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WEx: "That's just the way I play"


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http://www.examiner.com/a-1097818~_...ay_I_play_.html

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‘That’s just the way I play’

John Keim, The Examiner

The Chicago receiver never had a chance for the pass. He reached up, realized the ball was too high, then took another step. And then was punished. A second later, LaRon Landry received his own punishment in the form of a yellow flag.

And Gregg Williams received another reminder of life with a young safety.

“I can see I’ll have growing pains with him like I did with [late safety Sean Taylor],” said Williams, the Redskins assistant head coach/defense. “I wasn’t real happy with the late hit. Those are growing things, but I’d rather have to throttle someone down than try to throttle them up. You have to be better going for the ball as opposed to going for the push.”

Said Landry, “That’s just the way I play.”

Thus begins another phase in the aftermath of Taylor’s death. Reed Doughty has been inserted into the lineup, but it’s Landry who is taking on a more expanded role. When the Redskins use only one safety deep, it’s Landry filling that spot while Doughty plays up near the line. Landry still blitzes occasionally.

“He has been thrust into a different role,” Doughty said. “It proves his versatility. He’s a great hitter, a great blitzer and he can cover man to man. He was a high draft pick for a reason. He’s just really learning how to use his skill set.”

When the Redskins drafted Landry with the sixth overall pick, many figured he and Taylor would make a dominating pair for years.

“I was looking forward to forming that tandem,” Landry said. “Sean Taylor, watching this guy you know he’s a hitter. I idolized him and Ronnie Lott and most definitely he’ll be missed. But I can say [Doughty] has stepped in and done a great job.”

One talent evaluator said the Redskins would be fine at this position.

“They still have a Pro Bowl safety,” he said, referring to Landry.

But one who is still adjusting. Williams has raved about Landry’s study habits; he does more of that than Taylor did at a similar point. Now that the Redskins have two safeties with a combined 17 starts, it’s vital that Landry is well-versed as to his on-field duties.

However, they would like to see Landry become more adept at knowing when to go for the big hit and when to go for the ball. Landry doesn’t yet have an interception — Taylor had five — though he had two chances against the Bears.

“He needs to come up with those catches,” Williams said.

But the other thing Williams has learned is that Landry excels at the most basic part of the game.

“He’s one of the smartest tacklers I’ve seen in the last 10 years come out of college,” Williams said. “You have to know when to blow them up and when to get them down. I don’t see him taking unnecessary blow-up tackles. I fought that with Sean some and he got so much better here this past year.”

Playoff possibilities

With three games left, here’s a look at the NFC playoff picture:

» Three teams already have clinched division titles — Dallas, Green Bay and Seattle. Tampa Bay needs one more win to wrap up first as well.

» New York (9-4) and Minnesota (7-6) have the lead for the Wild Card race. The Giants need one more win to clinch a playoff berth. The surprising Vikings host Chicago and Washington and travel to Denver in the finale.

» Even if the Redskins win their last three games, they don’t control their destiny. Unless, that is, New Orleans lost last night to Atlanta. If that was the case, then Washington would make the postseason with three straight wins. However, if the Redskins lose to Minnesota on Dec. 23 and win their other two, they would miss the playoffs. The Redskins’ final three opponents have a combined 28-11 record, giving them the hardest finish among the top six Wild Card contenders.

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hose are growing things, but I’d rather have to throttle someone down than try to throttle them up. You have to be better going for the ball as opposed to going for the push.”

Exactly what many of us were sayin in that thread where some were (overly)critical of the hit.

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But one who is still adjusting. Williams has raved about Landry’s study habits; he does more of that than Taylor did at a similar point. Now that the Redskins have two safeties with a combined 17 starts, it’s vital that Landry is well-versed as to his on-field duties.

“He’s one of the smartest tacklers I’ve seen in the last 10 years come out of college,” Williams said. “You have to know when to blow them up and when to get them down. I don’t see him taking unnecessary blow-up tackles. I fought that with Sean some and he got so much better here this past year.”
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Seeing Sean Taylor talked about and written about in the past tense still makes my stomach drop when I read it. Things like "they still have a pro bowl safety" and Gregg talking about him in past tense is sad. I'm pulling for Landry to step up and fill the void but it still sucks that the void is there to begin with. With that being said, I think we drafted quite possibly the ONLY safety who can cover anywhere near the ground of ST.

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We could have had Anderson, Branch, Okoye amongst some others. But, I really thought it was between Anderson, Branch, Landry or Okoye. In hindsight, we made a SMART decision. Whether it be by luck or doing our homework, or even both. That 6th pick was one that will continue to help the Skins in the long run.:)

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We could have had Anderson, Branch, Okoye amongst some others. But, I really thought it was between Anderson, Branch, Landry or Okoye. In hindsight, we made a SMART decision. Whether it be by luck or doing our homework, or even both. That 6th pick was one that will continue to help the Skins in the long run.:)

I thought it was going to be either Okoye or Landry and right now it looks like both would have been good, though losing Sean Taylor and having Prioleau/Doughty would have been a lot harder to take than losing Taylor and having Landry back there.

So many people were really high on Jamaal Anderson and Alan Branch...

Anderson: 24 tackles, 0 sacks, 1 FF

Branch: 4 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 FF

Ouch.

Okoye: 28 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 1 FF

Landry: 82 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 0 FF, 0 INT's

Verrry niiiiice! :thumbsup:

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It looks like Landry is going to go to some pro bowls in the future. LiveStrong, I was thinking the same thing. Seeing ST talked about in the past tense is just very sad. Knowing we could have the best two safeties in the league for years to come is just sad. Not taking anything away from future pro bowl safety Landry, but he does not possess the physical gifts given to ST.

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