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Landry to stat at free safety
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:30 pm
by yupchagee
http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=3798
News & Notes: Landry Stays At Free Safety
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
July 22, 2008
LaRon Landry will stay at the free safety position for the foreseeable future, defensive coordinator Greg Blache said this week.
The Redskins drafted Landry in the first round in 2007 with the intention of playing him at strong safety. With the tragic death of Sean Taylor last November, Landry shifted to free safety.
Landry finished with 97 tackles, third-best on the defense, and 1.5 sacks. He also had two fourth-quarter interceptions in the Redskins' playoff game at Seattle.
"I just think LaRon brings so much to the table for us at the free safety spot," Blache said. "He's such a force back there, being able to play from sideline to sideline. I like the ability he has back there.
"Until I come up with something better, then we're not fooling with it."
Blache kept his options open at free safety after the Redskins signed fifth-year veteran Stuart Schweigert in the offseason.
Schweigert, who started 42 games for the Oakland Raiders the last four years, has played mostly free safety in his career.
For now, Reed Doughty appears to have a hold on the strong safety position.
Blache praised Doughty's progression to a starter late last season.
"If you give someone an opportunity, the good ones are going to rise to it, and the so-so aren't," Blache said. "Reed is one of those guys who is going to rise to the challenge. When you first meet him, you see a serious individual. You see someone committed to football.
"He has that passion for the game. He has got the smarts. It's not like he's infallible and he never makes a mistake, but he doesn't make the same mistake twice. That's his trademark. And that's why he has gotten so much better."
Doughty remains a respected player in the locker room, especially after he entered the lineup for the late Taylor last December.
Doughty finished with 49 tackles and a half-sack in six starts last season.
Regarding Landry's development, Blache said: "LaRon is an improved player. He grew up at lot at the tail end of the season last year when he had to move back to free safety after we lost Sean. He got comfortable at free safety, and then he got confident in it. We've watched him continue to grow."
-- BUGEL ON THE O-LINE
Joe Bugel spoke with reporters at length on Tuesday about the state of his offensive line.
Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas are responding well to their increased workload in camp, he said.
Chris Samuels is participating mostly in individual drills in camp after having minor elbow surgery in late June.
Pete Kendall continues to be the backup center behind Casey Rabach, Bugel said. Young linemen Justin Geisinger and Andrew Crummey are also competing at backup center.
Jansen is another alternative as a backup center, but he is expected to remain at right tackle.
Bugel praised Rinehart and Stephon Heyer, saying they are having outstanding camps.
He joked that a year ago, Heyer would rarely take his shirt off because he didn't have a chiseled physique. After a year of working out at Redskins Park, Heyer is proud enough of his body that he was recently seen running shirt-less on the treadmill.
"He thinks he's Tarzan now," Bugel joked.
-- ONE PLAYER AWAY?
On Sunday morning, Fred Smoot believed the Redskins were one player away from being Super Bowl contenders.
On Sunday night, the Redskins got that player.
Smoot, of course, was sad to see Phillip Daniels go down with a season-ending knee injury. But he also feels newcomer Jason Taylor is an elite defensive end who improves the Redskins' defense.
"You look at teams and you always see teams that are one or two or three players away from being a contender," Smoot said. "I think we were one player away, and I think we got that player. Now it's up to us to put it in writing."
I TOLD YOU SO
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:31 pm
by Irn-Bru
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:21 pm
by DaRealistJoka
I don’t know if this is warrant for another thread but with Landry penciled in as the starting FS will there be a legitimate chance for Moore or Horton to compete with Reed for the starting SS spot? I like Reed and I believe he is a good player but I just see him as a great backup. I believe his ability is limited; he might be close to this full potential. Any information on Moore and Horton ability, can they eventually become starters?
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:12 am
by Cappster
I am glad that Landry is staying at FS. All you have to do is look at the playoff game last year and you can see that Landry can make a great impact at the FS position.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:23 am
by SkinsFreak
I have mixed feeling about this.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:29 am
by GSPODS
SkinsFreak wrote:I have mixed feeling about this.
Not much option.
Either Doughty gets scorched at FS
OR Landry gets numerous personal fouls at FS
Landry covers far more ground and scares far more people.
I doubt Blache is thrilled with his options.
But unless Sean Taylor comes back ...
The Redskins have no choice but to hope Landry will continue to play the position the way ST played the position.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:59 am
by Skinna Mob
Dont forget about Stuart Schweigert. He is a pretty solid football player. Better than...lets just say some of the past FA pickups at the safety spot.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:06 am
by yupchagee
DaRealistJoka wrote:I don’t know if this is warrant for another thread but with Landry penciled in as the starting FS will there be a legitimate chance for Moore or Horton to compete with Reed for the starting SS spot? I like Reed and I believe he is a good player but I just see him as a great backup. I believe his ability is limited; he might be close to this full potential. Any information on Moore and Horton ability, can they eventually become starters?
Moore had to sit out OTA's after surgery. I doubt if he can make much of a contribution this year. Horton has a rep as a hard hitter with limited cover ability.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:32 am
by HEROHAMO
This is a good position for him. The other kid we drafted could blitz nicely and play the run as well. Landry has all the tools which is why we need him at FS.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:41 am
by PulpExposure
Irn-Bru wrote::cry:
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:45 am
by SkinsFreak
yupchagee wrote:Horton has a rep as a hard hitter with limited cover ability.
Sounds like Doughty. That's why I have some mixed feelings. Undoubtedly, Landry is the best FS on the team. The best SS on the team is... Landry. If Stu is going to back-up Landry at FS, that leaves the teams 2nd best safety on the bench while Doughty, Horton and Moore compete for the SS position. Doughty may have improved and I haven't yet seen Horton or Moore play yet, but at this point, I don't know if I'm real confident in any of them. Don't get me wrong, I like Landry at FS and feel his talents warrant that position, it just leaves me a bit concerned about the SS position.
Chris Horton will be remembered as one of the biggest hitters in the Pac-10. Physicality helps define both Horton and Keyes as prospects. Few college receivers dared to cruise the middle of the field or battle for a jump ball with either player. When the receivers did brave the middle of the field, one of UCLA's two safeties was breaking up the pass or delivering a punishing hit. In his last two seasons, Horton sent seven opponents to the sideline for medical attention.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:32 pm
by Irn-Bru
PulpExposure wrote:Irn-Bru wrote::cry:
Sean Taylor. . .
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:00 pm
by PulpExposure
Irn-Bru wrote:PulpExposure wrote:Irn-Bru wrote::cry:
Sean Taylor. . .
Gotcha. Thought it was a comment about Landry's ability to play FS.
I miss Sean too, tremendously. Kinda wierd, since I never met the guy.
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:13 pm
by Fios
PulpExposure wrote:Irn-Bru wrote:PulpExposure wrote:Irn-Bru wrote::cry:
Sean Taylor. . .
Gotcha. Thought it was a comment about Landry's ability to play FS.
I miss Sean too, tremendously. Kinda weird, since I never met the guy.
I can honestly say the day after his death was one of the toughest days of my life, period, and easily the toughest as a sports fan. I suppose the former part of that statement is indicative of the fact that I have lived a relatively tragedy free life, which I have and for which I am thankful. But I was surprised by how deeply touched I was, and still am, by -- as you noted -- the death of a man I had never met.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:58 am
by fleetus
SkinsFreak wrote:yupchagee wrote:Horton has a rep as a hard hitter with limited cover ability.
Sounds like Doughty. That's why I have some mixed feelings. Undoubtedly, Landry is the best FS on the team. The best SS on the team is... Landry. If Stu is going to back-up Landry at FS, that leaves the teams 2nd best safety on the bench while Doughty, Horton and Moore compete for the SS position. Doughty may have improved and I haven't yet seen Horton or Moore play yet, but at this point, I don't know if I'm real confident in any of them. Don't get me wrong, I like Landry at FS and feel his talents warrant that position, it just leaves me a bit concerned about the SS position.
Chris Horton will be remembered as one of the biggest hitters in the Pac-10. Physicality helps define both Horton and Keyes as prospects. Few college receivers dared to cruise the middle of the field or battle for a jump ball with either player. When the receivers did brave the middle of the field, one of UCLA's two safeties was breaking up the pass or delivering a punishing hit. In his last two seasons, Horton sent seven opponents to the sideline for medical attention.
I still maintain what I stated a month ago, that this is a moot point. I think Blache will change the duties of the FS and SS from one play to the next. This will probably mean Schweigert and Doughty will both see extensive playing time. Plus, Schweigert is new to the team, so Blache is not going to simply anoint him the starter, sight unseen. Doughty has history here, so it is best to simply start camp with the same lineup we finished the season with. Now it will be up to Schweigert to out play Doughty during camp.
Another factor will be how Landry plays his best. Personally, I think he could be more dangerous as SS, especially on the plays where Jason Taylor is line up at LDE. It would make me feel better knowing Landry is not far behind him to fill the box against the run, pick up the TE on a route or blitz in behind JT. In this scenario, you gotta think Schweigert would be the better FS than Doughty, but only camp will tell.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:10 pm
by VetSkinsFan
SkinsFreak wrote:yupchagee wrote:Horton has a rep as a hard hitter with limited cover ability.
Sounds like Doughty. That's why I have some mixed feelings. Undoubtedly, Landry is the best FS on the team. The best SS on the team is... Landry. If Stu is going to back-up Landry at FS, that leaves the teams 2nd best safety on the bench while Doughty, Horton and Moore compete for the SS position. Doughty may have improved and I haven't yet seen Horton or Moore play yet, but at this point, I don't know if I'm real confident in any of them. Don't get me wrong, I like Landry at FS and feel his talents warrant that position, it just leaves me a bit concerned about the SS position.
Chris Horton will be remembered as one of the biggest hitters in the Pac-10. Physicality helps define both Horton and Keyes as prospects. Few college receivers dared to cruise the middle of the field or battle for a jump ball with either player. When the receivers did brave the middle of the field, one of UCLA's two safeties was breaking up the pass or delivering a punishing hit. In his last two seasons, Horton sent seven opponents to the sideline for medical attention.
Hasn't been a down played even in pre-season, and already "don't know" about players we've never seen in the scheme. Reed's from a small school; the starting experience PLUS a good off-season could turn him around (possibly). Without a solid reason to be negative, why not be positive?
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:19 pm
by yupchagee
VetSkinsFan wrote:SkinsFreak wrote:yupchagee wrote:Horton has a rep as a hard hitter with limited cover ability.
Sounds like Doughty. That's why I have some mixed feelings. Undoubtedly, Landry is the best FS on the team. The best SS on the team is... Landry. If Stu is going to back-up Landry at FS, that leaves the teams 2nd best safety on the bench while Doughty, Horton and Moore compete for the SS position. Doughty may have improved and I haven't yet seen Horton or Moore play yet, but at this point, I don't know if I'm real confident in any of them. Don't get me wrong, I like Landry at FS and feel his talents warrant that position, it just leaves me a bit concerned about the SS position.
Chris Horton will be remembered as one of the biggest hitters in the Pac-10. Physicality helps define both Horton and Keyes as prospects. Few college receivers dared to cruise the middle of the field or battle for a jump ball with either player. When the receivers did brave the middle of the field, one of UCLA's two safeties was breaking up the pass or delivering a punishing hit. In his last two seasons, Horton sent seven opponents to the sideline for medical attention.
Hasn't been a down played even in pre-season, and already "don't know" about players we've never seen in the scheme. Reed's from a small school; the starting experience PLUS a good off-season could turn him around (possibly). Without a solid reason to be negative, why not be positive?
Remember
ey already identified him as a player to watch this year. He said the same thing about Rocky last year.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:19 pm
by SkinsFreak
VetSkinsFan wrote: Hasn't been a down played even in pre-season, and already "don't know" about players we've never seen in the scheme. Reed's from a small school; the starting experience PLUS a good off-season could turn him around (possibly). Without a solid reason to be negative, why not be positive?
I said I have mixed feelings and am a bit concerned. That's not being negative, I didn't bash anyone. In fact, I said "Doughty
may have improved and we haven't seen Moore or Horton yet." So yes, without seeing ANY of these guys play yet, including an alleged "improved" Doughty, is reason enough for me to have some concerns. I hope my concerns are unwarranted, but we'll see.
It's all speculation at this point and only time will tell... right???
Prior to free agency and the draft, the coaches spoke of the safety position as being a position of need. This team drafted two safeties and also brought in a handful of free agents. That doesn't tell me they had overwhelming confidence in players they already had.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:24 pm
by yupchagee
SkinsFreak wrote:VetSkinsFan wrote: Hasn't been a down played even in pre-season, and already "don't know" about players we've never seen in the scheme. Reed's from a small school; the starting experience PLUS a good off-season could turn him around (possibly). Without a solid reason to be negative, why not be positive?
I said I have mixed feelings and am a bit concerned. That's not being negative, I didn't bash anyone. In fact, I said "Doughty
may have improved and we haven't seen Moore or Horton yet." So yes, without seeing ANY of these guys play yet, including an alleged "improved" Doughty, is reason enough for me to have some concerns. I hope my concerns are unwarranted, but we'll see.
It's all speculation at this point and only time will tell... right???
Prior to free agency and the draft, the coaches spoke of the safety position as being a position of need. This team drafted two safeties and also brought in a handful of free agents. That doesn't tell me they had overwhelming confidence in players they already had.
The picks were 6th & 7th rnd. The others were rookie or street FA's. They were looking for depth, not starters.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:36 pm
by SkinsFreak
yupchagee wrote:The picks were 6th & 7th rnd. The others were rookie or street FA's. They were looking for depth, not starters.
Stuart Schweigert is not a back-up player and none of us have any idea what their intentions are.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:57 pm
by yupchagee
SkinsFreak wrote:yupchagee wrote:The picks were 6th & 7th rnd. The others were rookie or street FA's. They were looking for depth, not starters.
Stuart Schweigert is not a back-up player and none of us have any idea what their intentions are.
True, I'm not a mind reader, but if you are looking for someone to start right away, you don't wait till the 6th round & then look at street free agents, we would have gone after 1 of the top free agent safeties or drafted 1 earlier.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:01 pm
by GSPODS
yupchagee wrote:SkinsFreak wrote:yupchagee wrote:The picks were 6th & 7th rnd. The others were rookie or street FA's. They were looking for depth, not starters.
Stuart Schweigert is not a back-up player and none of us have any idea what their intentions are.
True, I'm not a mind reader, but if you are looking for someone to start right away, you don't wait till the 6th round & then look at street free agents, we would have gone after 1 of the top free agent safeties or drafted 1 earlier.
According to Vinny Cerrato, it doesn't matter what position you're looking for, you take the best player on the board, regardless of position. I'd like to have challenged that logic. Vinny's not convincing me the Redskins would have drafted ten wide receivers, regardless of their draft board rankings.
I guess what I'm getting at is that we can't tell anything from when these players were drafted.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:07 pm
by yupchagee
GSPODS wrote:yupchagee wrote:SkinsFreak wrote:yupchagee wrote:The picks were 6th & 7th rnd. The others were rookie or street FA's. They were looking for depth, not starters.
Stuart Schweigert is not a back-up player and none of us have any idea what their intentions are.
True, I'm not a mind reader, but if you are looking for someone to start right away, you don't wait till the 6th round & then look at street free agents, we would have gone after 1 of the top free agent safeties or drafted 1 earlier.
According to Vinny Cerrato, it doesn't matter what position you're looking for, you take the best player on the board, regardless of position. I'd like to have challenged that logic. Vinny's not convincing me the Redskins would have drafted ten wide receivers, regardless of their draft board rankings.
I guess what I'm getting at is that we can't tell anything from when these players were drafted.
We also made no effort to sign a FA safety early on. I think the concern was that we only had 3 safeties on roster before the draft.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:13 pm
by yupchagee
GSPODS wrote:yupchagee wrote:SkinsFreak wrote:yupchagee wrote:The picks were 6th & 7th rnd. The others were rookie or street FA's. They were looking for depth, not starters.
Stuart Schweigert is not a back-up player and none of us have any idea what their intentions are.
True, I'm not a mind reader, but if you are looking for someone to start right away, you don't wait till the 6th round & then look at street free agents, we would have gone after 1 of the top free agent safeties or drafted 1 earlier.
According to Vinny Cerrato, it doesn't matter what position you're looking for, you take the best player on the board, regardless of position. I'd like to have challenged that logic. Vinny's not convincing me the Redskins would have drafted ten wide receivers, regardless of their draft board rankings.
I guess what I'm getting at is that we can't tell anything from when these players were drafted.
We also made no effort to sign a FA safety early on. I think the concern was that we only had 3 safeties on roster before the draft.
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:27 pm
by SkinsFreak
yupchagee wrote:SkinsFreak wrote:yupchagee wrote:The picks were 6th & 7th rnd. The others were rookie or street FA's. They were looking for depth, not starters.
Stuart Schweigert is not a back-up player and none of us have any idea what their intentions are.
True, I'm not a mind reader, but if you are looking for someone to start right away, you don't wait till the 6th round & then look at street free agents, we would have gone after 1 of the top free agent safeties or drafted 1 earlier.
The Skins signed Schweigert on June 2nd, long after the draft and after they had already signed a handful of free agents at that position.
Listen, I know you are a big fan of Doughty. I like the guy too. Just because they didn't draft a safety in the high rounds doesn't mean it wasn't a position of need. They just had other needs, but they still drafted two.
For now, I think there's a very good chance Doughty will be the starter, that's not the issue, with me at least. I'm simply not sold on him as a starting caliber safety. And it's my opinion, based on the number of safeties brought in this offseason, I don't think the coaches are sold either. That's my opinion, you don't have to agree with it. But other than a few nice tackles on a few running plays, Doughty has yet to show anything worthy of being a starter. I recorded games and I've seen him, numerous times, flat out burned on passing routes. That concerns me.
I hope he's improved and I hope I'm wrong. I really do. And we all know
ey made a comment about him. But until anyone other than a teammate, including you, actually witnesses some kind of improvement on the field, some will have concerns, and those concerns are legit.
