Jump to content
Want to remove all ads? ×

Laron Landry is nuts man

JOJOTOWNSELL

By JOJOTOWNSELL
in NY Jets Forum

Recommended Posts

JOJOTOWNSELL

JOJOTOWNSELL

Posted
Posted

http://www.nj.com/je...eveloped_a.html

Dawan Landry’s favorite story about his brother may be the time when LaRon was 8, sitting in the flat bed of their father’s truck on the way home from Little League practice.

LaRon was already testing the boundaries of sanity, figuring how he could stoke his love for reckless behavior when he decided to dive out of the moving pickup, then beat the vehicle home sprinting on foot. He did not tell anyone what he was planning.

As it turned out, this was probably the last time in his life when a collision didn’t end up in favor of LaRon Landry, the self-sacrificing, head-hunting, ab-flashing safety for the Jets. He crash-landed onto the pavement then picked himself up and sprinted, his face smeared with blood. He stayed alongside the truck as long as he could.

Twenty minutes later, once his father, Frank, realized his son wasn’t in the truck, he found LaRon on the other side of their Metairie, La., home stewing for another chance.

“He got in trouble for that one,” Dawan, a safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars, said laughing.

But then Dawan remembers another story, maybe a better one: The time, when LaRon was 18 playing basketball outside Hahnville (La.) High School, a loose ball skidded out of bounds, rolling toward a glass door that led to the gymnasium entrance.

LaRon approached at full speed and had to make a decision between saving the ball or himself. He opted to scoop the ball and spill through the door, shattering the glass and perforating his skin with a slew of cuts.

Dawan could go on like this for hours. LaRon always craved contact and the opportunity to throw his body into a melee. It’s why he’s not surprised his brother has turned into one of the most feared hitters in the NFL and a key acquisition for the Jets defense this past offseason.

As the Jets prepare to face Pittsburgh on Sunday, LaRon has already said confidently that the defense he now patrols is better, piece-by-piece, than the historically stout Steelers. For any other outsider in his first year it may be braggadocio to say as much, but LaRon might just be crazy enough to back it up.

“Ronnie Lott and Sean Taylor,” LaRon said, when asked who inspired all this madness. “You know those guys and how they play. I kind of mimic those guys. I’m willing to take on any job, no matter how big the guy is, how physical our opponent is. It doesn’t matter as long as I get the job done.”

High praise

Jets coach Rex Ryan compared Landry to late defensive back Dick “Night Train” Lane, arguably the most violent tackler in NFL history.

During the offseason, the Jets lost safety Jim Leonhard and decided to part ways with Brodney Pool. Eric Smith, the only returning player at the position, was coming off an injury.

So defensive coordinator Mike Pettine and Ryan targeted Landry, 27, who had just finished the final year of his contract with the Redskins. They remembered drooling over his college tape when preparing for the 2007 NFL Draft as coaches for Baltimore, hoping he would somehow fall from the top-10 projected range to the Ravens at No. 29.

Questions arose about injuries throughout Landry’s career, namely an Achilles’ tendon problem that sidelined him for a portion of the 2011 season. But Ryan put faith in the Jets’ training staff and moved forward with the hope the Jets would be getting what Ryan once saw — a safety who’s built like a linebacker (6-foot, 220 pounds) but runs a 4.3 second 40-yard dash.

“When you look at the list, he’s at the top of the list,” said Ryan, who also coached Dawan in Baltimore. “I mean this is a rare talent. He plays the way you want. If you still believe in hitting people in this league, that’s the top of the list guy.”

Pettine said when they made calls to opposing coaches and scouts to evaluate the trade, there were varying opinions. No voice pushed them harder, though, than Ryan’s brother, Rob, the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, who wanted nothing more than to see LaRon out of the NFC East.

“Those Dallas guys were thrilled to get him out of the division,” Pettine said. “They were telling us ‘Sign him! Sign him!’ because they wanted him out of Washington so bad.”

That’s because of moments like last Sunday, when, among a flurry of quarterback hits and a diving strip that caused a fumble, Landry bulled toward Buffalo running back Fred Jackson and torpedoed him near the Bills’ sideline. Jackson will miss four weeks with a knee injury.

Landry, who apologized and said he never intended to injure anyone, only knows how to play at that speed.

“I’m just here to do my job,” he said. “The big hits, whatever, interceptions, plays to be made out there on the field, that’s all part of my job. I don’t really harp on it or praise myself about it. I’m my toughest and my worst critic.”

Built for strength

In the backyard of LaRon’s childhood home there is an Olympic weight set and a few curl bars. Dawan insists the two can do any exercise with what’s sitting out there in the grass.

Sometimes LaRon will work out in the morning but then the urge will strike him again at night — a 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. lift under the muggy Louisiana twilight.

It’s there in the offseason where he prepares his body for all the NFL madness to come and builds himself up to sustain every blow, every hit that feels like falling from a moving truck, or tumbling through a pane of glass.

He pushes the iron and the fear is gone. Then, he is ready to put on a helmet and test his boundaries again, never once considering what could do him harm.

“If you tell him that, it goes in one ear and out the other,” Dawan said. “That’s not him. That’s not his personality. You gotta let him play his game.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Integrity28

Integrity28

Posted
Posted

Was a fan of this guy before he put on the Green & White. One of only a few moments in my lifetime the Jets went out and acquired a player already in the NFL that I'm a big fan of. I think Curtis Martin and Faneca are literally the only other instances.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sh4dy15

sh4dy15

Posted
Posted

That's f***ing awesome.

Haha I couldn't believe he said that. He said he goes into every game knowing full well he might not survive it. Its just how he always has played. And Ryan Rucco asked him how he can possibly play with that mentality and that was his response.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TnT

TnT

Posted
Posted

Been a big fan of Landry from day one as well...Washington wouldve been a total diff story if Sean Taylor hadnt passed...RIP

I hope Landry stays healthy has a semi decent year and then we sign him at 5 a yr for 5yrs...Then he goes Beast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GimmeShelter

GimmeShelter

Posted
Posted

I hope we lock this guy up after this season. He brings a toughness to our defense that we were lacking.

Let's see him play a full season. One game and we are quick to overlook that he was let go by the Skins because he will not have the surgery he needs and also had plenty of issues where he either overpursued or was out of position on plays.

Much better than what we had but it is still one game. There's a reason why he was available as well as why the mixed opinions when Rex and crew queried people around the league. Let's hope coming here gets him back on track and he stays on the field.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
pointman

pointman

Posted
Posted

Let's see him play a full season. One game and we are quick to overlook that he was let go by the Skins because he will not have the surgery he needs and also had plenty of issues where he either overpursued or was out of position on plays.

Much better than what we had but it is still one game. There's a reason why he was available as well as why the mixed opinions when Rex and crew queried people around the league. Let's hope coming here gets him back on track and he stays on the field.

I am with you. I am just enthused by what I see. But its not just this one game. His body of work is solid. Health is the only concern I have about him. But if he thinks he can rehab the achilles himself, lets see. So far so good.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Maxman

Maxman

Posted
Posted

Let's see him play a full season. One game and we are quick to overlook that he was let go by the Skins because he will not have the surgery he needs and also had plenty of issues where he either overpursued or was out of position on plays.

Much better than what we had but it is still one game. There's a reason why he was available as well as why the mixed opinions when Rex and crew queried people around the league. Let's hope coming here gets him back on track and he stays on the field.

He is a game changer though because of his physical style. It is a bit ironic in a way, but the Jets simply have not had that. Tight Ends cross the border with no fear (in years past). Now, they are going to have to think twice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

Content Partnership

Yes Network

Site Sponsor

MILE-Social - NJ Social Media & SEO company

Site Sponsor

MetLife Stadium Tailgate

NY Jets Podcast

NY Jets Podcast

DMCA Page

  • -- DMCA Page
    • ×
    ×
    • Create New...