Ryan Kerrigan and that start of a new era

If interested, I wrote a short piece on Ryan Kerrigan for BR. I think we're headed into a very interesting season, lead by some great new young guys.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/843906-ryan-kerrigan-the-start-of-a-new-washington-redskins-era

Good read. as I said a couple days after the draft, I feel really, really good about this class, for the first time in a long time. I think that most of them will be key contributors on this team for years to come. I think the biggest contributions this season will come from Kerrigan and Helu, but down the road, I expect big things out of Jenkins ( provided that he has no setbacks in his rehab ) and Hankerson, once he grasps the NFL game, and I hope that a lot of the other guys can provide solid depth for us, which is what we've been lacking for years. You can't be a consistent winner without good depth.

I agree. I was mortified when Jenkins went down. All in all, this team is looking great with it's youth.

Both Kerrigan and Orakpo may turn out to be great, but why didn't we just draft OLB instead of making guys convert to the position?

I'm not complaining about having either guy, just trying to understand the reasoning.

It probably had more to do with the draft lineup. It is, in most cases, better to draft a solid DL high in the draft, than to take a LB late (unless they are ungodly). Picking up Kerrigan was a great idea for the draft set-up. I think Orapko and Kerrigan will completely shut down either side of the line. Also, Kerrigan is not a big fatty (former) DL. He is cut, quick, and adaptable. He'll be able to drop back into coverage, and pick up screens quicker. I can't wait to see it all in action. I have high hopes for this young stud.

IMO, you have just as good a chance of success at converting lineman to LB as you do just taking LB's out of the draft.

Plus, not a lot of college teams employ the 3-4, and a lot of the LB's are rather smallish. You really want bigger guys to be your LB's in the 3-4, and if you can find a guy that's willing and able to make the transition, then you should go for it. Plus, I think they have more of a knack for rushing the passer effectively. Just my opinion though, I'm not a scout or anything.

Agreed (took the words right out of my mouth). The 3-4 is not deployed heavily in college football. I think Orapko's success may be a good barometer for how Kerrigan will adapt. Having both of them on the field is a terrifying thought. Poor Eli

Both Kerrigan and Orakpo may turn out to be great, but why didn't we just draft OLB instead of making guys convert to the position?

I'm not complaining about having either guy, just trying to understand the reasoning.

Look at most of the successful 3-4 linebackers in the NFL. Most, if not all of them, converted from defensive end. Guys like Demarcus Ware, Lamarr Woodley, Tamba Hali, Cam Wake, Terrell Suggs all played DE. The only guy I can think of off the top of my head who didn't are Clay Matthews and Sean Merriman, and even Merriman played the hybrid "Leo" role in the UMD defense.

The nature of the college game is such that very few players with the skills/size to be a legitimate 3-4 linebacker plays OLB.

The 3-4 defense is often used to confuse the offensive line in their blocking assignments. Players like Kerrigan could never be too competitive in the NFL as a DL. He is too small in size. As an OLB, he will be able to breach and devastate people in the backfield. If you look at film/video of him in college, he was able to do this as a DL--which only serves to make me believe he will be amazing as an OLB.

This is somewhat off topic, but I watch just as much college football as I do pro football, but it really seems like due to the success of the spread offense, a lot of defenses are getting smaller and smaller over the years (putting more of an emphasis on speed), meaning that for the NFL teams that run the 4-3, it has become harder and harder to find prototypical 4-3 DE's that can play at a high level, which I think really has factored into a lot of teams switching to the 3-4. Alot of these guys are so small that it's ridiculous.

Thanks for the insight. I don't watch a lot of college football, so the lack of 3-4 LBs in college is news to me.

Well done, smart guys!

What I think articles like this and the one on Kerrigan in today's WP don't emphasize enough is how the signing of Cofield will affect the entire line, thereby helping both Kerrigan and Orakpo get after the QB. What happened last year whenever Orakpo was able to generate pressure on the edge? The QB would slide forward and have an extra second or two to make a quick strike. The QB isn't going to be able to do that this year, with Cofield leading the charge and collapsing the pocket. I forsee another double digit sack/probowl year for Orakpo (maybe Kerrigan, too).

I'm with you on Kerrigan and all the young guys in general. Going forward the futures brighter than it has been in eon's.

But 'it is not entirely impossible to imagine a playoff birth for this youthful and vibrant new team?' Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. Half hearted exhibition games are one thing. The regular season, for a young, relatively inexperienced team with still some major question marks to be answered, not least on offense and in particular under center; is a completely different thing again.

All in stages. This year, all things being equal, is just another stepping stone to eventually get back to where we want to be. Let's not expect them to run before they can walk.

Hail.

What I think articles like this and the one on Kerrigan in today's WP don't emphasize enough is how the signing of Cofield will affect the entire line, thereby helping both Kerrigan and Orakpo get after the QB. What happened last year whenever Orakpo was able to generate pressure on the edge? The QB would slide forward and have an extra second or two to make a quick strike. The QB isn't going to be able to do that this year, with Cofield leading the charge and collapsing the pocket. I forsee another double digit sack/probowl year for Orakpo (maybe Kerrigan, too).

I haven't gotten a lot of opportunities to see the starters play in the preseason, but I did catch the Ravens game, and Kerrigan and Rak were all over the place, terrorizing Flacco. I also agree with Cofield in the interior. I think the additions of Cofield on defense, and Hightower on offense, will pay huge dividends for us.

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What I think articles like this and the one on Kerrigan in today's WP don't emphasize enough is how the signing of Cofield will affect the entire line.....

Bingo! I should have mentioned that. Great catch.

Both Kerrigan and Orakpo may turn out to be great, but why didn't we just draft OLB instead of making guys convert to the position?

I'm not complaining about having either guy, just trying to understand the reasoning.

Maybe because a lot of OLB in college football are much smaller than Kerrigan and don't fit our 3-4 scheme?

So lemme see if I've got this straight. You expressed an opinion, read what others had to say, and were open-minded enough to not get defensive and instead be willing to reassess your own perspective.

Well done sir, ES needs more folks like you!

Edit: rereading my post it could seem sarcastic. Not at all, meant as genuine compliment.

lol

I just know that I don't know sometimes. I'll still argue that up is really down sometimes though.

---------- Post added September-10th-2011 at 06:23 PM ----------

Maybe because a lot of OLB in college football are much smaller than Kerrigan and don't fit our 3-4 scheme?

That's EXCACTLY why I asked. Common knowledge to you is news to me. Like I said, I don't watch much NCAAF, so the fact that 3-4 is not common there is not something I was aware of.

Asking questions creates learning opportunities... lol

The more I think about the article and the more I ponder it, the more I believe there's going to be some fireworks in our LBs (the good kind).

I agree. I was mortified when Jenkins went down. All in all, this team is looking great with it's youth.

funny, because alot of fans where morified when we picked him @ 41... ...Looks like the staff knew what they were doing.

funny, because alot of fans where morified when we picked him @ 41... ...Looks like the staff knew what they were doing.

haha, good point!

funny, because alot of fans where morified when we picked him @ 41... ...Looks like the staff knew what they were doing.

Yeah, I remember that. Some folks were freaking out. Also, I remember reading if we hadn't taken Jenkins, the Giants would have.

This past draft/offseason was just the beginning. We're going to be drafting like this every year, fueling talent & depth into every single position in the long run.

Regarding the LB's we have one of the best LB coaches in Lou Spanos who is bringing the quality type LB corps that he was recruiting while with the Steelers. It shouldn't suprprise anyone how explosive our defense looked in the preseason. If it translates just as well starting tomorrow, I think we can shock our entire division.

Alot of football experts believed that the reason Da'quan Bowers looked so good coming off the edge at Clemson was because of Jenkins. I liked the pick, and I hated it when he got hurt.

Alot of football experts believed that the reason Da'quan Bowers looked so good coming off the edge at Clemson was because of Jenkins. I liked the pick, and I hated it when he got hurt.

Excellent point.