http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/07/21/dolphins-place-jordan-on-non-football-injury-list/ Most likely no big deal, but still something to keep our eyes on.
Am I the only one that is concerned about this? Really, If Jordan goes on the PUP we spent the 3rd overall pick on a guy that is going to do nothing his first year in the NFL.
Word. Remember he is at the end of the recovery from his shoulder surgery. This is not really unexpected.
Remember that reserve status is completely fungible during training camp. If he ended up on the regular season reserve list, THAT would be a big problem as he'd miss about half the season at the least. But you can't be on that regular season reserve list unless you were first on the training camp list and you can't be on the training camp list unless you started on the training camp list so the Dolphins are just covering themselves in case there's a setback. He can come off reserve any time during camp. It sucks, he's going to miss a week or two of camp and he probably won't play in the Hall of Fame game...and may even miss the next preseason game. But the plan for him during the season is still to be a nickel pass rusher and then to perhaps spice him in on some other downs. I'm thinking he's about a 500 snap guy, much like Olivier Vernon last year. And I do actually think that's a significant departure from the norm for Jeff Ireland, to be willing to draft a guy like that as high as he did. Didn't think he was capable of that. But in typical Jeff Ireland fashion, when he broke into territory he hadn't been in before, he did it extremely...reminds me of Brandon Marshall. I think it's safe to say that no other player in the top 5 is going to just be a 500 snap guy. Here's the rookie snaps of players in the top 5 since PFF has been tallying snap counts, normalized for a 16 game schedule: Jake Long - 1068 Chris Long - 733 Matt Ryan - 1078 Glenn Dorsey - 828 Darren McFadden - 362 (RB; 185 touches) Matt Stafford - 1104 Jason Smith - 775 Tyson Jackson - 700 Aaron Curry - 848 Mark Sanchez - 1049 Sam Bradford - 1134 Ndamukong Suh - 1198 Gerald McCoy - 850 Trent Williams - 1019 Eric Berry - 1104 Cam Newton - 1061 Von Miller - 956 Marcell Dareus - 750 A.J. Green - 923 Patrick Peterson - 1138 Andrew Luck - 1208 Robert Griffin - 1009 Trent Richardson - 773 (RB; 350 touches) Matt Kalil - 1053 Justin Blackmon - 982 The average is 948. If you don't count the running backs (as I don't think they're comparable), the average is 981. If Dion Jordan is indeed a 500 snaps guy this year, he will be unique for a top 5 pick in the last 5 drafts.
Speaking of Jordan, I found this pretty interesting: That very much looks like Dion Jordan lining up as a true linebacker, and replacing either Ellerbe or Wheeler. I am looking forward to see him practicing, but I think the perception of him as a defensive end is very much wrong.
Really glad we signed him instead of him holding out given the injury. This way he can rehab with our staff instead of on his own, so to speak.
I think it's a bit difficult to figure for sure, but I think for certain people need to stop looking at him as a defensive end, or purely a pass rusher. A lot depends on how he develops or his skill-set. I think it certainly looks like they expect him to linebacker good rather than edge rusher good at coverage, and I think you found a highlight which suggests using him to sugar gaps would be a good fit. Beyond that, who knows?
I agree, I don't want him to just be a def end, I don't believe that uses the entire skillset of the athlete, I think what folks think is that using him in coverage is wasting his talent, I feel the contrary, I think he can do such unique things at that size it's quite unprecedented to the eye and maybe that unsureness comes out whenever they comment on of what this player should or shouldn't be doing.. To me when you just ask him to rush the passer your not taking advantage of the type of space this athlete can cover, and what can transpire negatively for the offense because of it..I can understand the angle of not overloading him and just letting him rush the passer, but he didnt seem overloaded in college when he was coming off the corner on a blitz, standing up as a five tech taking one step toward the Los, baiting the Qb into thinking the slot got a free release off the line, and literally jumping backwards (approx five yards, one movement) like some sort of freakin gazzelle to block the lane at the last second, rushing the passer with one arm. Etc. The man literally played nickel corner....well.. I want to use all that and create a new position for this kid..some might say there's no such thing, but I believe there is something in this dudes skillset that hasn't been seen by this league.
What really makes this dangerous and viable, and without which it would be predictable, is Olivier Vernon's good ability to drop into coverage. Pretty rare for a DE. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I still think Dion Jordan is to the defense, what Tavon Austin is to an offense. He may have a position listed in the program, but he isn't going to really have a set position.
More or less. I think a piece like Jordan is the lynchpin in having multiple looks with a single package on defense. About the only thing left he has to prove is if he can set the edge. If he can do that, then he could conceivably play anywhere from either DE spot or all 3 LB spots on any given play. Hell, with his speed he could even be the "screen-buster" we've sorely needed against the Pats, while still being the player that least creates a mismatch against Gronk. All of this gets even more interesting when you factor in the fact OV is already making headlines.