To Keep or Not To Keep: LB Jordan Senn

With all of this "Linsanity" going on (couldn't help it), I decided to do an article on undrafted free agent Jordan Senn. Senn was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2011 season, making a few memorable plays in key situations for us. Jordan Senn was an undrafted free agent out of Portland State, and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in 2008. Senn was brought in on November 24th of 2009 as a special teams ace, after racking up 16 special teams tackles as a rookie. Jordan Senn was one of the many special teams signings we had made at that point. He made 12 special teams tackles in 2009 and 9 in 2010, with a few snaps on defense here and there, but had never started a game at linebacker in the NFL at that point.

We've got more stats and highlights on Jordan Senn, after the jump...

2011 season review

Carolina Panthers stats

Jordan Senn's stats are very impressive, including a quarterback pressure, one pass defensed, and three forced fumbles (two on defense, one on special teams). Jordan Senn also had eleven special teams tackles, which ranked second on the team. Not bad for a guy who only started seven games for us this year.

This season showed us how bad a defense can be, as we lost two starters to injury early on, and lost many other over the course of the year. After having lost both Jon Beason and Thomas Davis to season ending injuries, we saw many different linebackers take the field for us. Jordan Senn got his first opportunity at Detroit, where he took the field at Middle Linebacker for an injured Dan Connor. After that game, Senn started the remaining games at weakside linebacker after our core had been all but depleted by injuries.

Season Highlights

1. Jordan Senn levels Randall Cobb on special teams early on against Green Bay, forcing a fumble and setting up a field goal in what would be a very close game with the Super Bowl Champs.

2. In his first start ever in the NFL (and at Middle Linebacker no less), Jordan Senn records six total tackles, and forced a fumble from Keiland Williams, which resulted in a touchdown for Carolina.

3. Recorded 11 tackles (a team high) in the Carolina Panthers win at Indianapolis, his former team.

Jordan Senn records a career high and team leading 14 tackles, along with an Interception and a forced fumble, both key defensive plays in a close upset over the AFC powerhouse Texans.

2012 Outlook

Free Agency:

Jordan Senn's contract is up, leaving him as a free agent. However, at 5-11 and 224 pounds, he is very undersized for any team looking for anything more than a special teams player. Plus, one of the consensus needs that we have is depth at linebacker. Jordan Senn is exactly what a team would want as a backup. He has great value on special teams, and has shown he can be a solid substitution for injury. He isn't great against the pass, and his size has hurt him before in the run. But he is one of the better guys we had on the field this past season after being bit hard by the proverbial "injury bug".

Plus, Ron Rivera seems to like him! "I think he's a very smart and talented young man," Rivera said. "And I think he has a lot of football savvy and he's a great athlete. ... If he continues to play like this it's going to be hard to justify not having him on the field." (Quote taken from Rotoworld.com)

In conclusion, I don't see why we wouldn't try to keep Jordan Senn. There aren't many backups in the NFL you can find with talent as a defensive player and value on special teams. He is going to contribute, and will maintain average play no matter what linebacker position you put him at. As Bill Belichick says, "Just do your job". We can win games if we have more people like Jordan Senn, who simply do their job to the best of their ability. No matter what job we give this guy, he's going to give it 100% of his effort. Jordan Senn is truly an embodiment of what you want every player to be like.

Thanks for reading everybody. I hope that I can continue to write for all of your enjoyment!

-C2SAD