Bobby Okereke Can't Wait to Get Started in Giants Positionless Defense
New Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke has quietly rounded into an every-down linebacker capable of playing in coverage, defending the run, and rushing the passer.
He'll get a chance to do all that and then some now that he's a member of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale's positionless defense, which thrives on aggressiveness.
"Honesty, it was the perfect situation for me," Okereke told reporters Thursday during a video conference call. "Skillset-wise, you're getting a fast physical linebacker-- very smart, intelligent, and good ball skills. I love to run and hit, and I'm a team-first guy."
Okereke's skillset, which the Giants got to witness firsthand in Week 17 of last season when he racked up 17 tackles against them. But perhaps the biggest difference Okereke stands to make for the defense is in coverage, where the Giants linebackers have been a major liability for years.
"Starting my second and third year in the league, I played a lot of MIKE linebacker and zone coverage. So that's just understanding concepts--how the offense is trying to attack you and, you know, how if they're running shallow, how there's overcoming behind you, if someone sits, or something coming back," Okereke said.
"Then last year, I was tasked with being in man coverage a lot, and I won a majority, if not most, of my one-on-one battles. I got great length, I got great speed, athleticism, and I think just my mental processing helps me be a very good zone coverage linebacker."
Okereke is already excited about working with Martindale, who made a positive impression during their initial meeting.
"He's very real. He's a straight shooter," Okereke said. "I just figured that out in the first couple minutes I got to hang out with him. So, I'm just excited. I got his number, and I'll be talking to him throughout (OTAs). I'm just looking forward to building strong relationships here in this building so we can build as a team.
But the challenge of playing in Martindale's "positionless" defense has Okereke the most excited.
"I'm gonna blitz a lot more, which I'm excited about. I mean, I've had a lot of blitz sack fumbles. I had a really good one, I wanna say, a year or two ago versus the Titans. I love playing fast and physical, and I think that's why Coach Martindale blitzes so much: So players can play freely. There's not a lot of thinking. You wanna eliminate thinking and, you know, just have fast decision-making."
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