One thing I wish about the ESPN article ranking the NFL’s top pass rushers? That it had come out a few hours earlier. Which is when I talked to Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo about other things.
Anyway, this is what Orakpo tweeted about being left off their list of top-10 rushers (and, for that matter, the top 17 as he wasn’t even an honorable mention):
“BTW I seen some list rankin the top 10 pass rushers and left me off. [Bleep] THEM im gonna kill the league next season HTTR.”
Yes, I added the bleep part. Orakpo was a little more descriptive. Anyway, if he does kill the league next season, Redskins fans may have two unlikely players to thank: Osi Umenyiora and DeMarcus Ware. Both have given him tips to help turn those holding penalties he often drew into sacks.
“Osi is a good friend of mine and tells me stuff to work on,” Orakpo said. “DeMarcus is a good friend and he gives me little things to help me achieve and to help me get off the hands. I’m trying to engage with other guys and see what’s on their mind.”
Orakpo said he texts often with Umenyiora, the Giants’ end, and Ware, the Cowboys’ linebacker.
“We plan on getting together and working in the offseason and working with each other,” Orakpo said from Austin, TX., “showing each other skills and getting better as we work together. It’s funny to be good friends with rivals, but that’s what happens in the offseason. Everyone respects each other’s game. As soon as I came in they showed me so much love for what I bring to the game. You always pick up stuff. You’re like a sponge; you’re always trying to soak up information.”
But it’s not a one-sided exchange.
“I help those guys get better,” he said. “You feed off each other.”
