He needs to focus on one thing first. Get to the QB. Do that and then explore his versatility. Jason Taylor didn't become the terror he was until later in his career.

 

Watch Philbin's PC from today. He said that they want him to concentrate on being a DE, but that 3rd down is "...its own animal and we'll do what we need to do to get off the field." He also pretty much said, without directly saying it, they still plan on using Dion Jordan in capacities that they used him in last year.

 

Exactly... plus it's day 1 of OTA and we all know not to put too much stock into any opinion from either Armando or Omar...

 

Oooooh, kill 'em!

 

Part of me wonders if a hall of fame piece of potential will be used only at a Pro Bowl level by this coaching staff, and whether another staff with another scheme (3-4) may have given the world an unforgettable experience of watching Jordan play.

There are very very very few men who could move the way he did at his college weight. He covered SLOT receviers in college AND rushed the QB over a Left Tackle.

Very rare.

 

Also, I'll be watching to see what cost all that weight training has had on his fluidity in his hips and his flexibility. There is no agilibity or athleticism without those remaining intact. Why get Dion Jordan and turn him into Olivier Vernon?

 

All that said, btw.. I think his greatest impact and value in terms of wins will come as a DE sacking the QB or tipping passes, with the occasional INT on a pass drop, or forced fumble when he chases down a reverse.

 

Turn him into a faster, quicker Olivier Vernon

 

Bulking up could make you a better pass rusher as it gives you more strength to take on blocks. It also should help him become a better run defender which should keep him on the field more.

 

In a way I feel for the kid. Imagine him on one of these great 34 fronts like in Pittsburgh or Houston. That's where he'd be at home, wreaking absolute havoc.

I dunno. When you take a guy in the top 3 he better be a pass-rusher first. There's no question that's the high-impact spot. You want him to take over for aging Cam Wake as a featured edge rusher because those elite edge guys are hard to find. That said, athletes like Dion Jordan are hard to find too. It's tough. It'll all sort itself out on the field though. They know he has multiple talents and used him as such last year even in limited snaps.

I've said this before, but I really think the usage and development of Jordan is the key to getting this team to the playoffs. He's the guy who'll get us over the hump, or not.

 

Plus one of his weaknesses was lack of an inside move. If he can put that in his quiver then that extra muscle will be a boon to his play.

 

There's a picture of Brandon Albert catching a ball on the main site (don't ask) with Dion Jordan in the background. Shoulders and upper arms look much bigger than last year. Let's see if it will match his technical growth.

 

I can see him being successful as a 4-3 end but it's hard to look at what he did at Oregon and come away thinking that's the best way to use him. I like the player and good players find ways to be good regardless of the way you're using them, but I didn't view him to be worthy of the #3 overall pick even as a 3-4 outside linebacker, and least of all as a straight up defensive end.

What's even more difficult about this is knowing Miami had opportunities to trade Jordan this off season, and they didn't take those chances even though they don't really have anything special up their sleeve as far as plans to get more value out of him on the field. They're going to continue to stick him behind Olivier Vernon and Cameron Wake as a defensive end.

Except now they're so high on Vernon because of a nominal sack total that it'll take an apocalyptic drought from Vernon before they consider putting Jordan over him on the depth chart.

Basically Dion Jordan needs an injury to happen. If it's an injury to Vernon that could be beneficial to the team but if it's an injury to Wake (which is more likely given age and recent experience) then the team gets worse no matter how good (within reasonable limits) Jordan turns out to be.

 

I don't think this is too significant. It's just saying that he is going to continue to be a defensive end in the base package. I don't think they're going to decrease his workload in coverage, and I don't think the additional weight is likely to dramatically diminish his abilities in that area.

 

It seems from the report that they want to limit how many coverage reads he has to make. Its very likely that making those reads negatively impacted his ability to rush the passer. The reads one has to potentially make as a stand up rusher aren't necessarily easy, and they often are going to be a detriment to getting off the ball quickly.

I dont think that 265 lbs should be a detriment to his ability to cover. If anything is holding him back there, it seems like the mental aspect.

 

Since there had been no statements coming from the Dolphins previously that Jordan would compete at one of the LB spots, him remaining as a DE is really no great surprise. Unfortunately with Vernon and Wake ahead of him as the DE starters, Jordan may be used in much the same way was last year.

While he may be more productive this season, because he hopefully won't be dealing with injury issues. If he is not able to become a starter in his second year in the NFL, you have to really wonder if the Dolphins gave up too much in the 2013 draft to move up and take him with the 3rd overall pick in the last. Last year can be excused because he was dealing with an injury all season. Now though, he needs to step up and become the stud DE he was projected to be when the Dolphins drafted him. Hopefully he can beat out Vernon for a starting DE position. Of course this will only happen if the coaches are convinced he has drastically improved against the run.

Some individuals seem to want to compare Jason Taylor and Jordan. Obviously this is because they both have similar body types. The main difference is that Taylor wasn't drafted until the 3rd round of the 1997 draft. At the time, he was projected as someone who could come in and develop over the next few years. Instead he came in and started 11 games during his rookie season. He went on from there to have what may eventually turn out to be a Hall of Fame career.

Jordan was the first defensive player drafted in 2012 and was expected to come in and make an immediate impact. Injuries last year prevented him from reaching what is hopefully great potential, but so far the only comparison between Taylor and Jordan is their body type. Because right now, Jordan has a long way to go and a lot to improve on in his game before he can even begin to be compared to the great Jason Taylor.

 

Don't worry, we'll probably run the 3-4 with our new coaching staff next year.

 

Voila!

http://www.miamidolphins.com/multim...5d4cda1a#24e3c97c-fe71-40b3-b24c-cf8b0ae1f30e

 

#95, on the right side..

 

I don't think those are legitimately problems.

I'm not sure what you perceive to be the ideal use of Dion Jordan to be. Nominally he was a defensive end, but PFF has him in coverage what, 18% of his passing down snaps? That's pretty standard for a 3-4 OLB, and the circumstances are different. I'd go so far as to say that Dion Jordan was asked to do "harder" things in coverage than pretty much anyone with a similar background. James Harrison is pretty much the gold standard for coverage for an edge rusher, and I don't think I'd ever see or particularly want him to do Brian Urlacher-style centerfield drops like Jordan can do.

Likewise, I'm not sure why Olivier Vernon is that big an obstacle either. You can get three edge defenders enough work. You can get more than that, especially when they're position flexible. You've already seen the packages put on the field.

 

12lbs is a lot. I didn't see him shirtless but I assume he was 8-10 % bodyfat. So 12lbs of added muscle is significant. Especially since he said he focused on strength and not hypertrophy.

12 lbs is a good number. Not too much to hurt his athleticism but enough to make him a challenge.

 

More than that though. Jordan said he was hovering around 265.

 

What was Jason, 244 or so pounds? It's all in the skill set, not the playing weight. Yes, he needs to concentrate on one thing first, and that's getting to the QB.
After he get's comfortable, the pieces, knowledge and know how will fall into place.

 

I think they want Jordan to be able to play a bit tighter techniques than Taylor did, hence the weight. He was pretty much exclusively a wider technique guy in his career(except for with Washington, but there were other issues too), I think they want to get Jordan to be able to play 6-technique type stuff too.

 

I think in his case a little extra muscle can help. He needs a certain amount to fend guys off and I think if he ever earns his #3 overall value it will be rushing the passer, not dropping into coverage. I'm not saying that he never drops into coverage, just that primarily he rushes the passer.

As an aside I'm not convinced he will ever play up to being the #3 overall pick.

 

Dion Jordan can surely impact a game as a DE, but he has the potential to impact an entire season when used more creatively.

 

Jordan's playing style is very similar to what Taylor's was his first few years in the league. In fact I would say that Jordan is ahead of where Taylor was as a pass rusher those first few years. I thought Taylor was better at holding the edge though. As far as coverage I thought they were pretty similar at that point.

 

Yeah, but the first impression I got of watching his college highlight reel was that most of his college sacks came when he was unblocked. So he has the body, but so did Vernon Gholston. For me he needs to demonstrate he has the technique and skills to show he belongs in the NFL, let alone among the elite before I start getting enthused about him. I'm not saying he won't but he's a huge project for a #3 draft pick overall.

 

I see a dominant player. I would take him over Clowny all day every day. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the development of the next defensive superstar in Miami.

 

Definitely agree with the bold. Going after the QB means you are pursuing the guy with the ball 100% of the time. Dropping into coverage means you're covering someone that is one option out of how many? But if DJ recognizes something and goes after someone in coverage that's different and very valuable.

 

To me, based on the Kevin Coyle coming from Cincinnati narrative...

Dion Jordan = Michael Johnson, but with a LOT more functional ways to be used within the defense than just as an open-side DE.

I think ultimately, Disgustipate mentioned this earlier, if you can get all 3 of these guys work, it's going to pay dividends. While I'm not saying these guys are the 2013 Seattle Seahawks 2.0, Seattle made effective use of Chris Clemons, Cliff Avril, and Michael Bennett, and two of those three were not "starters" at DE; Red Bryant was. With Wake, you've got the pure pass-rusher; with Vernon you've got a base-end who can play inside and stand-up in sub-packages, and Dion Jordan can do that to an even greater extent and when he fully develops, will probably be a much better pure pass-rusher than OV ever will be.

 

I remember listening to one of the coaches interviews last year that they wanted Jordan to go to 270. They think that's ideal for him. So he's not quite there yet.

 

I knew I wasn't dreaming. This is what the Dline coach said back in Nov 30

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...re-fins-heat-canes-marlins.html#storylink=cpy

 

I think once we see Jordan excel and do better than Vernon against the run we'll see him take over the starting spot.