15 sacks between them: Veteran Carter, rookie Orakpo restore Redskins’ long-dormant pass rush

Redskins vet Carter, young Orakpo bring down QBs

ASHBURN, Va. — One is a 30-year-old veteran who keeps his battered body limber with mixed martial arts, treadmill work and Filipino fighting sticks. The other is a rookie who basically shows up and does his thing.

Together, Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo have the Washington Redskins near the top of the sack charts. They’ve combined for 15 in nine games, including three in the win on Sunday that snapped a four-game losing streak.

“Last year I felt we had some QBs feel very comfortable in the pocket,” coach Jim Zorn said Monday. “And this year we are making quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket.”

Among the scattered bright spots in a 3-6 season has been the resurrection of a long-dormant pass rush. The Redskins already have 24 sacks, matching their total from all of last season. They haven’t finished in the top 15 in sacks since 2004, but right now they are tied for seventh — and the pass defense is allowing a league-low 163 yards per game.

“You can see when a team has extended time what a team can do,” Zorn said. “The pressure we’re getting, creating just the sense for the quarterback, ‘I’ve got to get rid of the ball sooner.’ We’ve created some inaccurate throws.”

“We’ve seen this with ourselves,” added Zorn, a passing reference to the 31 times his own quarterbacks have been taken down, “so we kind of know what it does.”

Orakpo, the No. 13 overall draft pick from Texas, has thrived as a combo linebacker-defensive end. He has seven sacks, breaking the franchise rookie record with seven games to spare.

Carter has eight, closing in on double-digits for the third time in his career. He had only four last season, when he was fighting off double teams at every turn. Now, new addition Albert Haynesworth and a healthier Cornelius Griffin have offensive linemen otherwise occupied.

“From analyzing film from last year, I realized it was two-on-one matchups,” Carter said. “Usually I’d go against a tackle, and that guard would sit there and wait. Or I’d have a running back chip me. As a pass rusher, it’s like a little flattery, ‘Well, they’ve got two on me, I’ve just got to find a way to get there.’”

Carter also overhauled his offseason regimen, doing more speed work, running up inclines and practicing his martial arts, something that has been a part of his life since childhood. He’s not fighting guys in cages, but he’s doing kicks, blocks, jumps and working with weapons, including the fighting sticks, all in the cause of keeping his eye-hand coordination and flexibility up to par.

“I feel the explosive movements has really paid off,” he said.

Orakpo joked about a friendly rivalry with Carter for the sacks lead — “He’s stealing my sacks” — and also poked some good fun at his elder’s extensive offseason work.

“I do a normal routine as far as keeping my body in shape, and then once football’s over, I’m done with football,” Orakpo said. “When I go home, I relax. I don’t need to do all that extra stuff. But ‘Dre has to because, you know, veterans they have to keep it up. They’re getting old.”

Carter and Orakpo were the only players to stop by the media room on a rare “Victory Monday.” Zorn gave the players the day off following the 27-17 win over Denver, the first feel-good win of the season and the largest margin of victory in Zorn’s 25 games as coach.

The Redskins were booed as much as cheered in their other two wins, narrow home victories over struggling St. Louis and Tampa Bay.

The late lead against the Broncos gave Carter and Orakpo a chance to do something they’ve hadn’t had a chance to do all season — rush the quarterback with abandon. It also helped that they were facing backup Chris Simms after Kyle Orton hurt his ankle while getting tackled by Orakpo late in the second quarter. Simms completed only 3 of 13 passes in the second half.

“When they change quarterbacks, as a defensive line, you kind of lick your chops a little bit and rub the hands,” Carter said. “Someone went down and something happened, and now it’s our time to fluster him, and that’s what happened. He was flustered.”

NOTES: CB Carlos Rogers was benched after allowing a long touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall on the Broncos’ first drive. Zorn compared Rogers to a struggling quarterback and said he could be back in the starting lineup against the Cowboys. “He’s not done and we’re not done,” Zorn said. “As we work through this week, he may very well be the guy out there.” … The Redskins’ two penalties Sunday were a season low.