Welcome LaRon Landry

[everydayAskinsday]

haha the hate for a kid who hasnt played a down is amazing from some of you.. this gives up quite possibly the best safety tandon in the NFL.. and LaRon can definetly cover.. we have 2 balls hawks now and 2 my suprise we still have springs so we have a VERY deep secondary which was horrible last year.. why would we not sure that up.. do you all forget seeing us tourched over the middle of the field 3 to 4 times a game last year.. I know everyone wants to say we didnt get pressure so they had all day.. it wasnt that everytime we had a pass completed on us that the QB sat back there forever it was just a weak secondary .. we could have had freeney on one end and peppers on the other it didnt matter.. our secondary was horrible.. im very happy with this pick.. our secondary will be MUCH improved and theres alittle thing called coverage sacks.. and a healthy D-Line will play much better.. not to mention all the talk they have heard from everyone calling them worthless might just motivate them .. call it a dumb pick AFTER we know what he will do on the field for us.. Okoye might turn out to be a stud but hes a 19 year old kid.. why take a risk on him when we know what Landry is

[Redskins Rule]

I like this pick! Sean Taylor now only has to cover half the field. I know Greg Williams doesn't like starting rookies right away, but I can't wait for this duo to take the field! This duo is going to lead the league in fines and late hits! Its gonna be awesome!!!!

[DaSkins24]

Opposing WR's are going to be spending extra time in the ice water after a game against the Skins next season. Our secondary should be much improved.

[gibbs4president]

Well, if you can't cover anyone or get pressure on the QB, I guess the Redskins might as well invoke as much pain on opposing offenses as possible. I think I'm ok with the Redskins safety tandem, especially if they act like Clubber Lang did in Rocky III...

Interviewer: What's your prediction for the fight?
Clubber Lang: My prediction?
Interviewer: Yes, your prediction.
[Clubber looks into camera]
Clubber Lang: Pain!

[GibbSkins]

hey just want to chime in.... i like the pick...it was the best pick at the time... i wanted us to trade down and get more picks, but apparently that didn’t work.... L.L. Welcome to the team.... u seam to be a character guy... im looking forward to Fire and Brimstone..... hehehehehehe... great name 4 them..... :up:

[brad7686]

It is now official Redskins news.

Sean Taylor and LaRon Landry shall be known as Fire and Brimstone.

Psalm 11:6 "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest, this shall be the portion of their cup."

I would argue that the receivers on the other team will be known as fire and brimstone, because the safeties are gonna get BURNED. No Defensive Ends and two safeties that can't cover. Qb's dream. Congratulations current Washington FO on once again showing why you are the worst front office in the history of the NFL.

BLa BLa Bla. Welcome home Laron.

Just imagine a healthy Griff and Golston,Salavea. That will shore up the hole that was our Defensive line last year.

With two defensive Ball Hawks roaming the defensive secondary this will bring a confidence to this defense. Trust.

All though I was hoping for trade down and I am Sure Gibbs explored the possibilitie overall I am happy with this pick. Laron is a stud in coverage and against the run. What more can you ask for?

We still have time to pick up some more defensive line help. All is well you will see.

Healthy Griff? On what planet? Why don't we just pretend Daniels will be healthy. This is very ideal.

[brad7686]

Ya know, a lot of this talk sounds familiar... people being scared of a safety tandem...opposing receivers beware....somebody we picked up last year...how did that work out again? I'm all about drafting the best player IF you have all your picks. But when you have only one pick that is likely to produce a starter in the whole draft you should go for need.

[die cowboys die]

Ya know, a lot of this talk sounds familiar... people being scared of a safety tandem...opposing receivers beware....somebody we picked up last year...how did that work out again? I'm all about drafting the best player IF you have all your picks. But when you have only one pick that is likely to produce a starter in the whole draft you should go for need.

this is nothing like the archuleta thing. some "fans" got excited about that safety tandem, but the sports media and people around the league didn't because they knew about archuleta's limitations.

i was not hoping to draft another safety, and wasn't too excited about the pick. however, everything i have read and heard suggests that this guy could be an elite NFL safety very very soon. there is legitimate cause to be excited about that.

obviously, we'll all have to cross our fingers and see what happens with the D-line though...

[UK Skins Fan]

I have to believe that no acceptable trade was on the table when the Redskins picked and, for that reason, agree that Landry was absolutely the right pick at #6. I wanted D-line, but any of the available linemen would have been a stretch at that spot.

I have a hard time right now getting excited about having the best "on paper" safety tandem in the league, but that could change very quickly when they get on the field together! If Landry's one contribution is to help get the best out of Sean Taylor, then the pick could probably be considered a susccess.

What this draft showed me once again is just how dumb it is to have let all those draft picks go in trades over the last couple of years. When you see somebody like Alan Branch falling to the second round, you realise that having picks available to you will allow so much more flexibiilty on draft day. We could have got two players on day one that could really help us, but we only ended up with one. Let's hope we find gold on day two.

Anyway, welcome aboard LaRon. I hope you fulfill all that potential in a burgundy and gold uniform for the next fifteen years.

[jklote]

The optimistic way to look at it is we have on paper one of, if not the most, talented secondary in the NFL and that we added a stud MLB to our front 7 that should be considerably improved this year assuming everyone is healthy.

The pessimistic way to look at is that we still don't have any substantial pass rush, we are thin at DT, Rogers struggled all season, Springs is coming off an injury, and our safeties are a rookie and a guy who struggled to cover last season.

Only time will tell which viewpoint is correct, but I sure hope it's the former.

Springs and Griffin (to a lesser extent) are the difference-makers on the D. When those two have been healthy the D is tough. When they are out it is swiss cheese. I think Smoot will help the secondary more than Landry next season, but I have no doubt Landry can contribute in a major way. I think he will be good next to Taylor - he certainly is 10x better in coverage than AA. This was the best guy we could've taken at 6, and IMHO the 3rd best player in the draft behind CJ and Joe Thomas.

The team that really stepped in it was the Cards with Levi Brown at 5.

[SkinsFreak]

Said Landry: "I just give 110 percent effort. I have a very great mind-set, an educated mind for the game. I'm a student of the game and I try to get other guys to match my intensity. I lead by example. I'm not really a talker. I lead by example and try to get other guys to get on the same page as me."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... eheadlines

"I think that's the best safety combination ever," Landry said.

"It wasn't a money issue," Landry said. "I just wanted to have a chance to play for national championship again and finish up senior season with my classmates. I had a lot of goals and things to accomplish.

"I just wanted to better myself as a student of the game."

Landry already knows something about playing in the NFL. His brother Dawan, was a fifth-round selection of the Baltimore Ravens last season. Dawan, from Georgia Tech, worked his way into the starting lineup at strong safety as a rookie.

"He told me to get in the playbook," LaRon said. "He told me to watch tape because physical ability is not everything. If you're not a student and don't know your playbook, your physical ability won't help at all.

"It's about the mindset of the game. He helped me a whole lot with that while I was in college."

Despite all that brotherly love and insight, LaRon again did not hesitate when asked who is the better player.

"I'm the best, I'm better than him," LaRon said, laughing. "I get that question a lot. We both have competitive backgrounds. If you ask him, he'd say he's the best. He still thinks he's faster than me, even though I ran a 4.35, and he ran a 4.6 at the combine."

http://www.timesdispatch.com/cva/ric/sp ... -0220.html

This is just the type of guy we need. He has all the intangibles. Everyone around him will benefit. I really like this guy's character and mindset. He brings so much and will work diligently to better himself, and everyone else. Can't say enough how happy I am to have him.

[jazzskins]

Youn never know. They might start Laundry. But lets have confidence in Joe Gibbs and stop being critical.

I hope his nick name doesn't become laundry....I hope he keeps the penalties to a minimum. We already have one Personal Foul machine in the secondary!

[SkinsJock]

...This is just the type of guy we need. He has all the intangibles. Everyone around him will benefit. I really like this guy's character and mindset. He brings so much and will work diligently to better himself, and everyone else. Can't say enough how happy I am to have him.

totally agree - we could have done a lot worse - it seemed that no teams really wanted to trade up that high - a lot of people obviously were very wrong in who the real evaluators (the teams) thought were worth trading for - we ended up with what looks like a future really good player who will make others around him better.




yes we still have some work to do but I am so glad we have not given any 2008 picks away

[SkinsJock]

...when you have only one pick that is likely to produce a starter in the whole draft you should go for need.

We do not know for sure how our coaches feel about the D lineman we have and may have felt that adding to the secondary with such a highly rated player was actually addressing a need.

I have to think that this pick was made based on how they felt about the younger players' progress and how our line was playing when healthy and especially Carter towards the end of the year - I am also sure the line will get some more "help" in the next few months.

These coaches know that having a great secondary in today's NFL means squat if you don't have a very good line - I think our LBs will be much improved this year and I'm sure that Williams and co will have a much better line than last year.

[Mursilis]

What this draft showed me once again is just how dumb it is to have let all those draft picks go in trades over the last couple of years. When you see somebody like Alan Branch falling to the second round, you realise that having picks available to you will allow so much more flexibiilty on draft day. We could have got two players on day one that could really help us, but we only ended up with one. Let's hope we find gold on day two.

Amen to that. Imagine Landry and a ticked-off (because he fell to the second round) Alan Branch in the same draft haul! Oh, well, maybe next year.

[Gnome]

I was hoping the Briggs trade went down so we ended up with two players on day 1 rather than one selection. That being said, Landry makes sense. As a four year starter on the best D in the best college conference, you're getting a legit NFL starter. The D-line in this years draft was thin. The ends picked in round one are tweeners - too big yo be linebackers, too small to fight in the NFC east trenches on a cold, grass field. How overrated was Branch? The fact that he was rated as top ten, and that a 19 year old kid was the first tackle drafted, shows that the D-line was thin this year. Great move by the FO to build long term rather than going for the quick fix and trying to force the D-Line issue. Landry, Taylor, Rogers, Smoot, will be starting caliber players on the roster for a long time to come, giving us stability in the secondary to build on. And with Golston, Rocky, and Montngomery being 2nd year players, we've now got a young group of core defensive players on the roster who can grow together. Hopefully the FO will find a gem in today's late round selections. Welcome LL to the Redskins!

[UK Skins Fan]

Is Landry going to play strong safety or free safety? Part of me hopes that they move Taylor to strong safety, but will that set his development back further?

[GoSkins]

To all the negative posters on Landry.

He is the fastest player in the draft (4.35 40). He never misses tackles. He is a phenomemal blitzer. He hits like Ronnie Lott. He never gets injured. He stayed at LSU for his senior year to be with his fellow seniors.

OK. Would you rather have an opposing offense deal just with the matchups on our DL or try to figure out those matchups PLUS where the bilitzes are coming from? It's a numbers game. The Skins now have more blitz packages. It's not necessariuly about beating your man; it's about finding those oppurtunities when you can blitz with little or no opposition. That will result in a lot more pressure. Let our DL stop the run and lock up the opposing OL on pass plays. Then let our blitzers loose.

Landry is a new weapon on our defense that will be utilized to the fullest extent possible.

Excellent pick!

[SkinsFreak]

Is Landry going to play strong safety or free safety? Part of me hopes that they move Taylor to strong safety, but will that set his development back further?

A couple of tidbits...

Taylor is the Redskins' starting free safety. Landry was a free safety at LSU, but the Redskins insist that in their defensive system the free safety and strong safety spots are interchangeable.

Taylor's play slipped in 2006 -- along with that of the entire defense -- and Gibbs hopes Landry's talent brings out the best in Taylor. "We need to get [Taylor] back to picking balls off," Gibbs said.

Taylor has faced a steep learning curve adjusting his coverage skills to the NFL, often sacrificing positioning for the big hit and making mistakes. Landry reportedly is more of a film-room fixture than Taylor, but all young safeties must make adjustments and the Redskins have needed a calming presence to play with Taylor in the past.

The Redskins' defensive backs were unimpressive last season as the defense slipped to 31st in the league. The team was beaten repeatedly for deep passes, intercepted only six passes and forced the fewest number of turnovers in league history. They yielded 54 passes of 20 yards or longer and have signed two free agent cornerbacks (Fred Smoot and David Macklin) this offseason.

I think the beauty of it is that both can play both positions, which gives us the advantage. Opposing teams won't know which of them might stay back in coverage and won't know where a blitz might come from. That plays in our favor.

Contrary to what some say around here, Taylor is excellent in pass coverage. Over the course of his college and early pro career, Taylor thrived in coverage. He's a ball hawk. He struggled last year because he was trying to be everywhere at once, due to an injured secondary.

Remember, half way through the season last year, everyone was screaming about our secondary, not the d-line. But the d-line has taken the heat, in the press I might add, not by the Skins. The coaches knew we had numerous injuries all over the place on D, and Williams had to move everyone back because our secondary was getting scorched on every other play. I specifically remember GW getting drilled in his press conferences about the secondary.

The media just looks at the one stat that showed a league low of only 19 sacks. What they failed to realize is that with the numerous injuries, the poor secondary play, and the FACT that GW dropped everyone into coverage, limited the amount of pass rushers to get those sacks.

But as of right now, nobody knows more about our current team than our coaches do. So I'll listen to them with regard to our d-line, not the ingnorant media.

[HardDawg]

Laron is a complete stud! Anyone that says different probably watches more episodes of the View than big time college football. This kid will go down as one of our best picks ever. And Sean Taylor will be even MORE dominant!

[brad7686]

Laron is a complete stud! Anyone that says different probably watches more episodes of the View than big time college football. This kid will go down as one of our best picks ever. And Sean Taylor will be even MORE dominant!

Nobody is saying he's not a good player, i mean he went 6 overall, but it was just unnecessary.

[GoSkins]

I disagree. It was necessary. Please refer to my earlier post. We now have improved our pass rushing capabilites in a very big way!

[UK Skins Fan]

Taylor is the Redskins' starting free safety. Landry was a free safety at LSU, but the Redskins insist that in their defensive system the free safety and strong safety spots are interchangeable.

I think it's true that the safety positions are far more interchangeable in today's NFL, and definitely in Williams' scheme. Hopefully, the only importance of the arbitrary naming of their positions will be to determine what positions they play in the Pro Bowl.

I've already said that I can't get excited by this pick right now, but if the coaching staff can find the right way to get Taylor and Landry to compliment each other in the defensive backfield, then I'll have plenty to get excited about when the games begin.