Tennessee Titans: Brian Orakpo brings more than pass rush
By P. L. Colter
The 3-4 defense is most effective when you have solid outside linebackers that can pressure the quarterback. Linebackers that can win one on one battles.
The Tennessee Titans had neither last season.
So when free agency opened, the Titans wasted no time in signing the best pass rushing outside linebacker on the market…Brian Orakpo.
The three time Pro Bowler fills both needs for Tennessee, and has looked sharp so far in training camp. But his locker room presence will be even more valuable. In fact, the timing of Orakpo’s arrival couldn’t have been better for the Titans.
Knows the system:
Orakpo has been a fan of Dick LeBeau his entire career, and has studied film of his defenses for years. Already proficient in the 3-4, Orakpo can serve as a coach on the field and in the film room…accelerating the learning curve in year two of the scheme.
Mentor to Zach Brown:
Up and coming middle linebacker Zach Brown is looking to return from a pectoral injury that cost him the entire 2014 season….something Orakpo knows all too well after the same injury sidelined him two of the past three years. Orakpo reached out to the youngster to share his story, as Brown told ESPN Staff Writer Paul Kuharsky…
“We talked about it, I work out with him, and from working out with him, I got a lot stronger a lot faster. Actually it’s helped me a lot….I’ve lost probably seven pounds and about three percent body fat, and I got a lot stronger in my upper body.”
A Pro Bowl caliber mentor is a valuable asset to an otherwise young linebacker quartet.
Brian Orakpo was there when the Washington Redskins selected a Heisman Trophy winning qb with the second overall pick. A qb that was immediately branded as the team leader and face of the franchise.
Sound familiar?
Orakpo is living proof that you can succeed with a rookie under center (Redskins made the playoffs that season), and can also share the cautionary tale of RGIII’s fall from grace…along with the team’s playoff chances with it.
A wealth of knowledge on and off the field…tailor-made for a franchise that’s hitching it’s wagon to a rookie qb.
Next: Tennessee Titans: Five Keys To Successful 2015
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“We talked about it, I work out with him, and from working out with him, I got a lot stronger a lot faster. Actually it’s helped me a lot….I’ve lost probably seven pounds and about three percent body fat, and I got a lot stronger in my upper body.”
“We talked about it, I work out with him, and from working out with him, I got a lot stronger a lot faster. Actually it’s helped me a lot….I’ve lost probably seven pounds and about three percent body fat, and I got a lot stronger in my upper body.”