Screw a 24 hr rule, this gon sting in more ways than one. A week of watching what we did as a team the first half, to come back just to Say good Fight. That’s clearly not a winning formula. Take This week and get ready to win the back half. Whodat
— Cam Jordan (@camjordan94) November 13, 2023
Well, they did it: the New Orleans Saints broke Cameron Jordan. The team’s ever-optimistic defensive captain has sworn by the “24 hour rule” for years, but Sunday’s gut-punch loss to the Minnesota Vikings is tough for even him to withstand. After falling short in Minnesota, he’s ready to do away with that practice altogether.
A popular tool in youth sports, the “24 hour rule” is often used to prevent discussion of negative feedback until 24 hours have passed since the last performance, so all sides can have dialogue with clear heads and calm minds. But Jordan says the time for patience has run out. The Saints could probably use some emotional energy right now.
This game was frustrating for everyone, but Jordan in particular saw some positive plays wiped out by his teammates’ mistakes. He sacked Joshua Dobbs in the red zone but an illegal contact penalty on Pete Werner erased it, and Dobbs ran into the end zone for a lead-extending touchdown a couple of plays later.
It’s time for tough conversations on Airline Drive and inside the offices at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. It’s past time. The Saints are going into their bye week lucky to have a 5-5 record, and that’s the best thing to be said about their results since Dennis Allen was hired as head coach. He and his staff have not gotten the job done or prepared their players to go out and compete against good teams. They’re wasting the careers of great players like Jordan and Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis. They invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Derek Carr without appreciable improvement on offense.
And players are feeling the pressure. The clock is ticking, and even optimists like Jordan are acknowledging it. How much longer will team decision-makers like Mickey Loomis and Gayle Benson delay in doing something about it?
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