03-07-2021, 04:40 PM
(03-07-2021, 04:33 PM)CoachGeorge Wrote: What’s wrong with Mike Jordan? I’ll tackle that if I may. For me, the one thing that stands out above all else is he plays too high too much of the time. Especially in his pass sets. In the NFL, lose the leverage game and a bunch of bad things happen. Bull runs, double-moves, twists, stunts, cross-face rips, he is susceptible to all those things. If you’re not a natural knee-bender it’s not just an easy fix as one would think. What’s that old Tyson quote? Plans are great until to get punched in the mouth.
Also, he just doesn’t seem to process the game quickly enough. I don’t know if it physical or mental or a combo of both, but that aspect clearly holds him back from achieving his upside.
Plus his hands are not necessarily a strength. There’re not exactly a weakness either but when you have other shortcomings, hands can be a savior, he gets none of that.
Really LG is a poor fit for him. He doesn’t do long traps or long pulls well at all. RG would be a better fit. And I have problems envisioning him getting on with a wide zone. The best he played as a Bengal was 2nd half 2019 when the team opted to a gap/power scheme which fits his skill set better.
Lastly, he doesn’t seem to enjoy football in general and o-line play specifically. You really want your IOL to LOVE to hit people and I don’t see that part of his game. Maybe it’s a confidence thing , but too often he looks like he is going through to motions.
I think he is going to have a chore winning a roster spot. We bring in 3 FA/rookies while losing Finney, hopefully Hart and maybe Spain too. That said, he still has untapped upside but it might not happen here.
As for Jonah only being “average”, that is a win for the team. He has missed almost two full training camps and 22 of 32 games.
The Bengals O-line has been through injuries, 3 (or 4) coaching changes, scheme changes and personnel changes up the ying-yang in the last several years. By far and away, continuity is a principle most beneficial to this position group. They have none of that.
I agree with your synapsis.
Hopefully with Pollack coaching these guys up and a full Offseason this O-line can start getting some chemistry. Need to add a
few pieces, a couple FA's and a Draft pick or 2 and it might start to come around. But MJ is just not a starter with how high he
plays as you note. The lower man wins.
