Still Don't get why Move Orakpo to LB

Hey Guys I watch your game this week and I still don't get why your team is trying to move him to OLB in the 4-3. Orakpo looked good when he was playing as a down lineman but looked completely lost when he was used as a LB specially in coverage.

Why draft a Player with HUGE pass rushing skills and use him as a cover LB... why not draft a LB then.

Hey Guys I watch your game this week and I still don't get why your team is trying to move him to OLB in the 4-3. Orakpo looked good when he was playing as a down lineman but looked completely lost when he was used as a LB specially in coverage.

Why draft a Player with HUGE pass rushing skills and use him as a cover LB... why not draft a LB then.

Well, we have 2 solid DEs, and lost the best SLB we had to age. Orakpo has the talent to do both this year, and fills a need that lets us put him in in a lot of situations. We also use a "3-3-5" at times, and he can fill in nicely there.

But really, was there a LB whose overall talent exceeded Orakpo's at 13? I don't think so.

Beats me.

Brian Cushing taken (15), Clay Matthews taken (26) and probably Robert Ayers taken (18)

Well, we have 2 solid DEs, and lost the best SLB we had to age. Orakpo has the talent to do both this year, and fills a need that lets us put him in in a lot of situations. We also use a "3-3-5" at times, and he can fill in nicely there.

But really, was there a LB whose overall talent exceeded Orakpo's at 13? I don't think so.


Cushing?

They have been playing Orakpo all over the place. With new addition Haynesworth freaking out QB's in the middle it becomes even more problematic figuring out where Orakpo is. Some teams will try to attack him in coverage, but they still have to figure out when he actually has coverage responsibility or if he is simply looking to kill the QB.

Brian Cushing taken (15), Clay Matthews taken (26) and probably Robert Ayers taken (18)
so the best was taken at 15, or we had the option of a DE (an area of need in the next year-2 easily) that was ranked in the top 5. seems pretty straightforward to me.

Would you want the Cowboys to take a player who is a reach(cushing) or a more or less sure thing(orakpo), even if he plays slightly out of position?

Note, I don't agree with the he looks lost part. I think he has had both good and bad moments. More good will come I am sure.

He looks far from "lost". Sure he isn't natural at it yet..but he's been a LB for what 5 weeks now?

I prefer him to be a DE but he has so much talent that he will be good at both, I expect him to stay at DE after a few wk's

Brian Cushing taken (15), Clay Matthews taken (26) and probably Robert Ayers taken (18)

Ayers is a converted DE too and is not as talented as Orakpo so I fail to see how he fits. I am so glad they did not draft Cushing. He lacks pass rush skill and was already hurt and missing games early this preseason (not sure if he is still out or not, but the guy is a walking triage unit). Really can't speak much on Matthews except to say that he is not as talented a player as Orakpo either.

You have to understand the scheme, though, to understand why Orakpo actually fits nicely in both the short and long-term plans of the Redskins. Blache likes to rush the SLB and does so a lot. So you are actually looking at a player who is actually closer to a 3-4 OLB (think Demarcus Ware) than a straight 4-3 SAM. He will find himself in space at times, of course, and have to cover the occasional tight end, but really what Blache is looking for in that player is someone who can rush the passer. Plus, in the long-term Orakpo is the replacement in waiting for Andre Carter. He really is not a scheme fit for the LDE in the Redskins scheme and it is too easy to nullify the pass rush that player with offensive sets anyway. The Skins prefer to play bigger, run stoppers (Daniels, Wynn, maybe Jarmon some day) at that position. But the bottom line is that 1) Orakpo is actually a good scheme fit for what the Redskins want to do right now (whether you agree with that scheme or not), 2) he provides a long term solution at RDE, 3) he was far and away the most talented defensive player on the board at #13.

I am not sure about him looking lost on Friday because I did not single him out on most plays that I watched. I would have to go back and look again. But I would not be surprised if he did at times. I know he did appear to be looking for players rather than "feeling" them against Pittsburgh. But at other times he looked fluid in space so I actually think he will improve and is actually better right now than we had the right to expect. He certainly is a good enough athlete in space to do the things that the Redskins want him to do right now. Kiwanka looked bad when he first made the switch in 2007, but he improved and was playing well prior to his injury (and subsequent switch back to DE last year). So basically I think your analysis of Orakpo is off-base and ultimately short-sighted.