Saints DE Cameron Jordan ejected in Week 15 vs. Chiefs

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was ejected for throwing a punch late in Week 15’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Frustrations boiled over in the New Orleans Saints’ game with the Kansas City Chiefs, and it got Cameron Jordan disqualified. The defensive captain exchanged some blows with the Kansas City right tackle too close to the whistle for the officiating crew’s liking, so they threw a flag and tossed him for throwing a punch. It’s the first time Jordan’s been ejected in his 166-game career.

It’s an ugly scene, and Jordan should know better. But it’s easy to see why he lost his cool: getting held all afternoon is enough to upset anyone. Kansas City went into the game with 20 fouls for offensive holding in their first 13 games, second-most in the NFL, but they weren’t flagged for it once in Sunday’s matchup. They probably just happened to play a cleaner game up front than they have all year. Surely.

Still, Jordan hurt his team, and he has to watch himself more carefully moving forwards. The penalty yards he yielded set the Chiefs up for a walk-in touchdown run. New Orleans can’t afford to create those opportunities for such an accomplished offense. Here’s hoping it doesn’t cost them the game.

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Cameron Jordan now lead all NFC defensive ends in Pro Bowl fan voting

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan currently leads all of his peers in the NFC in voting for the 2020 Pro Bowl, per NFL release

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Only one member of the New Orleans Saints leads the NFC in Pro Bowl votes, and it’s defensive end Cameron Jordan. An NFL release on Thursday listed him with 80,675 votes from fans so far, leapfrogging last week’s leader (Carolina Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns, who had 62,814 votes at the time).

Jordan was recently recognized as the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November after netting 5 sacks in as many games, to go along with a dozen tackles (half of them stopping the offense for a loss of yards). He’s benefited from the return of Marcus Davenport to the lineup, who demands attention from offensive lines that was previously shifted Jordan’s way. Improved pass coverage in the secondary has also created more opportunities for Jordan to make an impact.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis remains the leader at his position group after surpassing his Saints counterpart Marshon Lattimore. That’s despite Davis allowing multiple touchdown catches and more than 200 receiving yards in his last game before Tampa Bay’s bye week. Bah, humbug.

Of course there are many other Saints players worthy of Pro Bowl consideration; cast your ballot at this link before fan voting closes on Thursday, Dec. 17.


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Cameron Jordan named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November after netting 5 sacks in as many games

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An impressive string of performances from Cameron Jordan put the league on notice, and the New Orleans Saints defensive end has been named November’s NFC Defensive Player of the Month. Jordan bagged 5 sacks and 12 tackles (9 solo, 6 tackles for loss of yards) over the last month, totaling 235 snaps played in 5 games. Pro Football Focus credits him with 20 quarterback pressures created in that span, third-most in the conference (NFC South rivals Brian Burns and Shaquill Barrett are tied for the lead with 25).

Not bad for a 31-year old in the 10th year of his NFL career. To take things into greater perspective, Jordan has 6.5 sacks on the year so far, and 93.5 in his career. If he can find a way to double that season total over these last five games, he’ll become just the second player in Saints history to record 100 sacks — trailing only Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and “Dome Patrol” legend Rickey Jackson, who left the black and gold with 115 sacks to his name.

And 6.5 sacks down the stretch just might be doable. Jordan has another matchup with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan coming up next; he’s sacked Ryan 21 times in their long rivalry, the most of any defender-quarterback combination since sacks were tracked as a stat back in 1982. Jordan took Ryan down 3 times in their last game and 4 times in last season’s Thanksgiving Day headliner.

He could close the gap to 100 in a hurry between that favorable mismatch and a road trip to Philadelphia the following week — Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has been sacked 46 times in 11 games this year, leading the league. It’s an encouraging second wind for Jordan, who had the quietest start to a season in recent memory to open 2020. Here’s to a strong finish.

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WATCH: Cameron Jordan mic’d up vs. San Francisco 49ers

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was highlighted by NFL Films for his efforts and trash talk against the San Francisco 49ers.

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There aren’t many NFL players with more energy than Cameron Jordan. The big New Orleans Saints defense end ties the team lead in pressures (31), per Pro Football Focus, but he’s maybe the chirpiest of his teammates. Jordan was recently highlighted in a cutup from NFL Films, when he was playing against the San Francisco 49ers.

No stranger to the spotlight, Jordan hasn’t made as many impact plays in 2020 as is usually expected of him, despite the high pressure totals. He’s notched just 2.5 sacks through 9 games this season after collecting 15.5, 12, and 13 sacks in the last three years. Sacks are a high-variance stat in the NFL, but it’s still odd that he hasn’t had more success in that area after being so consistent.

The good news is he has games coming up against some of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines around the NFL. First up are the Atlanta Falcons (who Jordan racked up four sacks against on Thanksgiving Day last year), tied for 18th in sack rate relative to dropbacks at 5.1%; he’ll face the 13th-ranked Denver Broncos (6.3%) and NFL-worst Philadelphia Eagles (9.2%) with a rematch against the Falcons sandwiched in-between. There’s plenty of time for him to get back to his usual self.

But it’s disquieting that Jordan is still struggling deep into the season. His Pro Football Focus pass rush productivity rating (measuring per-snap quarterback pressures created) is the lowest since his forgettable 2014 season. Maybe the emergence of Marcus Davenport and Trey Hendrickson can help take some attention away from him and create more favorable mismatches down the stretch, and into the playoffs.

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Cameron Jordan says poor defense, too many penalties explain Saints’ struggles

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan shifted blame from Drew Brees to his defense and team penalties on the Rich Eisen Show.

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What is wrong with the New Orleans Saints? To help hash it out, defensive end Cameron Jordan made an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show to reflect on the disappointing opening weeks of the season and also talk up his new podcast with Mark Ingram (we recapped their first episode with Alvin Kamara here).

When asked if he’s buying into the popular narrative that Drew Brees’ advanced age and receding arm talent is holding the team back, Jordan could only scoff.

“I’d like to say he was his most accurate last year, when the same narrative was around. And the most accurate he’s been in his career,” Jordan said.

When looking for flaws on his team, Jordan is more focused on laying blame at the feet of himself and his teammates on defense: “I mean, we’re talking about three games in, I feel like I’m putting [blame] on the defense more than the offense who just put up 30 points on the board.”

Jordan is right to blame his defense, and himself; he hasn’t had success against increased attention from blockers this year, going sackless in each of the first three games. Other should-be stars of the unit like cornerback Marshon Lattimore haven’t played to their talent level, allowing third-wheel receivers like Allen Lazard to have 100-plus yard games against them. They have to improve and justify all the resources invested into that side of the ball for New Orleans.

“This is something the rest of the team has to get better from,” Jordan continued. “This is something that we’ve sort of self-inflected a lot of our pains, our own wounds from penalties, on ourselves. We’re having 70 to 100 yards on penalties, especially on critical downs, this is something we have to clean up and get better from.”

The Saints currently lead the NFL in penalty yards, both in total but especially on defense. While the offense is tied for the 13th-most penalty yards yielded, the Saints defense ranks dead last, and has given up more free yardage than the next two teams put together.

And when asked what the Saints can do to turn this season around, and what it means to clean up those flaws, Jordan responded with something simple: getting a win against the Detroit Lions this Sunday. Doing the right things and making the right adjustments should get them back in the win column. Here’s hoping Jordan and the Saints are on the right track.

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Sean Payton has the perfect response to Cam Jordan being late for practice

New Orleans Saints DE Cameron Jordan was stuck in traffic on his way to practice, and coach Sean Payton seized the moment on Twitter.

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Who among us hasn’t sat frustrated at a traffic light on our way into the office? That’s where New Orleans Saints all-star Cameron Jordan found himself on Wednesday morning, having been caught at a red stoplight while driving to the practice facility.

Jordan bemoaned his luck on Twitter, joking that the lights must know he’s due for his first day of real work on the practice field. Per the NFL’s new rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams are allowed to spend as much as 90 minutes of field work in helmets and shells on Aug. 12, but pads and longer practice times are restricted until Aug. 17.

“Don’t rush,” Jordan joked to the lights from his official Twitter account, “take your time.” The big defensive end recently turned 31, and knows the heat of an early August morning in New Orleans very well. So he knows better than his younger teammates what to expect.

What he may have not known is that Big Brother is watching; Saints coach Sean Payton replied to Jordan on Twitter with a jab, tactfully reminding him that, “Those lights not payin your fine!” for being late to practice.

It’s a great moment, and just the latest example of Payton embracing his online persona during the longer-than-usual NFL offseason. In all seriousness, though, there probably isn’t anything to worry about here. Something tells us the five-time Pro Bowler can skate by if he’s a few minutes tardy for warmups.

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Twitter reacts to Cameron Jordan’s NFL-best official headshot

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan takes well-deserved pride in his official NFL photograph for game programs and stats sheets.

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Does anyone have as much with the NFL’s offseason as Cameron Jordan? The New Orleans Saints defensive end has found a way to make light of even the dullest duties, like the equipment-fitting and photograph session early in Saints training camp. A normally boring, hours-long process has turned into Jordan’s latest attempt at going viral.

And it’s due to his new haircut. Jordan has changed up his look almost every summer he’s been in the NFL, trying out new hairstyles, dye jobs, and carefully-trimmed mustaches. In 2020, though, he’s risen to new heights by wearing a throwback of flowing curls and sculpted mutton chops. See it for yourself.

The end result is an immediately-iconic headshot of Jordan, which will grace NFL game programs, stats books, and the league’s official website. It’s just the latest entry in Jordan’s long-running series, but we have to ask: which is the best?

And naturally, there were plenty of thoughts and reactions to Jordan’s new look from his teammates. But even Saints coach Sean Payton got in on the fun:

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Cameron Jordan talks trash to Tom Brady, but can the Saints back it up?

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan trolled Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, creating fresh bulletin board material.

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Few NFL players enjoy chopping it up with the media more than Cameron Jordan. The New Orleans Saints defensive end appeared on “Good Morning Football” this week on NFL Network to preview the 2020 season and lay out his expectations, starting with a Week 1 kickoff against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“They’ve got the second-greatest quarterback of all-time, right behind Drew Brees, and now we’ve got a head-to-head two times a year,” Jordan said, via NFL.com. “We’ve got our work cut out for us and then they have an addition, you bring in Rob Gronkowski and LeSean McCoy, you already had two 1,000-yard receivers in (Chris) Godwin and Mike Evans.

“This is a team that’s fighting for second place.”

That’s bold talk, which isn’t new for Jordan (who famously shipped bottles from Jordan Winery to Cam Newton after his Saints swept Newton’s Carolina Panthers).ย But will the Saints defense show up in Week 1?

The black and gold have been notoriously slow starters in recent years. Despite winning 13 games in each of the last two season, they stumbled out of the gate in both season-openers: in 2019, the Saints averaged 333.1 total yards allowed per game (11th-best in the NFL), but opened the year by allowing Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans to drop 414 yards of offense on their heads, scoring 28 points in a game that came down to a last-second Wil Lutz field goal for the win.

A year earlier, the Saints allowed 349.1 yards from scrimmage per game (ranking 14th league-wide) but were run off the field by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Ryan Fitzpatrick shredded them to the tune of 529 total yards, winning 48-40 in a game that was more lopsided than that score suggests. This kind of goes without saying, but just to be clear: Brady is a better quarterback than Fitzpatrick.

Sure, the Saints rebounded in both cases. But it’s an ugly pattern, and they can’t afford another start like what we’ve seen before. Jordan and the Saints must hit the ground running in 2020 if they’re going to win their third consecutive division title. With new uncertainty introduced from the COVID-19 pandemic and Brady surrounded by weapons young (Evans, Godwin) and old (Gronkowski, McCoy) there’s very little margin for error.

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Cameron Jordan puts Troy Polamalu on notice with must-see new hairstyle

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is looking to take up Steelers great Troy Polamalu’s legacy of epic hair styling in 2020.

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Look out, Troy Polamalu: the Pittsburgh Steelers legend was known as much for the plays he made on the field as he was for his signature curly locks, but there’s a new challenger coming for his legeacy.

That would be New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who debuted his newest hairstyle for the 2020 season on Saturday. Jordan prepared for Saints training camp by going for natural waves hanging down to his shoulders, with tastefully-sculpted mutton chops accenting the look.

It’s perfectly on-brand for Jordan, who has gotten creative with his hair throughout his NFL career. Ranging from flat top and high fades to long dreadlocks dyed black and gold, he’s never passed on the opportunity to express his sense of fashion. Last year, he even added a long Fu Manchu-style mustache to his toolbox, waxing it into a handlebar for his official NFL roster headshot.

Jordan did credit an activator product for his super-natural new look, but the details of his haircare regimen is being kept close to the vest. And more’s the pity, because whom amongst us wouldn’t want to try it out for themselves?

Naturally, Jordan’s personal news drew rave reviews and reactions:

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Cameron Jordan is ready to play football, in a stadium or even a parking lot

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan has anxieties about the COVID-19 pandemic, but he’s eager to get to work in training camp.

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Anytime, anywhere. That’s the message New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan issued in his opening press conference call ahead of training camp, when asked whether his teammates have enough time to prepare for their Sept. 13 season opener.

“I mean, if you said, ‘Cam, could you play this Sunday at midnight?’ I guess I would meet you out in the parking lot somewhere. I am ready,” Jordan replied.

Early this summer, when the NFL was just beginning to come to grips with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Saints coach Sean Payton canceled his team’s offseason program and the virtual workouts that would have come with it, which many squads around the league have attempted while working from home.

But Payton did deliver two marching orders to his players: take care of their families, and show up for training camp in the best shape of their lives. That’s something Jordan took to heart.

Jordan said, “I assume everybody (received) that memo. Because I’m talking to guys like Craig (Robertson) and Demario (Davis), they never stopped working and I Facetimed Craig and he just get out of a workout. I hit up Demario, he’s still working out. So I know for sure guys are biting at the bit to try to get back to this facility to again, compete and try to win a Super Bowl.”

Sure, Jordan has some concerns about playing a contact sport in the midst of a highly infectious pandemic. New rules and protocols are being introduced each week, it seems, and he’s anxious to see how a preseason without preseason games unfolds. But at the end of the day, he knows that the Saints and every other team are doing their best, and he’s ready to roll with the punches that come his way.

“So hopefully we stay on the right path with the right procedures in place,” Jordan continued, “but I think the Saints have tried to put (the protocols) in place and we’re able to get through a season. Of course I wouldn’t say flawlessly, but a season nonetheless in the best way we can to pursue the Super Bowl.”

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