For the redskins their are several of these in each category. The biggest problem with these labels is that they often overlap. Orakpo is one of those players that could be placed in either. I sincerely hope Orakpo comes back healthy and really has a career year. He is a player that many fans look to and expect excellence. Last year during the preseason he was apparently working on more pass rushing moves and was generating a lot of talk about being one of those breakout stars. But, he got hurt in game 2 and was out for the season.
So, what about this year. He is going into 5th year as a pro and has not broken into double digit sacks since his rookie year. His rookie year was also his career high for solo tackles at 37. It seems to be that this year is a make or break year for Orakpo yet could also be a break out year. If he has a season with 10 or more sacks I believe it will be clear that he is ready to be an all star caliber player. And frankly I believe he is ready to be that kind of player and because of this it would be prudent for the Redskins to sign him now.
The best comparison to Orakpo would be Clay Matthews. He was drafted the same year and is the kind of player the Redskins expect Orakpo to be. Matthews in his first 4 years 42 sacks compared to Orakpo's 29.5. However these numbers are misleading. If you take away last year where Orakpo only played 2 games the numbers are much closer. 29.5 for Clay and 28.5 for Orakpo. Their are other statistics that matter. Orakpo has yet to intercept a pass while Matthews has 4 including 3 in one year. However, the most important stat for both of these players is sacks. Orakpo I believe has the ability to be that player this year. In fact I believe he is going to have more sacks this year than Matthews partially because the increased ability of Kerrigan. Ultimately, as a Redskins fan I'm leaning toward a breakout year.
Basically, Redskins need to sign him to a long term incentive based deal. If Orakpo performs and stays healthy they will be able to get him for a cheaper deal than they would a year from now. If he gets hurt or doesn't ever reach his potential then they won't lose much. Pay the Man! or maybe more accurately Sign the Man!
So, what about this year. He is going into 5th year as a pro and has not broken into double digit sacks since his rookie year. His rookie year was also his career high for solo tackles at 37. It seems to be that this year is a make or break year for Orakpo yet could also be a break out year. If he has a season with 10 or more sacks I believe it will be clear that he is ready to be an all star caliber player. And frankly I believe he is ready to be that kind of player and because of this it would be prudent for the Redskins to sign him now.The best comparison to Orakpo would be Clay Matthews. He was drafted the same year and is the kind of player the Redskins expect Orakpo to be. Matthews in his first 4 years 42 sacks compared to Orakpo's 29.5. However these numbers are misleading. If you take away last year where Orakpo only played 2 games the numbers are much closer. 29.5 for Clay and 28.5 for Orakpo. Their are other statistics that matter. Orakpo has yet to intercept a pass while Matthews has 4 including 3 in one year. However, the most important stat for both of these players is sacks. Orakpo I believe has the ability to be that player this year. In fact I believe he is going to have more sacks this year than Matthews partially because the increased ability of Kerrigan. Ultimately, as a Redskins fan I'm leaning toward a breakout year.
Basically, Redskins need to sign him to a long term incentive based deal. If Orakpo performs and stays healthy they will be able to get him for a cheaper deal than they would a year from now. If he gets hurt or doesn't ever reach his potential then they won't lose much. Pay the Man! or maybe more accurately Sign the Man!
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