Redskins’ Brian Orakpo: ‘My sacks will come’
By Evan Massey
Washingotn Redskins’ Brian Orakpo believes his sacks will come
The Washington Redskins are in desperate need of players to step up in a big way on both offense and defense. Brian Orakpo has only recorded half of a sack so far this season and has been one of the major disappointments throughout the first four games of the season. Brian Orakpo still has confidence in his ability and believes that he will get things going soon.
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“People’s minds are probably already in the gutter now because I only got half a sack. I can’t get frustrated with my stats. I’ve always been a guy that’s very confident in what I do. I know my sacks will come eventually. It’s a lot of pressure, having a year like that and coming back and thinking you have your contract and then you have to do it again. It’s frustrating.”
Orakpo is talking about the dominant season that he had last year, recording 60 tackles and 10.0 sacks in 15 regular season games. Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden also discussed Brian Orakpo’s slow start.
“We expect more production, but he has had some good plays where he’s forced the issue and other guys were getting sacks because of him. Sometimes it’s not about the sack number, it’s consistent pressure. That’s what we’re looking for from him. I don’t care about how many sacks you get, but I do want him around the quarterback, and I want quarterbacks to feel him on a consistent basis. He can improve in that department, and he’ll tell you the same thing. But he’s not doing as bad as a half a sack may sound.”
That is certainly an encouraging quote for Brian Orakpo, and it shows that his play is not going without notice. He is getting a lot of attention from opposing offensive lines and that is one of the main reasons he hasn’t been getting to the quarterback as much as expected. Despite not getting the sacks himself, he is helping his teammates get to the quarterback and is being a leader for the defense.
It’s going to be very interesting to see what type of numbers Brian Orakpo accumulates over the course of the remainder of the season. There is no doubt that he is one of the better pass rushers in the league. Don’t be surprised to see him follow through on this statement and begin to pick up sacks more consistently.
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