His pass rusher side is strong, but the linebacker side needs some fine tuning
ASHBURN – The education came on the first snap. Brian Orakpo eyed the linemen for clues, noticing how firm their hands were placed on the ground; checking out where their eyes were pointed.
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It suggested one thing: a run. So Orakpo reacted accordingly as the ball was snapped.
And his man went flying past.
Welcome to strongside linebacker 101. Orakpo’s eyes were everywhere they should have been.
“He wandered a little bit,” said linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti. “He needs to have his eyes in a different spot.”
Orakpo’s impact as a rush end was obvious. Though he did not record a sack, he managed a quarterback hurry and drew two holding penalties. He caused problems for the Ravens much of the time he played.
Orakpo, the Redskins’ first-round pick who is switching from end in college to strongside linebacker, also was effective on stunts to the middle.
But his work at linebacker is more subtle and in some ways more important. If Orakpo can’t handle the role, Washington will have season-long problems. In his first live action Orakpo displayed both good and bad.
“In college he was so much better than everyone else,” said Redskins corner Fred Smoot. “At this level he has to learn to adjust his speed and learn how to use it. He might be overexerting himself on a play. We have to teach him to be a pro.”
By that he means knowing how to play his assignments properly, as on the first play. The second lesson came on his second snap, when a run came around the right side. Orakpo engaged the tight end. However, on the play, he failed to turn the run back inside. Again, subtle, but important: he needed to get more on the outside shoulder of the tight end and force him back, preventing the runner from getting wide.
“I was thinking more aggressively instead of just keeping my outside shoulder free,” Orakpo said.
Another play he read properly, but hesitated, was a draw play on his second series. He got in on the tackle, but could have made the play sooner.
“I have to work on reading stuff a lot faster,” he said.
But all was not lost: Olivadotti said Orakpo improved on his blitzes, taking the proper path and knowing when to go inside, or outside, the blocker. That represents improvement from the start of camp.
And then there was the rush.
“I have a lot of confidence in my ability to create pressure, so that’s something I can continue to get better at naturally,” Orakpo said. “That’s why I don’t have to work much at it. But I have to work at linebacker. It will come in time.”
