Dee Ford hears teen play in store, buys him a guitar

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Dee Ford hears teen play in store, buys him a guitar

Today 5:30 AM

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San Francisco 49ers defensive end Dee Ford had never seen the 17-year-old guitar player who was practicing in the Guitar Center in Bradenton, Florida, but the former Auburn standout was impressed by what he heard this week.

So impressed that Ford brought Adam Birmingham a guitar.

Already a drummer and a keyboard player, Ford is learning to play the guitar and visited the store to see about buying one for himself

“I was just buying a guitar,” Ford told reporters on Thursday. “I like playing guitar when I’m at hotels because I’m learning how to play. So I was just there playing. I saw this kid. He was really, really good. He was really good. He reminded me of myself when I first learned how to play a keyboard. He was very passionate, and I just ended up asking him ‘Would you believe me if I said I would buy it for you?’ And he didn’t believe it, so I ended up buying it for him.”

Ford said the guitarist had “no clue” that he was an NFL player.

“It’s a pretty cool story,” Ford said. “I didn’t think everybody would end up finding out. I found out when I was going to check out that that was his dream guitar. He had been playing that guitar for a couple of years in that store. It was a good opportunity for me. It’s Christmas time, you know? Might as well.”

Birmingham told NBC Sports Bay Area that he thanked Ford “100 times. I didn’t know what to say.”

Ford said he heard Birmingham play “a couple of Metallica songs.”

“My message to him was to keep that passion,” Ford said. “Don’t let nobody take that from you. Keep working at what you’re doing. He’s young, and a lot of people are trying to find their purpose in life and they’re 28, 29, 30 and on. It’s a blessing to have your purpose that early, but you got to take care of it, meaning you got to work at it.”

Ford and the 49ers have been in Bradenton this week preparing for Sunday's game against the Saints in New Orleans. San Francisco played the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday and stayed on the East Coast this week instead of flying back across the country.

The 49ers-Saints game matches two of the three 10-2 teams in the NFC, with San Francisco coming off a 20-17 loss to the Ravens.

Ford missed that game, as well as the 49ers' 37-8 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 24, because of a hamstring injury.

The former St. Clair County High School star is hopeful he'll return to the field against the Saints.

“It feels good,” Ford said of his hamstring. “I just have to trust it. The hardest thing about coming back with a hamstring is you’ve got to trust it. It’s sort of still in the healing process, kind of early. I’m a fast healer, so I have to be careful. There are certain movements, you just have to be confident with it, and I feel really good at practice, and I feel really good going into the game.”

While New Orleans has clinched the NFC South title and the accompanying playoff berth, San Francisco would secure a postseason spot on Sunday if they beat the Saints and the conference's third 10-2 team, the Seattle Seahawks, defeat the Los Angeles Rams.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.