Is there room for Orakpo and Rob Jackson?

He's a first round pick for crying out loud and there are some who say he's an elite talent. He has the potential to be in the 15 sack echelon. Time to live up to it.

I think that he would have this year, but he got injured too early. I understand your frustration but the decline of the pass rush was evident without him. I do not want to kick either to the curb, but Orakpo is the better pass rushing LB for the 3-4 defense. I believe that he is going to play to his potential next season.

He's a first round pick for crying out loud and there are some who say he's an elite talent. He has the potential to be in the 15 sack echelon. Time to live up to it.

So every player picked in the first round should be the top 4 at their position? Statistically, that's impossible. The fact that some people say he is an elite talent is also irrelevant. I could say John Beck is an elite talent, but that doesnt mean anyone should expect him to play like Peyton Manning. Does orakpo have the potential to get 15 sacks in a year? Sure, but so do half a dozen other players on any team. It all depends on what position a player plays, what scheme he's in, what plays are called, what offensive lines he's playing against, how immobile the quarterbacks are, etc. If Haslett called CB blitzes every snap, Hall would probably have 15 sacks. You cant just look at a stat like sacks in a vaccum and grade a players quality and value based on that alone. I get that Orakpo may not have lived up to your personal expecations yet, but I think youre oversimplifying things and being a bit unrealistic.

kerrigan in 2011: 7.5 sacks w orakpo
kerrigan in 2012: 8.5 sacks w/o orakpo

3 of them vs. Philly, For a good part of the season, especially when the Redskins needed wins against the Browns, the Ravens, Giants, and Dallas in those essential games against good teams he was nowhere to be found. Kerrigan is not the player you want to bank on. Kerrigan needs to show more against better competition.

It's excellent that Rob Jackson is there for depth purposes. But he's an overall better OLB in the 3-4 than Orakpo. I say that because he's not as good a pass rusher as Orakpo, but he's certainly better in coverage and has the talent to rush the passer from the edge effectively even if it's not as good as Orakpo.

He is better at pass coverage and that is it. Jackson is not a better pass rusher or better against the run. So to say Jackson is a better overall linebacker in my opinion is incorrect since Orakpo is stronger at the point then Jackson, better at containment and a better pass rusher by a significant margin.

The team can't afford to get rid of him. What if Orakpo gets hurt again? I'd use Jackson as a relief pitcher and have him available in case someone goes down.

So every player picked in the first round should be the top 4 at their position? Statistically, that's impossible. The fact that some people say he is an elite talent is also irrelevant. I could say John Beck is an elite talent, but that doesnt mean anyone should expect him to play like Peyton Manning. Does orakpo have the potential to get 15 sacks in a year? Sure, but so do half a dozen other players on any team. It all depends on what position a player plays, what scheme he's in, what plays are called, what offensive lines he's playing against, how immobile the quarterbacks are, etc. If Haslett called CB blitzes every snap, Hall would probably have 15 sacks. You cant just look at a stat like sacks in a vaccum and grade a players quality and value based on that alone. I get that Orakpo may not have lived up to your personal expecations yet, but I think youre oversimplifying things and being a bit unrealistic.

I'm not necessarily arguing what's statistically possible. Though that's usually a good way to measure a pass rusher's effectiveness. My bottom line, for all the hype, I want to see Brian Orakpo step into the echelon of perennial pass NFL pass rushers. So far, he hasn't. If that's asking too much, then sue me. We can go back and forth about Haslett's system, but next year I'd like to see more from Orakpo.

The central question in my mind is this: Can this defense survive without him? Now that may be a simplistic view, but it's certainly one way to look at things.

To be clear, I'm not on some let's trash Orakpo trip. Not at all.

What do I know, I said D.Hall was top 15 CB.

What I would like to see is Hall putting on 10-15 pounds and becoming our starting free safety.

Yeah he'll likely finish his career as FS, but he's got another couple good years at CB IMO. Either way retaining him for a reasonable contract would be ideal. I like Hall, always have.

Have to either keep them both or get a player and high pick for Orakpo and draft a pass rush specialist with the pick a la Aldon Smith in his rookie year.

I am was also interested to see how well Orakpo was getting the olb position in a 3-4 this year. He seemed to be much better in the first couple of games, but it was really only 5 quarters of football. We talk about Jackson improving, and I completely agree. The more experience he gets as a player he gets better. The same could be said for what might have been in Orakpo's season.

I keep hearing that it takes an average player about 3-4 years of study, experience, and creating nfl instintics to become a good to great player.

I was expecting to see an exceptional player in Orakpo this year, and just for good measure I see Kerrigan having a better year next year then this.

So what is the point? I would hate to see a guy like Jackson and go somewhere else and tear it up. A la Chris Clemons, Antonio Pierce, and Ryan Clark

We are a team in need of secondary help with no first round pick, but an asset that may be able to be replace with two needs.

Would a good secondary player ( CB or S ) and a 2nd round pick make you listen to an offer for Rak?