Let's talk OTA's

[SirLK26]

Originally Posted by tshile

As a critic of Orakpo over the last few years, I hear the last bit a lot and always wonder....

The assumption always seems to be, in these situations, that the coaches are not teaching the player whatever the desired improvement is; in this case: that Orakpo develop and use more moves.

It just makes me wonder... is it possible they are trying, and he (for whatever reason) just isn't doing it? Maybe he can't break old habits, maybe he just doesn't understand, etc?

Maybe it is the coaches, but I'd think at some point this criticism of him became well known enough to both Orakpo and the Coaches that at this point in his career blaming the coaches for not trying seems to not make sense to me.

A counter argument to that, I suppose, would be to ask why they'd franchise him if the problem was that he couldn't figure it out.... but who knows.

I can't remember for sure and can't find it anywhere, but I thought I read or heard that our former OLB coach was too complacent, and didn't coach up the OLBs very well/wasn't hard enough on them. Could be wrong. I do know that I read an article by a team insider that the more energetic Baker was a definite and welcome change from the former coach.

On your last paragraph, maybe the fault does lie with Orakpo, and that's why he was franchised instead of extended long-term.