Playful Jordan no joke for Saints’ defense
As much as New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan admires his father, Steve, and effusively praises the former Minnesota Vikings tight end, he hasn’t been able to resist the urge to be his own man.
Cam Jordan never wanted to play tight end, and he also acknowledged that he doesn’t always follow his father’s advice, particularly when it comes to his playful approach to football on and off the field.
When Jordan consistently gets the better of an offensive lineman, he will refer to him as “Speed Bump Magee.” After last
week’s playoff victory over Carolina, Jordan conspicuously positioned a bottle of Jordan cabernet (not a family business) on a shelf in his locker and pledged to send his namesake wine to Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Jordan said his father, “always tries to tone me back. He’s always like, ‘Hey, dude, have you thought about the ramifications?’ No, I haven’t. I shot my shot and said what I said and had to back it up.
“At 28, I’m in my physical prime, so at this point I feel like I can back it up.”
Indeed, Jordan was All-Pro for the first time in his career this season, his seventh since New Orleans drafted him in the first round in 2011 out of California. The 6-foot4, 287-pound edge rusher had 13 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, 28 quarterback hits, 11 passes defended, an interception and two forced fumbles.
Teammates marvel at his conditioning, boundless energy and how he hardly ever misses a defensive snap.
Last week against the Panthers, Jordan had a sack, a QB hit and two batted passes, and he also forced Newton into a pivotal intentional grounding penalty late in the game.
Now Jordan is preparing for a high-stakes playoff clash at Minnesota, where he spent his early childhood while his father was being named to six Pro Bowls. Jordan knows plenty about Vikings history, but he isn’t sentimental about it.
“I want to destroy them just the same,” he said. “There is going to be an offensive line that I want to destroy. There is going to be a running back I want to destroy. There is going to be a quarterback that I have to destroy.”
Steve Jordan’s career ended in 1994, when Cam was 5. Soon after, they moved to Arizona.
The elder Jordan described himself as “pretty jovial” and someone who “could get goofy on occasion.” Cam, however, is “fullon most of the time,” Steve Jordan said.
“He doesn’t take himself too seriously, doesn’t take life too seriously. But this game of football, particularly now, he’s definitely taking that serious. He’s really focused, and I like that.”
Saints coach Sean Payton generally urges his players to refrain from providing opponents with bulletin-board material, but he isn’t inclined to rein in Jordan.
“It’s just Cam’s personality,” Payton said. “He’s humorous and I think he genuinely enjoys what he does, and that’s just how it’s expressed. Outside of that, I’m glad he’s on our team.”