LaRon Landry

[Fios]

This is from an e-mail a friend of mine sent me:

I'm at LA Fitness, on a diet and lifting weights. Laron Landry has a membership there and he works out there a lot. That dude is big. Every now and then he jumps on the court and that's when I jump off because he plays like he's trying to truck (run over) whomever's guarding him. A nice guy but a bit aggressive. I guess if I was an NFL safety I'd have the same mentality.

Gotta love that mean streak

[Skinna Mob]

Good stuff FIOS...like you said gotta LOVE it!!

[GSPODS]

If I were large enough, I'd probably get in Landry's face about playing pickup games. Maybe he should have a chat with LaPhonso Ellis about the dangers of pickup basketball to a career.

Definitely have to love his attitude, though. Nobody ever succeeded at much of anything without the drive to be the best.

[gay4pacman]

i dont like that he is playing pickup, especially so aggressively, i hope he is careful because he is someone we can not lose to injury!

[CanesSkins26]

A stupid thing to be doing. No need to risk injury by playing in a meaningless pickup game. Landry is a talented guy but he has some maturing left to do.

[Fios]

OK, folks, this is from an e-mail for which you have no context outside of the snippet I posted. I have no idea what these games entail, whether the Redskins know about them, etc. I just liked the part about his attitude, this isn't mean to become a thread to bash the guy on a topic that we don't know much about.

[Countertrey]

i dont like that he is playing pickup, especially so aggressively, i hope he is careful because he is someone we can not lose to injury!

When did THN open it's Risk Management department???

Wow! This site must be huge!

[GSPODS]

OK, folks, this is from an e-mail for which you have no context outside of the snippet I posted. I have no idea what these games entail, whether the Redskins know about them, etc. I just liked the part about his attitude, this isn't mean to become a thread to bash the guy on a topic that we don't know much about.

Nobody's bashing LaRon Landry here. We love this guy, and wish we had two of him on the Redskins team. We just don't want to see anything happen to the guy, on or off the football field.

[Fios]

1) Calling it a "stupid thing to do" qualifies as bashing (not you, but it was said)

2) Of course we ALL want him to stay healthy, that isn't unique

3) I have played in hundreds of pick-up basketball games, probably over 1,000 at this point in my life. I've played in easy games and I've played in rough games. I've been hit, pushed, knocked down, run over and I've dished out my fair share of that. NEVER, not once, in any game, have I seen an injury that required medical attention. Is Basketball a contact sport? No doubt, but it can be played safely. LaRon puts himself in more danger by driving around but I doubt that if someone posted that they'd seen him driving around, we'd see the public hand wringing.
Let's have some perspective here and not become a nanny state.

[NC43Hog]

I have played in hundreds of pick-up basketball games, probably over 1,000 at this point in my life. I've played in easy games and I've played in rough games. I've been hit, pushed, knocked down, run over and I've dished out my fair share of that. NEVER, not once, in any game, have I seen an injury that required medical attention.

Obviously we go to different gyms.

I alone have had stitches, and a torn hammy from doing a split on wet floor - I can't do a split by the way!!!

My experience is people who can't play straight up D, just foul the crap out of you and with no refs what the hey!!.

Hope he stays safe, but B-ball is definitely a contact sport.

[KazooSkinsFan]

Nobody's bashing LaRon Landry here

Speak for yourself. My God, we have to get rid of this guy before people find out what a nut job he is! What's going to go wrong first? He's going to injure himself? Injure someone else and get sued or arrested for assault? Man. Darn. And what a lunatic, is he going to attack someone on the field?

We need to find out NOW if someone's still willing to give us something or cut him quick before our season is ruined!?! This is HORRIBLE, up until now we were having such a great off-season and now we find out our best young player is a lunatic waiting to go off! I'm going to be hiding under the bed if anyone's looking for me. But thank you so much Fios for clueing us in now about this nut job!

[GSPODS]

Sarcasm Detected ^^^^^

[CanesSkins26]

3) I have played in hundreds of pick-up basketball games, probably over 1,000 at this point in my life. I've played in easy games and I've played in rough games. I've been hit, pushed, knocked down, run over and I've dished out my fair share of that. NEVER, not once, in any game, have I seen an injury that required medical attention. Is Basketball a contact sport? No doubt, but it can be played safely. LaRon puts himself in more danger by driving around but I doubt that if someone posted that they'd seen him driving around, we'd see the public hand wringing.
Let's have some perspective here and not become a nanny state.

When you were playing in pickup games did you have a contract with your employer that prohibited you from doing so? Landry most likely does. NFL contracts contain provisions prohibiting players from engaging in "dangerous activities" during the offseason and these activities can include basketball.

Aaron Boone blew out his knee playing a pickup basketball game and had to repay a large portion of his $5 million salary because he violated his contract with the Yankees.

But even beyond the contract, there is no reason for Landry to be risking his health just to play in a basketball game. The Redskins are paying him millions of dollars to play football and putting his ability to play on the line isn't a very responsible thing to do.

And as for not seeing injuries, I guess I've just had different experiences than you. I've been to the hospital three times because of injuries I've gotten playing basketball (once in an ambulance) and a friend of mine tore his acl playing in one of our games.

[LOSTHOG]

I'm sure all these guys do a variety of activities. Call it cross training or any other catch phrase that is out there today. I would rather him be playing basketball in a gym than trying to do motorcycle tricks in the parking lot. He's young, full of energy, and finding a way to burn some of it off without getting into trouble. I applaud him. I tore a hammy doing squats, so even weightlifting can cause injuries.

[Fios]

I have played in hundreds of pick-up basketball games, probably over 1,000 at this point in my life. I've played in easy games and I've played in rough games. I've been hit, pushed, knocked down, run over and I've dished out my fair share of that. NEVER, not once, in any game, have I seen an injury that required medical attention.

Obviously we go to different gyms.

I alone have had stitches, and a torn hammy from doing a split on wet floor - I can't do a split by the way!!!

My experience is people who can't play straight up D, just foul the crap out of you and with no refs what the hey!!.

Hope he stays safe, but B-ball is definitely a contact sport.

I've played lots of games with guys whose only recourse is to hold and push and generally play like a word I can't use in this forum. Oddly enough, I've actually gotten in arguments with people who don't see basketball as a contact sport. My point here is that people can, and do -- much more frequently than do not -- play without getting hurt. And, dudes who hack can't hang in a game with a professional athlete, I'd have to imagine the quality of player on the floor with him is pretty good.

To the points about his contract stipulation, again, he may be doing this with the Redskins blessing. And for every isolated incident of player X screwing up his season with an off-season injury, there are thousands and thousands more cases where that didn't happen.

[VetSkinsFan]

Jesus, people, he's a professional athlete. He's probably 10x mroe durable than 99% of the people on this site. If the man wants to play basketball, then he can play basketball. If basketball's that dangerous, why do we let our kids play it?.......

[PulpExposure]

Let's have some perspective here and not become a nanny state.

Way too late for that.

Jesus, people, he's a professional athlete. He's probably 10x mroe durable than 99% of the people on this site.

Just because he's a professional athlete doesn't mean he's durable.

My god, my man, you forgot about Kelvin Bryant already?

[yupchagee]

If I were large enough, I'd probably get in Landry's face about playing pickup games. Maybe he should have a chat with LaPhonso Ellis about the dangers of pickup basketball to a career.

Definitely have to love his attitude, though. Nobody ever succeeded at much of anything without the drive to be the best.

Exactly what SHOULD he be doing in the offseason to stay in shape? Dancercise?

[GSPODS]

If I were large enough, I'd probably get in Landry's face about playing pickup games. Maybe he should have a chat with LaPhonso Ellis about the dangers of pickup basketball to a career.

Definitely have to love his attitude, though. Nobody ever succeeded at much of anything without the drive to be the best.

Exactly what SHOULD he be doing in the offseason to stay in shape? Dancercise?

There's always going to be some jerk who wants to take out a big name player in a pickup game, even if it means doing something dirty. I'm not faulting Landry. But I was playing in the pickup game that ended LaPhonso Ellis' career, and he was a professional basketball player. Some big, dumbass Croatian decided to cut his legs out from under him on a dunk and that was it. No career is worth some idiot in a pickup game.

[CanesSkins26]

If I were large enough, I'd probably get in Landry's face about playing pickup games. Maybe he should have a chat with LaPhonso Ellis about the dangers of pickup basketball to a career.

Definitely have to love his attitude, though. Nobody ever succeeded at much of anything without the drive to be the best.

Exactly what SHOULD he be doing in the offseason to stay in shape? Dancercise?

Um, there are plenty of ways to stay in shape that don't involve playing basketball. Some NFL contracts prohibit players from doing things such as basketball so NFL teams obviously aren't too keen on the idea.

[Irn-Bru]

No offense, but you should have known this was coming, Fios.

I agree: I love Landry's attitude.

[skinsfan#33]

I have played in hundreds of pick-up basketball games, probably over 1,000 at this point in my life. I've played in easy games and I've played in rough games. I've been hit, pushed, knocked down, run over and I've dished out my fair share of that. NEVER, not once, in any game, have I seen an injury that required medical attention.

Obviously we go to different gyms.

I alone have had stitches, and a torn hammy from doing a split on wet floor - I can't do a split by the way!!!

My experience is people who can't play straight up D, just foul the crap out of you and with no refs what the hey!!.

Hope he stays safe, but B-ball is definitely a contact sport.

I've played lots of games with guys whose only recourse is to hold and push and generally play like a word I can't use in this forum. Oddly enough, I've actually gotten in arguments with people who don't see basketball as a contact sport. My point here is that people can, and do -- much more frequently than do not -- play without getting hurt. And, dudes who hack can't hang in a game with a professional athlete, I'd have to imagine the quality of player on the floor with him is pretty good.

To the points about his contract stipulation, again, he may be doing this with the Redskins blessing. And for every isolated incident of player X screwing up his season with an off-season injury, there are thousands and thousands more cases where that didn't happen.

Fios,
I'm with you on almost everything you said, except the part where you infer that injuries in basketball are not common.

The US Navy loses more manhours to basketbal related injuries the any other sports injury by far. On many bases basketball results in as much lost time as all of the other sports combined.

However, these are agressive, but out of shape, Sailors playing basketball and the chances for Landry getting injurred are not as good because of his conditioning. I still don't think it is a good idea, but mostly because it is "pick-up". You get some chuckle-head that is trying to prove he can hang with Landry and the next thing you know, there goes Landry's knee!

Hey if Lnadry wants to play with his team mates or a bunch of friends, no problem, but Joe Schmoe will get you hurt.

Still love the agressiveness.

[KazooSkinsFan]

No offense, but you should have known this was coming, Fios.

I agree: I love Landry's attitude.

You love the attitude of a selfish, overpaid athlete who puts his own personal well being over his health and safety in total disregard of his teammates in order to beat up on a bunch of fat balding middle aged men? What sort of sick, self centered, shallow kind of person would a professional athlete need to be to so badly win a game of "pick up" basketball? I'm appalled I tell you, appalled.

Hmm, on second thought I love it too, never mind.

[Fios]

I have played in hundreds of pick-up basketball games, probably over 1,000 at this point in my life. I've played in easy games and I've played in rough games. I've been hit, pushed, knocked down, run over and I've dished out my fair share of that. NEVER, not once, in any game, have I seen an injury that required medical attention.

Obviously we go to different gyms.

I alone have had stitches, and a torn hammy from doing a split on wet floor - I can't do a split by the way!!!

My experience is people who can't play straight up D, just foul the crap out of you and with no refs what the hey!!.

Hope he stays safe, but B-ball is definitely a contact sport.

I've played lots of games with guys whose only recourse is to hold and push and generally play like a word I can't use in this forum. Oddly enough, I've actually gotten in arguments with people who don't see basketball as a contact sport. My point here is that people can, and do -- much more frequently than do not -- play without getting hurt. And, dudes who hack can't hang in a game with a professional athlete, I'd have to imagine the quality of player on the floor with him is pretty good.

To the points about his contract stipulation, again, he may be doing this with the Redskins blessing. And for every isolated incident of player X screwing up his season with an off-season injury, there are thousands and thousands more cases where that didn't happen.

Fios,
I'm with you on almost everything you said, except the part where you infer that injuries in basketball are not common.

The US Navy loses more manhours to basketbal related injuries the any other sports injury by far. On many bases basketball results in as much lost time as all of the other sports combined.

However, these are agressive, but out of shape, Sailors playing basketball and the chances for Landry getting injurred are not as good because of his conditioning. I still don't think it is a good idea, but mostly because it is "pick-up". You get some chuckle-head that is trying to prove he can hang with Landry and the next thing you know, there goes Landry's knee!

Hey if Lnadry wants to play with his team mates or a bunch of friends, no problem, but Joe Schmoe will get you hurt.

Still love the agressiveness.

1) I said in my experience, people have not been injured not that injuries do not occur in basketball games
2) That being said, injuries still aren't "common" ... more injuries among Navy sailors than in other pickup sports does not equal common. Note, I am not saying he should play with no regard for himself, I am saying literally thousands of games get played on a daily basis and the majority of the time, the participants walk away healthy.

[Fios]

No offense, but you should have known this was coming, Fios.

I agree: I love Landry's attitude.

None taken, I considered both not posting it or posting with a caveat because I was fairly certain of this reaction. C'est la vie. But it's too good a story to be left untold.