Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Saints DE Cameron Jordan Weighs In on Falcons' Offense, QB Marcus Mariota
New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan has made a living off of sacking quarterbacks, and his efforts against the Atlanta Falcons present a prime example.
In 22 career games, Jordan has 25 tackles for loss and 23 sacks against the Falcons and former quarterback Matt Ryan. Off the field, Jordan has embodied the rivalry between New Orleans and Atlanta, frequently taking shots at the franchise and players such as Kyle Pitts and Kaleb McGary.
However, the Falcons team that Jordan will be facing in Week 1 isn't the same that he's grown used to seeing, starting at quarterback. Ryan was the only Falcons' signal caller that Jordan ever played against, but that will change next Sunday when he takes on veteran Marcus Mariota.
Further, the Falcons added receivers Drake London (first-round draft pick) and Bryan Edwards (trade acquisition from the Las Vegas Raiders) to surround Pitts and running back Cordarrelle Patterson.
Now in year two with head coach Arthur Smith at the helm, the Falcons will be looking for more explosiveness from an offensive unit that finished just 26th in points per game and an even worse 29th in yards per game.
Jordan, never eager to give the Falcons any compliments, revealed the difficulties of playing against Atlanta's new-look offense with Mariota under center.
"With Marcus Mariota, now we've got to go back and watch some Vegas film, maybe watch some Tennessee film," Jordan said. "We've got to break down who he is because he's not a traditional pocket passer like Matt was. This is going to change up their game a lot."
Beyond the addition of Mariota, Jordan sees an immense challenge in stopping some of the Falcons' proven playmakers, and believes the offense has a chance to be much improved.
"You've got Cordarrelle Patterson who took off last year, so I'm sure they'll incorporate him," said Jordan. "Throw in Kyle Pitts, who's in my mind is going to be one of the top talked about wide receivers in the game. We've got somewhat zero film to work off of to prepare for what could be a lethal offense."
Calling Pitts a wide receiver is notable but considering his heavy splits out wide from a season ago, might simply be the way New Orleans views the second-year tight end. Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees believes Pitts has taken immense strides as a blocker, and the former Florida star is eager to prove he's more than just a wide receiver aligned as a tight end.
Pitts, along with the rest of Atlanta's offense, will look to take off against Jordan and New Orleans' defense starting at 1 p.m. on Sept. 11, the first game of the regular season.
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