Category: Cameron Jordan

Cameron Jordan credits back-to-back wins to ‘the mental shift’ in leadership

Cameron Jordan credits back-to-back wins to ‘the mental shift’ after a change in leadership for the New Orleans Saints:

Things have changed in New Orleans since Darren Rizzi has started leading the team into battle. The New Orleans Saints have won their last two games. Victories are product and the visual of the change, but it runs deeper than that.

Defensive end Cameron Jordan pointed towards a difference in mentality. It all started with the news Dennis Allen had been relieved of his duties: “The mental shift. When you hear from up top that you’re changing head coach positions. There’s one of two ways you can go,” Jordan told reporters. “You see teams that tank and you see teams like last year Raiders that had success. Which one do you want to be?”

This team is led by veterans who don’t have the most time left in this league. The direction they were aiming to go wasn’t even a question. They’re aiming for success, and so far, they’re hitting their mark.

Jordan also points to the ability to close out games as a reason for increased confidence. During the seven game losing streak, there were close games the Saints were able to finish. The Eagles and first Falcons game come to the mind. Then, the Saints closed the Falcons out to end their losing streak.
Those are the type of moments that feel like the tide is turning even if it’s the first win in two months.

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Cameron Jordan has been waiting on these opportunities all year

Cameron Jordan has been a bit more productive in the last two weeks and he’s been ‘asking for opportunities all season’

In the latter years of his career, Cameron Jordan versus the cliff has been a frequent conversation. There’s been seasons where he starts slow but somehow bounces back to finish with seven or more sacks.

There wasn’t a bounce back last year, and this year he’s felt like a non-factor until the last two weeks. The move from Dennis Allen to Darren Rizzi has reinvigorated the New Orleans Saints, but it’s less about reinvigoration and more about getting chances.

“I’ve been asking for opportunities all season. Given opportunities there’s going to be certain advantages. You’re able to display talents you’ve displayed every year of your career as well as help the team get a win,” Jordan said.

Jordan only played 10 snaps in Allen’s last game. His snaps have balanced out to where they were earlier in the season. And in the last two games, Jordan recorded his first sack of the season and followed it up with his first game with multiple pressures this year.

This may be his final stint, but Jordan is looking to show he is more than he showed at the start of the season.

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Cameron Jordan apologizes to Saints fans after loss to Panthers

Cameron Jordan issued an apology to the New Orleans Saints fan base following their loss to the Carolina Panthers:

The New Orleans Saints reached a special level of bas in Sunday’s 23-22 road loss to the Carolina Panthers. The team was considered to be one of the worst — if not the worst in the NFL — when the Saints headed over to Charlotte.

Now, it looks more than anything like that’s a title the Saints may hold themselves, running pretty closely in contention with the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan took to social media after the game with a message for the Saints fan base, which everyone has recognized deserves a far better product at this point.

“We just lost to the Panthers,” Jordan wrote. “I love y’all New Orleans truly had higher expectations and the best of hopes for us, y’all deserve it.”

Jordan finished out the game with one solo tackle to his name.

The Saints are now on a dismal seven-game losing streak with a lot that needs to happen in order for them to at least get another win in what is already a lost season.

That opportunity won’t come easy against their next opponent on the schedule either, as the Atlanta Falcons will look to sweep New Orleans in the series in Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Nov. 10.

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WATCH: Cameron Jordan snags his third career interception

Cameron Jordan grabbed a Baker Mayfield interception off of a deflected pass from his teammate Bryan Bresee. It was his third career INT:

The New Orleans Saints got another clutch takeaway near the end of the first half, with Bryan Bresee tipping a pass up into the air and Cameron Jordan pulling it down. It was the third interception thrown by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, though two of them were deflected passes.

This marked the third interception of Jordan’s career as well, with the other two coming in 2014 and 2017, despite having a whopping 62 pass deflections in his career to this point.

His team needed it. The Saints entered halftime up 27-24 after starting the second quarter down 17-0, and the defense’s success was a large part of that. It felt like every play with them on the field had been a 50/50 chance at being a large gain for the Buccaneers, or the Saints quickly getting off the field. They’ll need more stops and takeaways like this to win the day.

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Just one Saints player remains from their last visit to Arrowhead Stadium

There’s plenty of turnover in the NFL, but this is stunning. Just one player remains from the Saints’ last visit to Arrowhead Stadium:

It’s been a long time since the New Orleans Saints last made the trip to Arrowhead Stadium for a game with the Kansas City Chiefs, but they’ll be back on Monday night. There’s plenty of turnover in the NFL, but this is stunning. Just one player remains on the roster from the Saints’ last visit in 2016: Cameron Jordan.

Because this is an inter-conference matchup pitting an NFC team against an AFC opponent, the Saints have only kicked off with the Chiefs a dozen times in franchise history, or once every four years. And with the home-and-away structure rotating each game, it’s been eight seasons since they last played the Chiefs in Kansas City.

None of Jordan’s teammates from that game (a 27-21 loss) are still suiting up for New Orleans, though many of them are still active around the NFL; guys  like Thomas Morstead, Wil Lutz, Terron Armstead, and Vonn Bell, among a few others. A couple have turned to coaching, including Jahri Evans (with the Saints), Zach Strief (on the Denver Broncos), and James Laurinaitis (at Ohio State).

That’s not to say the Chiefs have kept their squad together. Just three players are left on the opposing sideline, too — tight end Travis Kelce, defensive tackle Chris Jones, and long snapper James Winchester. In total, of the 89 players who got on the field for at least one snap on offense, defense, or special teams between the two sides, only four are still on their respective rosters.

Hopefully the Saints come away  with a win this time. And, hopefully, the next time they visit Arrowhead Stadium they’ll have done a better job  drafting, developing, and most importantly retaining their talent.

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What is keeping the Saints defense from being elite?

The New Orleans Saints’ struggles along the defensive line are holding them back. They’ve got to make more plays up front to join the league elite:

The New Orleans Saints defense has been the backbone of this team for a while now. It became more prominent after Drew Brees retired. The revolving door of quarterbacks mixed with the absence of Michael Thomas.

At that point, the defense transitioned into being the face of the team. Demario Davis, Marshon Lattimore and Tyrann Mathieu are three of the biggest names on the team.

The unit has been elite for years, but that isn’t the case anymore. Why?

Outside of Carl Granderson and Bryan Bresee, there’s no other defensive linemen you can count on. The defensive line is a weak point of the defense and is one of the weakest parts of the team.

The lack of pressure on the quarterback allows them to sit back in the pocket and attack the secondary. Quarterbacks haven’t been forced into many rushed decisions because of pass rush. The Saints’ run defense has waned over the years as well.

If you struggle in the trenches, it’s near impossible to be great on that side of the ball. That goes for offense and defense. The Saints inability to close out games is the biggest headline, but they’ve had their struggles mid game.

The Saints have played bend but don’t break defense. The Eagles and Falcons drove the ball down the field repeatedly, and the Saints forced field goals. The struggles along the defensive line are the biggest contributing factor to this. There’s only so long you can bend but not break.

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Cameron Jordan searching for his first sack vs. Falcons post-Matt Ryan

Cameron Jordan is searching for his first sack against the Falcons since they traded Matt Ryan. Maybe Kirk Cousins can help him end that drought:

No one in NFL history has sacked a single quarterback more than Cameron Jordan has sacked former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. With the New Orleans Saints traveling to Atlanta on Sunday, this feels like an appropriate time to remind all Falcons fans of this fact.

Jordan and Ryan were both NFL iron men. During their 11-year overlap in the NFC South, neither of them missed a Saints versus Falcons game. In those 22 matchups, Jordan took Ryan to the turf 24 times, though since he split two sacks with other players, his official count is just 23.

The most consistent stretch came slightly before Ryan left Atlanta for the Indianapolis Colts. Jordan registered three consecutive two-sack games. He failed to register a sack in the next game, then exploded for seven sacks in the following two games. This six-game stretch accounted for 13 of the 23 sacks against Ryan.

Oddly enough, Jordan hasn’t registered a sack against Atlanta since Ryan left in 2022. Kirk Cousins is closer to Ryan’s level of mobility (and Jordan has 3.5 sacks against Cousins in six matchups, including the playoffs), so maybe that could help Jordan end the drought.

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After 3 games, it’s clear Saints are reducing Cameron Jordan’s role

After three games, it’s clear the New Orleans Saints coaching staff are reducing Cameron Jordan’s role. It just comes down to who can make the most plays:

Did you know Cameron Jordan played the second-fewest snaps in a game of his career on Sunday? The New Orleans Saints defensive end was on the field for just 20 snaps while taking a backseat to younger teammates Carl Granderson (55) and Chase Young (53) against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jordan managed just 17 snaps in last year’s game with the Detroit Lions — his first since suffering a serious ankle injury, and that remains his career-low. He played 27 snaps in Week 1 (46% of the total) and 34 reps in Week 2 (49%), but that count dropped to 20 (28%) in Week 3.

Jordan was the best player on his side of the ball in New Orleans for more than a decade. But those days are behind us, and the Saints are making adjustments to cope with their new reality. Just ask head coach Dennis Allen.

“I think you’re gonna see more of Chase and Carl,” Allen said Monday, pointing out that those two have been too effective to keep off the field. The other side of that coin is that Jordan hasn’t been effective enough to take snaps from them.

Father Time is undefeated. He’s beaten Drew Brees and Jordan’s own father Steve Jordan, who found great success in 13 years with the Minnesota Vikings. Anyone who has watched Jordan play in recent years has known this day was coming. He only had two sacks last season. Jordan had 8.5 sacks the year before but five of them came in two games.

The signs of his decline have been there for those willing to acknowledge them. It’s why the Saints have poured so many resources into defensive end searching for his successor — signing Young in free agency, developing and extending Granderson, and spending high draft picks on guys like Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, and Isaiah Foskey. It’s just a shame so few of those players have stepped up into the vacuum created by Jordan’s decline.

Between rotating in other players more heavily and moving him inside to defensive tackle occasionally, the Saints are trying to find ways for Jordan to continue helping the team. He’s under contract through 2025 but we’re clearly approaching the end of the line. And whenever Jordan hangs up his cleats to pick up a microphone for a job in the media, we’ll be ready to support his Hall of Fame candidacy.

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Cameron Jordan’s end zone pick-six is the Saints Play of the Day

The Saints’ 2024 regular season is finally here, which means our countdown is almost over. Cameron Jordan’s 0-yard pick-six is the Play of the Day:

The New Orleans Saints’ 2024 regular season is finally here, which means our countdown is over. Well, almost. There haven’t been many 0-yard scoring plays in team history so this touchdown by Cameron Jordan truly stands out.

Jordan got a hand up to tip the pass from Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2017, but he took things a step further by tracking the ball and snatching it away in the end zone. It was the third defensive touchdown of the day for New Orleans, which you can watch here. And this one sealed their 52-38 win.

It was a special play made by a special player. Expect this moment to be featured on Jordan’s highlight reel once his eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame enters discussion, whenever that may be. Jordan has come through for the Saints when they’ve needed him to many times over the years. This is just another example of his consistency and unique style of play.

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Cameron Jordan pushes back on Amon-Ra St. Brown’s big Saints question

Cameron Jordan shut down Amon-Ra St. Brown’s claim that the Saints don’t believe in themselves. He argues they just need a chance:

https://twitter.com/stbrownpodcast/status/1831413472833241439?s=46&t=_U0UBmCWxF2s5xLnGQ2rFQ

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is back pushing the “New Orleans Saints don’t believe in themselves” button. He did it with his brother Equanimeous St. Brown earlier this offseason. Now, Amon-Ra tried it with team leader Cameron Jordan. That conversation went differently.

Jordan opened his response by saying, “Just because your brother didn’t know how to answer that question has nothing to do with me.” Of all the people to ask, Jordan was probably the last one to pose this question to. There may not be a member on the roster with greater belief that Jordan, and there’s even less who can convey better.

Jordan gave a clear-cut, straightforward “Yes” to the idea of whether or not the Saints believe they’re contenders. That wasn’t enough for Amon-Ra who wanted to know if the belief was the same as when New Orleans went the NFC championship game.

Jordan believes Week 4 is the true point in which you really know a team. This is when Jordan went on the offensive, telling the wide receiver “As confident as you can be right now, you’ve only really tasted playoff success once.”

It was an important statement to make because you’d think Amon-Ra played for the two-time Supeer Bowl champion Kansas Chiefs by his tone. The Lions should be a good team, but the NFL is volatile. Things change quickly. Confidence doesn’t immediately equate to success.

Jordan ended with a strong endorsement of the defense. “Our defensive line is crazy. Our linebackers studs. Our defensive back… stupid (talented).” There might be someone in the Saints locker room who doesn’t believe they can go the distance this year. But that person for sure isn’t Cameron Jordan.

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