CRobi21 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Here's a little something I thought should be talked about. Since we drafted him, Blache and co. have talked about using Rak at SLB. From a fan point of view, we all gave a mixed bag concerning this news. Then preseason week 1 comes along, and Rak has a MONSTER game.....at DE. Again this drew a lot of critics out calling for him to be a full time DE. As the preseason went on, he continued to flash at DE, lifting up OTs off the ground and slamming them, getting sacks, QB pressure, what have you... But very quietly, Brian Orakpo is turning into a solid SLB. From game to game, he has shown steady improvement at the position. I've kept a very close eye on him, especially on running downs when we have him standing up, and more often than not I'm pleased with his play. He's strong enough to take on blocks and shed them, but quick enough to get around would be blockers and making the tackle. I know it's a bit too much to ask everyone to go back and look at the film and watch #98 on all the running plays, but from what I've seen, he is playing very well, especially at a position he hasn't played since high school. He's only going to get more and more comfortable as the season goes on, and if he can get as comfortable at SLB as he is at DE, WATCH OUT!! :point2sky:logo::helmet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Acre Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 From what I've read, in talking head mags and here, and from what little I've seen, 12 GMs may end up getting fired for passing him up. j/k, but you understand. Actually, he could be this gen's Dexter Manley without the baggage. Also, it seems like he's not quite as gifted as Sean Taylor, but smarter, so basically, wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0ublestr0ker0ll Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 We all agree that the last Redskin we ever felt the desire to focus in on pretty much every play was ST. I find myself watching Orakpo every down. He's not as fearsome as Sean, but he's got that distinct playmaking 'tude about him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskins55 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'm pleased with his progress but offesnive coordinators are going to expose him in the passing game. Week #1 the giants are going to split out Boss or put 3 WR on the fieldd with Boss to force Blache to make a decision. Either put Rak in zone, man to man on the TE or send him rushing and play man on the TE with Horton. Either way Orakpo is in store for some complicated assignments at LB. Like the OP suggested, I'm very comfortable with him rushing the passer and stopping the run, but covering the TE is another story. Boss, Gates, Gonzalez, and Witten are all on our schedule so its going to be a learning curve for our stud! He can do it but as fans we must be patient and grow with him as a superstar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Thanks for bringing this up STBonecrusher21. It was extremely annoying how all offseason, after the draft, we had to hear from the usual negative suspects about how stupid Vinny is, drafting a DE and making him a LB as if he's the one dictating to the coaches where to play the guy and how. When they were told over and over that he'd mainly be rushing the passer from that spot, they kept on finding solace in their obsessive hatred of Vinny. I haven't seen ONE thread from any of those guys stating how wrong they were. Let's face it, Orakpo still could end up as a total failure at LB (doubtful), but the fact is, our coaches have so far played to his strengths, which is contrary to the arguments they kept making. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'm pleased with his progress but offesnive coordinators are going to expose him in the passing game. Week #1 the giants are going to split out Boss or put 3 WR on the fieldd with Boss to force Blache to make a decision. Either put Rak in zone, man to man on the TE or send him rushing and play man on the TE with Horton. Either way Orakpo is in store for some complicated assignments at LB. Like the OP suggested, I'm very comfortable with him rushing the passer and stopping the run, but covering the TE is another story. Boss, Gates, Gonzalez, and Witten are all on our schedule so its going to be a learning curve for our stud! He can do it but as fans we must be patient and grow with him as a superstar. I think you make a good point. However I would be very surprised if Blache did not scheme to account for that and I think it will be very rare that Rak will be asked to cover a TE in single man. First of all if its an obvious passing down Rak will be playing RDE so problem solved. If we are in base defense I think Horton will be asked to cover the TE as his first read if we are in man coverage and Rak will be asked to just stop the TE getting a clean release by checking him at the line and hopefully redirecting him and then go get the QB. You can't do that every time or offenses will start to pick on that tendancy but more times than not I doubt Rak is going to be asked to run stride for stride with a Jason Witten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I think you make a good point. However I would be very surprised if Blache did not scheme to account for that and I think it will be very rare that Rak will be asked to cover a TE in single man. First of all if its an obvious passing down Rak will be playing RDE so problem solved. If we are in base defense I think Horton will be asked to cover the TE as his first read if we are in man coverage and Rak will be asked to just stop the TE getting a clean release by checking him at the line and hopefully redirecting him and then go get the QB. You can't do that every time or offenses will start to pick on that tendancy but more times than not I doubt Rak is going to be asked to run stride for stride with a Jason Witten. You're right, and I think a lot are forgetting that we rarely asked Marcus Washington to run stride for stride against any of the better TEs. Orakpo actually fits our SAM scheme to a tee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebowski Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'm pleased with his progress but offesnive coordinators are going to expose him in the passing game. Week #1 the giants are going to split out Boss or put 3 WR on the fieldd with Boss to force Blache to make a decision. Either put Rak in zone, man to man on the TE or send him rushing and play man on the TE with Horton. Either way Orakpo is in store for some complicated assignments at LB. Like the OP suggested, I'm very comfortable with him rushing the passer and stopping the run, but covering the TE is another story. Boss, Gates, Gonzalez, and Witten are all on our schedule so its going to be a learning curve for our stud! He can do it but as fans we must be patient and grow with him as a superstar. I agree with you. What I am afraid of most is play action to Witten. I hope we play the cobra wihen the stud TE's are in the game with a safety responsible for them, but even the average TE is capable of burning Orakpo now. I hope he picks that part up ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dckey Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I think that people dont realize Rocky plays the TE more in our system and only thing that I think he might get hurt are the RB's like westbrook or if a team goes double TE like dallas with Bennett and Witten but I also like him better as a LB because he is better against the run standing up when he is down he is not as good against the run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REEGSKINS Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'm pleased with his progress but offesnive coordinators are going to expose him in the passing game. Week #1 the giants are going to split out Boss or put 3 WR on the fieldd with Boss to force Blache to make a decision. Either put Rak in zone, man to man on the TE or send him rushing and play man on the TE with Horton. Either way Orakpo is in store for some complicated assignments at LB. Like the OP suggested, I'm very comfortable with him rushing the passer and stopping the run, but covering the TE is another story. Boss, Gates, Gonzalez, and Witten are all on our schedule so its going to be a learning curve for our stud! He can do it but as fans we must be patient and grow with him as a superstar. i couldnt say it any better the you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubstix Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Nobody is disputing that Orakpo isn't playing up to first round expectations. But the fact of the matter is, the guy is a true DE. That is where he shines, that is where he is comfortable playing, and that is where he is skilled at. Your asking a player who DOMINATED at the DE position to change to linebacker in a 4-3 system? Does this make any sense? A 3-4 system, yes. Makes no sense whatsoever. Orakpo may be great at SLB, but he would be better and more comfortable at the DE position. He is playing extremely well at SLB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 ONe thing is for sure, as of right now it appears that the Rak pick was a great pick and the FO did not blow the first round pick. That is good news in of itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLWORLD Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 He is awesome, nothing left to add.... Blache and Co will... well my sig says it all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GURU Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Nobody is disputing that Orakpo isn't playing up to first round expectations. But the fact of the matter is, the guy is a true DE. That is where he shines, that is where he is comfortable playing, and that is where he is skilled at. Your asking a player who DOMINATED at the DE position to change to linebacker in a 4-3 system? Does this make any sense? A 3-4 system, yes. Makes no sense whatsoever. Orakpo may be great at SLB, but he would be better and more comfortable at the DE position. He is playing extremely well at SLB. Yeah, playing Orakpo at SLB makes about as much sense as Marvin Lewis playing Peter Boulware, another star college DE, at SLB. It was a disaster to the tune of 4 Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl victory, and one of the all-time great defenses. Sure, offensives are going to test Orakpo. But you have to look at it from the other side, too. They didn't blitz Rak much in preseason, but if the Skins make Orakpo a threat to blitz on each and every play, then offenses MUST account for him. They send a TE out into pass patterns at the risk of blocking Rak with a running back -- a mismatch 99% of the time. Assuming the TE is a primary hot read in a blitzing situation, you drop your MLB into the short zone and cover the seam over the top with your SS. If teams are going to try to spread it out with multiple receivers, Rak is going to play DE, anyway, just like he did against NE. Frankly, I can't wait to see how they're going to use Rak. They kept defenses fairly vanilla during preseason. I think there's a lot more in store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubstix Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Yeah, playing Orakpo at SLB makes about as much sense as Marvin Lewis playing Peter Boulware, another star college DE, at SLB. It was a disaster to the tune of 4 Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl victory, and one of the all-time great defenses.Sure, offensives are going to test Orakpo. But you have to look at it from the other side, too. They didn't blitz Rak much in preseason, but if the Skins make Orakpo a threat to blitz on each and every play, then offenses MUST account for him. They send a TE out into pass patterns at the risk of blocking Rak with a running back -- a mismatch 99% of the time. Assuming the TE is a primary hot read in a blitzing situation, you drop your MLB into the short zone and cover the seam over the top with your SS. If teams are going to try to spread it out with multiple receivers, Rak is going to play DE, anyway, just like he did against NE. Frankly, I can't wait to see how they're going to use Rak. They kept defenses fairly vanilla during preseason. I think there's a lot more in store. You named 1 person that was successful. If you bothered to read my post you would of saw that I had said Orakpo is doing a great job at the conversion. I simply said DE was his natural position. That is what he is good at, that is his natural position, this is what he is comfortable with. Peter Boulware is 1 person you named and you have no idea how his career stats would of went if he was strictly playing DE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellyoursol Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PorkSkins Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 It was a preseason experiment. I have to believe that if Rak is in there on passing downs as a SLB, it will be disguised. This guy is awesome! Bar any unforeseen injuries, contract disputes, etc, this guy will be a force for our Skins for a long time. Finally, after over ten years of not drafting a legitimate DE, the FO got it right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'd still rather him cause outright chaos rushing from his natural position, and there's a natural concern with him in pass coverage, which might well be exposed when the real stuff starts and everything goes up a notch; but one things for certain, the dudes a football player, in every sense of the term. Just glad he'll be part of the 11, wherever he lines up. Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLWORLD Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 !!! do what!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GURU Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 You named 1 person that was successful. If you bothered to read my post you would of saw that I had said Orakpo is doing a great job at the conversion. I simply said DE was his natural position. That is what he is good at, that is his natural position, this is what he is comfortable with. Peter Boulware is 1 person you named and you have no idea how his career stats would of went if he was strictly playing DE. Well, you DID say it made no sense. I was trying to give an example of why it DOES make sense -- at this time. Sure, it was one example. But it's a good one. Marvin Lewis was in a similar position, with two established defensive ends in Michael McCrary and Rob Burnett. He had to figure out how to get Boulware on the field without benching another good player. I agree that DE is Orakpo's natural position, and I believe that's where he will play the majority of his career. But starting him at SLB, right now, with this personnel DOES make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icbmayday Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I think he has the potential to be the defensive rookie of the year. He is a monster when his hand is in the durt and by mid season could become a real force at SLB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncr2h Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Here's a little something I thought should be talked about. Since we drafted him, Blache and co. have talked about using Rak at SLB. From a fan point of view, we all gave a mixed bag concerning this news.Then preseason week 1 comes along, and Rak has a MONSTER game.....at DE. Again this drew a lot of critics out calling for him to be a full time DE. As the preseason went on, he continued to flash at DE, lifting up OTs off the ground and slamming them, getting sacks, QB pressure, what have you... But very quietly, Brian Orakpo is turning into a solid SLB. From game to game, he has shown steady improvement at the position. I've kept a very close eye on him, especially on running downs when we have him standing up, and more often than not I'm pleased with his play. He's strong enough to take on blocks and shed them, but quick enough to get around would be blockers and making the tackle. I know it's a bit too much to ask everyone to go back and look at the film and watch #98 on all the running plays, but from what I've seen, he is playing very well, especially at a position he hasn't played since high school. He's only going to get more and more comfortable as the season goes on, and if he can get as comfortable at SLB as he is at DE, WATCH OUT!! :point2sky:logo::helmet: Umm...Orakpo had 0 sacks this preseason. I know you're all impressed when he lifts up a tackle into the air and "slams" him down, but that **** did nothing to help get to the QB or get a hand on the ball. IMO Orakpo had about as good a preseason as Chris Wilson...really stood out against second teamers, but didn't make many plays against first teamers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MumboSauce Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I agree that he has steadily improved each game at the SAM position, and of course looked great at rush end. He is taking better read steps, etc. Again, like some have pointed out here, the problem will be coverage on a TE. Chris Wilson also looked good, as well as Jarmon. Even if many sacks didn't come in the pre season from them, the amount of pressure was much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laxpunk2006 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'm pleased with his progress but offesnive coordinators are going to expose him in the passing game. Week #1 the giants are going to split out Boss or put 3 WR on the fieldd with Boss to force Blache to make a decision. Either put Rak in zone, man to man on the TE or send him rushing and play man on the TE with Horton. Either way Orakpo is in store for some complicated assignments at LB. Like the OP suggested, I'm very comfortable with him rushing the passer and stopping the run, but covering the TE is another story. Boss, Gates, Gonzalez, and Witten are all on our schedule so its going to be a learning curve for our stud! He can do it but as fans we must be patient and grow with him as a superstar. I was under the impression that Orakpo will be playing DE in nickel packages. If that is true then in 3WR sets he wouldn't have coverage responsibilities. I agree he is going to struggle some with TE coverage but Blades wasn't great against TE's in place of Washington either so I don't see it as a downgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mzkp54 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Rak is the real deal. I can see him having an amazing career and I'm glad its starting here in Washington Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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