Lawrence Okoye Thread of Epic Awesomeness

Okoye earned a trip to the olympics after only 3 years of training. He got accepted to a pre-law program at Oxford.

Lets assume that:
-he knows the difference between hard work and *really* hard work
-he is smart enough to fully comprehend that difference.
-when he says something, he puts more thought and brains into his statements than the average poster on this board.

He has to learn multiple techniques across the dline. He is probably starting off with the 3/4 technique and the 5 technique. Which requires a lot of mental training as well as physical training. The fact that he finds the mental aspect hard doesnt mean he is unprepared for full contact.

His statements can be interpreted a number of ways. Its pointless speculation to over analyze too much in the off season. Its even worse when people start cherry picking harbaughs statements and come up with wacky theories.

My guess is that his statement was meant to show that hes working his ass off. he probably assumed that his statements would be interpreted with his history in mind; that we would give him the benefit of the doubt because he has shown an ability to succeed despite tremendous odds before. But we didn't, we took the most simplistic interpretation of his statements.

Originally posted by Ether:

Originally posted by GNielsen:

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
Wait until he puts on the pads! Big British softie, gonna get his ass kicked!

Kinda sounds like that, doesn't it? Too bad. I hope he reaches down deep and surprises us, but it's not a good sign that he's saying it's the hardest thing he's ever done before ever even being hit. How's he going to feel after he meets Iupati in a full scrimmage?

Why? I'm gonna go ahead and assume that a 6'6 300lb beast who played Rugby isn't going to be lacking in the toughness department. Maybe you guys are reading into it too much, or I'm not reading into it enough, but I'm gonna go ahead and assume 99% of his struggles are not understanding the concepts of Football.

From the article:

"He hasn't had anybody hit him yet," Fangio said. "He hasn't had a double-team yet. He hasn't figured out if it's a run or pass, whether he should rush or play the run. So it'll probably be a very slow process with him much more than a normal rookie."Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2013/06/49ers-okoye-on-american-football-hardest-thing-ive-ever-done.html#storylink=cpy

Think about that for a sec. Every single rookie in the world has his struggles because they don't understand the playbook, the reads, etc. Well, this guy isn't a rookie in the NFL, he's a rookie to the sport. He started playing football 2 months ago. When JPP got drafted, he was considered extremely raw because he had only played football since Junior year of high school. Lawrence started the day the NFL draft ended. Give him time.

Rugby is a tough sport and guys get injured all the time playing it, but let's not pretend that it has anything close to the velocity and violence of hitting in the NFL. NFL football is on it's own level - I don't really think anything comes close to it. There's nothing quite so shocking to me as being down on the sideline and seeing those two lines meet at the snap of the ball (I've been there - it's unbelievable - makes you cringe). There is nothing in Rugby that even comes close.

But, I agree with you in that my suspicion is that it is the concepts and the intricacies of the game that are his primary challenge. If he's thinking about it, he's probably getting beaten up in the process. He's big, but NFL offensive linemen are just as big or bigger. When he's standing next to Mike Iupati, he's next to a guy who is just as big, but heavier and probably stronger as well.

Its good that hes come out and said its the hardest thing hes done, the guys being honest. If he came out and said hes coming along fine, people will have bloated expectations of the guy. The guy wanted to find a challenge and hes found one. And like any athlete or competitor thats striving to be on top he'll dig in work at it more till hes on the field.

Originally posted by nannite:
Okoye earned a trip to the olympics after only 3 years of training. He got accepted to a pre-law program at Oxford.

Lets assume that:
-he knows the difference between hard work and *really* hard work
-he is smart enough to fully comprehend that difference.
-when he says something, he puts more thought and brains into his statements than the average poster on this board.

He has to learn multiple techniques across the dline. He is probably starting off with the 3/4 technique and the 5 technique. Which requires a lot of mental training as well as physical training. The fact that he finds the mental aspect hard doesnt mean he is unprepared for full contact.

His statements can be interpreted a number of ways. Its pointless speculation to over analyze too much in the off season. Its even worse when people start cherry picking harbaughs statements and come up with wacky theories.

My guess is that his statement was meant to show that hes working his ass off. he probably assumed that his statements would be interpreted with his history in mind; that we would give him the benefit of the doubt because he has shown an ability to succeed despite tremendous odds before. But we didn't, we took the most simplistic interpretation of his statements.

This is how i interpreted the article. He's just working hard. He's not going to say that learning Rugby or Discuss were harder than this. Everything for him is technical right now and the coaches probably care more about him doing things in the correct stance or with the correct leverage. The next stage will come during training camp. After he gets hit a bunch and starts to learn the pace of things he can eventually take all that he has learned and fine tune those skills. Then the explosiveness and power can come in later.

Originally posted by jacklegniner:

Originally posted by nannite:
Okoye earned a trip to the olympics after only 3 years of training. He got accepted to a pre-law program at Oxford.

Lets assume that:
-he knows the difference between hard work and *really* hard work
-he is smart enough to fully comprehend that difference.
-when he says something, he puts more thought and brains into his statements than the average poster on this board.

He has to learn multiple techniques across the dline. He is probably starting off with the 3/4 technique and the 5 technique. Which requires a lot of mental training as well as physical training. The fact that he finds the mental aspect hard doesnt mean he is unprepared for full contact.

His statements can be interpreted a number of ways. Its pointless speculation to over analyze too much in the off season. Its even worse when people start cherry picking harbaughs statements and come up with wacky theories.

My guess is that his statement was meant to show that hes working his ass off. he probably assumed that his statements would be interpreted with his history in mind; that we would give him the benefit of the doubt because he has shown an ability to succeed despite tremendous odds before. But we didn't, we took the most simplistic interpretation of his statements.

This is how i interpreted the article. He's just working hard. He's not going to say that learning Rugby or Discuss were harder than this. Everything for him is technical right now and the coaches probably care more about him doing things in the correct stance or with the correct leverage. The next stage will come during training camp. After he gets hit a bunch and starts to learn the pace of things he can eventually take all that he has learned and fine tune those skills. Then the explosiveness and power can come in later.

That and our coaches are calculated in what they say to the media...not praising him and stating the (obvious) is a smart move. Remember, this may be a guy who is motivated this way. Or, we want to keep him low profile for the rest of the NFL in case we need/want to stash him on the PS. As a front runner, teams take notice to what we do. Just ask Seattle...

I'm rooting for this guy to beat the odds. If he's claimed by another team and chooses to stay with the 49ers practice squad, it would speak volumes. I don't think he makes the 53 man roster.

Originally posted by Ether:
Why? I'm gonna go ahead and assume that a 6'6 300lb beast who played Rugby isn't going to be lacking in the toughness department. Maybe you guys are reading into it too much, or I'm not reading into it enough, but I'm gonna go ahead and assume 99% of his struggles are not understanding the concepts of Football.

He played rugby in the children's league. Not college, not adult, not professional. He was twice the size of all the other kids. I doubt he's ever experienced the feeling of running hard into someone the SAME size, much less bigger than him (MIke Iupati).

Originally posted by BrianGO:

Originally posted by Ether:
Why? I'm gonna go ahead and assume that a 6'6 300lb beast who played Rugby isn't going to be lacking in the toughness department. Maybe you guys are reading into it too much, or I'm not reading into it enough, but I'm gonna go ahead and assume 99% of his struggles are not understanding the concepts of Football.

He played rugby in the children's league. Not college, not adult, not professional. He was twice the size of all the other kids. I doubt he's ever experienced the feeling of running hard into someone the SAME size, much less bigger than him (MIke Iupati).

Is that true? If so, I never want to hear this kid played Rugby again......

Thats like me saying I played Pop Warner so I'm a football player.

Originally posted by TheGhostofOak:

Originally posted by BrianGO:

Originally posted by Ether:
Why? I'm gonna go ahead and assume that a 6'6 300lb beast who played Rugby isn't going to be lacking in the toughness department. Maybe you guys are reading into it too much, or I'm not reading into it enough, but I'm gonna go ahead and assume 99% of his struggles are not understanding the concepts of Football.

He played rugby in the children's league. Not college, not adult, not professional. He was twice the size of all the other kids. I doubt he's ever experienced the feeling of running hard into someone the SAME size, much less bigger than him (MIke Iupati).

Is that true? If so, I never want to hear this kid played Rugby again......

Thats like me saying I played Pop Warner so I'm a football player.

Some people might get upset, so I'll clarify. It was "the best" children's league. I think the best rugby players in England 16-18yrs old or something like that. It wasn't like pee wee football, for example. But still, it looked like a bunch of David's vs Goliath.

Originally posted by BrianGO:
Some people might get upset, so I'll clarify. It was "the best" children's league. I think the best rugby players in England 16-18yrs old or something like that. It wasn't like pee wee football, for example. But still, it looked like a bunch of David's vs Goliath.

ha....I can't wait until training camp. I certainly dont want him to fail, but I'm interested to see how he responds to all the hitting. Rugby is Rugby, but his body has never been in football shape....i.e. ready for the physical punishment at this level.

Originally posted by BrianGO:

Originally posted by TheGhostofOak:

Originally posted by BrianGO:

Originally posted by Ether:
Why? I'm gonna go ahead and assume that a 6'6 300lb beast who played Rugby isn't going to be lacking in the toughness department. Maybe you guys are reading into it too much, or I'm not reading into it enough, but I'm gonna go ahead and assume 99% of his struggles are not understanding the concepts of Football.

He played rugby in the children's league. Not college, not adult, not professional. He was twice the size of all the other kids. I doubt he's ever experienced the feeling of running hard into someone the SAME size, much less bigger than him (MIke Iupati).

Is that true? If so, I never want to hear this kid played Rugby again......

Thats like me saying I played Pop Warner so I'm a football player.

Some people might get upset, so I'll clarify. It was "the best" children's league. I think the best rugby players in England 16-18yrs old or something like that. It wasn't like pee wee football, for example. But still, it looked like a bunch of David's vs Goliath.

Its not a "childrens league" it was the equivalent of varsity high school ages. Dont know why people want to hold it against him for developing into a beast early on in his life. Do people hold it against the 6'4 240 pound defensive ends who run 4.5s in highschool? Its the same deal.

Cannot believe there are 47 pages on a guy who isn't even good odds to make the practice squad.

Originally posted by NickSh49:

Cannot believe there are 47 pages on a guy who isn't even good odds to make the practice squad.

If the Niners see promise in him, he may earn a roster spot to protect him from being snatched off the practice squad from another team.

Originally posted by NickSh49:
Cannot believe there are 47 pages on a guy who isn't even good odds to make the practice squad.

Welcome to the offseason, here's a chair make yourself comfortable.

Originally posted by DonnieDarko:

Originally posted by NickSh49:

Cannot believe there are 47 pages on a guy who isn't even good odds to make the practice squad.

Welcome to the offseason, here's a chair make yourself comfortable.

I can understand why he is news in the UK. Can't understand the fuss about him on a US site though.

And I remain highly dubious about his chances of breaking into a squad as strong and deep as the 49ers. I wish him luck, but .....