success story for the Seahawks. Early on in the season, he was a healthy scratch for several games and only saw limited action on the field when he was active for game day.

But after playing sparingly during the first half of the season, Ford took on a much more significant role during Seattle's push for the playoffs in December and finished his first year with 21 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus handed him a 90.3 season grade, ranking 11th among NFL defensive tackles.

During that closing stretch in which the Seahawks won four out of five games to clinch a wild card spot, Ford enjoyed his coming out party in two divisional games against the 49ers.

Making his first career NFL start on December 2, Ford proved to be highly-disruptive from the get-go, recording three tackles on San Francisco’s first offensive drive of the game. Later in the month, albeit in a losing effort for Seattle, he against dominated against the 49ers, setting a new career-high with six tackles and registering three tackles for loss.

While Ford padded the stat sheet in both games, there’s apparently more to the story than Ford simply making tackles.

During an interview with Sports Radio KJR on the Cliff and Puck show, Seahawks teammate Quinton Jefferson discussed Ford’s excellent rookie season and referenced his dominance against the 49ers, speaking at length about the emotional toll blocking him apparently took on one of the opponent’s starting offensive linemen.

“I remember we were playing San Francisco, I hear the center, literally, like, crying because he couldn’t block [Poona].” Jefferson laughed. “There was nothing he could do. Poona was whooping him.”

A reliable source indicated Ford didn’t know which player Jefferson was eluding to in the story, but if it was the center, he was likely taking a subtle shot at 49ers center Weston Richburg. Considering Ford lines up primarily head up on the center or shading him in a one-tech alignment, this would add up, as Richburg struggled to prevent him from blowing up running plays in both contests.

Regardless of whether or not the story is 100 percent accurate, and by multiple accounts, it appears to be genuine, Ford’s legend in the Pacific Northwest continues to grow heading towards his second NFL season. After a strong finish to his rookie campaign, he’s expected to compete for a starting role next to Jarran Reed along Seattle’s defensive front in 2019.

If Ford wins the job much to the delight of the "Poona Hive," there’s no question the Seahawks/49ers rivalry just had some much-needed fuel thrown into the fire and their two matchups next season should be must-see television in the trenches.