Disappointed in Orakpo's Play

[Slateman]

Getting rid of Orakpo and Cooley would only be to get Manning.

Anything less is failure. We are limited right now, lets not make it worse.

What? Why would we want Manning? He's one hit away from retirement, if not paralysis.

i have to say... for a guy who averages 8-12 sacks a season and has been to 2 pro bowls in his first 2 seasons..

it just doesn't seem like he does much... I don't think we've seen a single game changing play out of him yet..

an INT or forced fumble that he recovered or anything really... just some sacks and being a bit of a liability in coverage and against the run.

As has been stated previously, Rak sells out for the sack just about every time. I'm pretty sure Fletcher has noticed this about his supposed defensive stars in Landry and Orakpo and is starting to get mad about it. I honestly believe we'd be just as productive with Markus White playing OLB as with Orakpo

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

so we're blaming a pass rushing 3-4 OLB for being really good at rushing the passer (i.e what he was drafted to do) and average at run defense and coverage

hellllp

[akorn22]

can we please start a thread about how bad jim haslett is? We're sitting around blaming individual players when jim haslett is the real buffoon on the team. Besides K shanahan, Haslett may be the worst coordinator in the entire league.

[Slateman]

so we're blaming a pass rushing 3-4 OLB for being really good at rushing the passer (i.e what he was drafted to do) and average at run defense and coverage

hellllp

That wasn't what he was drafted to be. We can get that in the 4th round or even from an undrafted free agent. We drafted him to be be great at rushing the passer and to learn to play the run and improve in coverage.

Year 3, none of those goals accomplished.

can we please start a thread about how bad jim haslett is? We're sitting around blaming individual players when jim haslett is the real buffoon on the team. Besides K shanahan, Haslett may be the worst coordinator in the entire league.

Sure. I blame the coaching staff in general. I honestly think Haslett needs to start benching guys who so obviously blow assignments or sell out at the cost of the running game. Just to make a point to guys like Landry and Orakpo that they aren't above being benched.

[megared]

can we please start a thread about how bad jim haslett is? We're sitting around blaming individual players when jim haslett is the real buffoon on the team. Besides K shanahan, Haslett may be the worst coordinator in the entire league.

Look, I don't like some of the things Haslett does. But the bottomline is, how much can he vary the scheme, when you know the same 4-5 people are going to be rushing every play? There's going to be 1-2 LBs in coverage, along with 1 safety in the box, 2-3 CBs playing soft zone, and 1 safety high. You can't complain when guys are out of their comfort zones in one breath, then be upset that the same scheme that tries to cater to their weaknesses is predictable in the next. I think Haslett is covering guys' weaknesses in the scheme to the detriment of our overall defense. The reason zone blitzes work for Pittsburgh is because their front 7 is going to create pressure. We can't mirror their scheme, then be mad when Hall and Wilson look pedestrian. In this defense, they're modeled to be freaking Ike Taylor.

He needs to put these guys in positions to fail so that they can either understand that their limitations collectively do not make a great, or even good defense. Let them see themselves on film, and in practices and meetings messing up. If they're half as concerned about winning as everyone thinks they should be, it will be a wake up call.