Photo by Eric Espada
By David Elfin
twitter.com/davidelfin
When he was held without a sack in seven of his final eight games last season, one had to wonder whether opposing teams had begun to figure out Brian Orakpo.
Sure, Washington’s outside linebacker was voted to the Pro Bowl, but perhaps his red-hot start to his rookie year – with seven sacks in his first eight games – was more flash in the pan than a sign of a greatness career to come.
Those doubts can be put to rest now that Orakpo has matched his first half of 2009 with seven sacks in the first half of 2010, tied for seventh in the NFL. And good news for Redskins fans: the 24-year-old Houston native promises better production in the second half of his sophomore season.
“I’m much more prepared for 16 games than I was last year,” Orakpo said. “The rookie wall really exists. The season was so long. By our bye week, and you count preseason as well, in college you’d be pretty much done and we had half the season left. I kind of hit a dry spell until that Oakland game [Week 14 when he had four sacks]. This season, I feel real refreshed after the bye.”
And although Orakpo rushed mostly from a defensive end position on third downs last year as he had done while winning All-American acclaim at Texas, he’s really enjoying the freedom that has come with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett’s new 3-4 scheme.
“I love this defense,” Orakpo said. “I just feel way more comfortable. I’m moving around all over the place. I can rush [from the] left and [the] right [side]. I’ve got a lot of freedom to roam around and create havoc.”
Haslett, a former NFL linebacker who coached such pass rush luminaries as Greg Lloyd and Joey Porter in Pittsburgh, loves watching the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Orakpo disrupt opposing offenses.
“He just plays the scheme and he plays it well,” Haslett said. “[He] picks things up fast. He’s one of those guys that when he’s on the field for about two weeks of walkthroughs he kind of had it. When I got here, everyone kept saying, ‘Well, he got 11 sacks last year because [linebacker] Andre [Carter] was on the other side.’ I don’t think it really makes a difference who was on the other side because … he’s really a heck of a pass rusher. He’s relentless, first of all. He’s powerful. He’s really strong. He’s fast off of the edge. He shocks people when he hits them. I think his career will even get better when he has a couple more inside moves. “
Orakpo is such a natural that he only has two or three go-to moves as opposed to a veteran’s arsenal of techniques. And there’s no doubt which is his preferred method of getting to the quarterback.
“I’m from Point A to Point B, that’s my mentality,” he said. “My favorite move is the speed to power because you catch guys off guard. The [offensive] tackle’s trying to run out there and catch up with you at the point of attack and all of a sudden you hit him right dead in the chest and he’s all over the place.”
Teammate Lorenzo Alexander won’t soon forget rookie Orakpo’s first match-up with six-time Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels in the summer of 2009 at Redskins camp.
“He bull-rushed Chris and got to the quarterback real quick,” Alexander said. “That was like, ‘Man! He’s got it. He’s gonna be something special.’ “
Orakpo is such a special pass rusher that cornerback Carlos Rogers said when an opponent has a successful pass play, “I look around to see if he got a holding call. They’re either holding him or he’s getting pressure on the quarterback. He makes us DBs a lot better.”
Carter, who jumped from six to 12-1/2 sacks between his first and second NFL seasons, praised Orakpo’s hands, use of leverage and said he’s very much on the rise as a pass rusher.
“He’s still growing and developing as a player,” said Carter, a 10-year veteran. “He’s never content. He never stops his feet. He has a motor. He’s always 100 miles-per-hour. This scheme suits him real well. We do a lot of disguising. You don’t know who’s coming and who’s staying. He acts like he’s dropping back in coverage and then when he comes that will throw a blocker off. They try to catch up, but it’s too late.”
Although Orakpo focused primarily on rushing the passer for the Longhorns who were usually far enough ahead that he could tee off on the opposing quarterback, Washington was just 4-12 in 2009 and 4-4 at midseason this year. Most Redskins games are so close that Orakpo also has to play against the run often.
Since coming into the NFL, Orakpo has also had to learn how to drop into pass coverage, mostly against tight ends such as NFC East rivals Jason Witten, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, and the underrated Brent Celek of the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I’m doing a little less coverage this year, but I feel like my awareness is a lot better,” Orakpo said. “My coverage skills are improved. They can only get better.”
Haslett is even more impressed with Orakpo’s all-around game working together on a daily basis than he had been from afar.
“I watched film last year and I said, ‘Well, he’s OK as a cover guy,’ because they used him as a linebacker more than a rush guy. I think he’s a heck of a cover guy. He knows how to cover tight ends and running backs when he gets in space. He’s really smart. He’s really athletic. You got to have a will to do it. He has the ability to [play the run and cover receivers] and be really good at it. I think he’s an excellent run defender. I think he can do everything.”
With Carter and defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth both now backups, blockers can key on Orakpo much more often than they did last year. That’s a compliment, but also frustrating.
“I’m seeing a lot more chips, a lot more doubles, a lot more slide protection,” Orakpo said. “That’s the big one. The whole line shifts your way so you’re not able to be as effective. You can’t get upfield. You can’t come inside. It’s almost like a wall. I’m getting held a lot more, too. Coach [Mike] Shanahan says, ‘Let them keep holding you Rak because it’s the same thing as a sack. You’re moving ‘em back 10 yards.’ I’ll take it as long as it helps the team win, but I would love to get those sacks.”
Orakpo’s goal is to top last year’s total of 11, but he got a gleam in his eyes when he was told how matching his first half production would give him 14 sacks and place him behind only Dexter Manley (18 in 1986 and 15 in 1985) and Charles Mann (14-1/2 in 1985) in Redskins history.
Even more impressive, 14 sacks would give Orakpo 25 in his first two seasons, more than any of the top 10 active sack artists produced during their first and second seasons. Only Indianapolis’ Dwight Freeney (24) had more than 20.
In fact, of the top 10 all-time pass rushers whose careers began after sacks became an official statistic in 1982, only Hall of Famers Reggie White (31 in the NFL after 23.5 in two years in the USFL) and Derrick Thomas (30) had more than 20-1/2. Standouts like Chris Doleman, Michael Strahan and Kevin Green didn’t even break double figures.
And with half a season left to play, Orakpo has already topped the first two seasons of Jason Taylor, Leslie O’Neal and Hall of Famer John Randle.
“That would be a huge accomplishment,” Orakpo said of perhaps ranking behind only White and Thomas after two seasons. “You give me a number and I’ll strive for it. I’m in a good situation. I just gotta keep racking them up.”
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