I stumbled across this interesting blog that recapped Dion Jordan's rookie season with screen shots and figured it'd help pass some time with free agency dying down and the draft still 30+ days away. Keep in mind, this an Eagles blog and the posts about Jordan came about when the rumor that Philly was interested in acquiring Dion Jordan earlier this spring. http://chipwagon.typepad.com/eagles...ns-2013-season-part-2-outside-linebacker.html I think one of the knocks that people on this site have is that Kevin Coyle didn't use Dion Jordan properly. Some things that you should keep in mind while reading this are that, first and foremost, Kevin Coyle got more and more comfortable as the year went on using Jordan in different ways. Also of note should be that in the screen shots in the Atlanta game and New Orleans game, is that Cameron Wake missed most of the first and was a scratch in the latter. Other things of note I found: - Throughout the year Dion Jordan lined up in the following spots: RDE (both in traditional 3 point stance and a 2-pt stand-up look that OV was used in quite a bit this year and as a rookie in 2012) RDT (stand-up) LDT (3-point and standup) ROLB, ILB, MLB, and LOLB. Here's Jordan at LDT. If you recall this play Jordan dropped into coverage on the back and Cameron Wake came in and got a sack and caused a fumble that Miami recovered. - Dion Jordan at various points of the year covered Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, and Antonio Gates 1-on-1 and/or in short zone coverage. And he did this well. Some of these are 20-25 yards+ downfield. Very impressive. Eg: Here he is on Gronk. And here he is lined up as almost as a stand-up DT, but then drops to cover Antonio Gates. - Dion Jordan had a nice propensity to sniff out screens (see Baltimore, Carolina, and Pittsburgh). - Dion Jordan is on the field with BOTH Olivier Vernon and Cameron Wake a lot more than people think. Coyle's sub packages in some games are borderline mad-scientist (Cleveland, Indianapolis), and he did a really nice job of mixing up blitzes with Jordan looping from DE or LB spots through the middle. Remember the play against Indy where he had Andrew Luck dead to rights and Luck bounced off him because Jordan thought he'd thrown the ball and didn't want to get called for roughing the passer? That was one of those blitzes. I couldn't find a gif of the Indy blitz, but here's one of Jordan just lining up and coming full-steam over Cincinnati's RG and as Cincinnati fans their protection to that side, Jordan literally puts C Kyle Cook on skates and Wake comes off the edge nearly getting a sack. How Ellerbe doesn't pick this is disheartening, but all-in-all, Miami gets off the field. In short, I think Kevin Coyle may not have quite known what he really had in Dion Jordan because of his shoulder injury limiting his reps. The development of Olivier Vernon probably also was contributed to Jordan's lack of playing time early on. But, I think that it's clear that Dion Jordan is a pretty remarkably unique athlete capable of doing things that guys who are 6'6" 255lbs can't do. If Miami is able to get him up to 260-265lbs as Jordan himself alluded to doing shortly after the 2013 season ended, he could be downright scary. And I think back to Mike Mayock after the Dolphins drafted him comparing him to Jason Taylor. After looking at some of the things that Dion Jordan ACTUALLY did in 2013, I think that comparison fits the mold of what Taylor did in 2005-06 in Nick Saban's defense. Ultimately, I think if you can get Dion Jordan bigger, stronger, and better against the run, he's going to unseat Olivier Vernon as the starting DE opposite Wake. And I think worst-case, he's like a Michael Johnson in Cincinnati, which certainly wouldn't be a bad thing for Miami. However, unlike Johnson, Jordan is a guy you can use in a true "Leo" sense in that you can play him in a 3-point stance at RDE, stand him up on the edge like an Aldon Smith (Miami's done this already with both Jordan and OV in both base and sub package sets) and you can use him all over in sub packages WHILE you have OV and Wake on the field as a coverage/blitz guy, especially when opponents have big, athletic TEs like the Jimmy Grahams and Rob Gronkowskis of the NFL. This was very nicely done against Cincinnati as detailed here: http://www.afceastdaily.com/2013/11/film-review-coyles-pressure-packed-game.html (Even Philip Wheeler looks really good on some of the gifs and screen shots). Note that in the 3 screen shots put together showing the Cameron Wake walk-off safety, Dion Jordan is actually 20-25 yards downfield covering Marvin Jones, a wide reciever. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap2000000274515/WK-9-Can-t-Miss-Play-Wake-off-safety If Miami can get a true Mike LB that can clean up against the run, this defense could be MUCH improved over what we saw in 2013. Combine that with more Dion Jordan and a healthy Cameron Wake? I like where things are headed. Mosley? Skov? Shazier?
Fun read, but watching those clips I can't help but notice how lightening fast Cam Wake is off the snap.
If you can get Dion Jordan playing regularly opposite Wake, it's only going to open up things even more for Cam. If Coyle starts using Vernon more frequently as an interior rusher you've almost got a Seattle-light group of pass-rushers with Wake as your stud edge guy, Vernon as a guy who can play base end and reduce a la Michael Bennett, and Dion Jordan as your hybrid player like Bruce Irvin. I think Bennett and Irvin are both better than Vernon and Jordan NOW, but if they keep developing that's a pretty nice trio Miami has. Unfortunately, Miami's got a ways to go to catch Seattle in terms of overall LB play and run-stopping, though you can see some shades of Malcolm Smith in Jelani Jenkins.
Dion Jordan didn't really have a distinguished rookie campaign from a snap count/pass rush standpoint, but the amount of stuff the guy can do is staggering. Even if he just turns into a pretty good pass rusher, rather than a dominant edge defender he'll almost certainly be a worthwhile pick. A guy like that being able to do Tampa-2 style centerfield drops and cover elite tight ends in man coverage is in itself a big deal.
I'be never seen a Fin held as often, including JT. At the start of the 2012 season, when the replacement officials were there, they didn't call a single hold against our opponents. I counted at least two a game that were so blatant that they were guaranteed sacks had the OL not grabbed and held tight, but nothing called whatsoever. Not quite as bad with the regular officials, but still terrible. I think that its akin to what Seattle does with pass interfearance - do it so often that the officials aren't going to call it on every play, and you'll get away with it a lot more than you otherwise would. If Wake is held all game long, they'll only call it when its the absolute worst.
Best play of Dions rookie year, that one against cincy when he lines up deep as the mid linebacker, reads the draw, crosses the formation like a praying mantis and nails the back with a beautiful form tackle..
