Laron Landry = Lavar?

[Sonny9TD]

Originally Posted by freddyg12

As someone mentioned earlier, the expectation is greater of LL. I agree w/that & that makes sense since each player has his a different contract & thus different level of investment from the team.

I'm not just complaining about LL per se as much as I am questioning his overall value & impact. If all we do is say, this guy (e.g. Landry) is better than that guy (e.g. Barnes), there's not much interesting to debate. I'm posing the question as to whether LL is affecting the unit's chemistry. I don't know, but take a look at our results since his return.

Not that I know everything but good point.

[sportscurmudgeon]

I do not think Landry and Arrington are similar at all.

Both are excellent natural athletes and both play defense. I think the similarity ends there.

Arrington was a guy who could play the defense called - - but often would not play the defense called. He chose to "free-lance" and that sometimes got him in the wrong place giving up a big play. The coaches - - most specifically Gregg Williams - - disliked that refusal on Arrington's part to be part of a team defense and that caused the rift that sent Arrington out of town.

Landry is different. Landry does not "free-lance". Landry simply has only one tool in his tool box. Remember the old saying:

When holding a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Landry can only deliver a huge bone-rattling hit to an offensive player - - if in fact he can get to that player before the whistle or before that player crosses the goal line with the ball in hand. He cannot cover any NFL caliber WR or TE; it is not that he chooses to do something else; he cannot do that. We have seen his inability to do that on the field for almost five years and it is not getting any better.

Landry ought not be compared to Arrington. And most certainly, his name should never be in the same discussion with Troy Polamalu's. Polamalu can deliver big hits but Polamalu can also cover, defend passes and intercept passes.

Landry is going to expect a payday at the end of this season that is commensurate with what the Redskins pay for players who are recognized in the NFL. Translation:

He is gonna want guaranteed money and not just a little of it.

The personnel decision(s) surrounding the retention or the jettisoning of Laron Landry in the next offseason by Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan will be very important in terms of the things they need to do to revamp the team for next year and the year after that.

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

I do not think Landry and Arrington are similar at all.

Both are excellent natural athletes and both play defense. I think the similarity ends there.

Arrington was a guy who could play the defense called - - but often would not play the defense called. He chose to "free-lance" and that sometimes got him in the wrong place giving up a big play. The coaches - - most specifically Gregg Williams - - disliked that refusal on Arrington's part to be part of a team defense and that caused the rift that sent Arrington out of town.

Landry is different. Landry does not "free-lance". Landry simply has only one tool in his tool box. Remember the old saying:

When holding a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Landry can only deliver a huge bone-rattling hit to an offensive player - - if in fact he can get to that player before the whistle or before that player crosses the goal line with the ball in hand. He cannot cover any NFL caliber WR or TE; it is not that he chooses to do something else; he cannot do that. We have seen his inability to do that on the field for almost five years and it is not getting any better.

Landry ought not be compared to Arrington. And most certainly, his name should never be in the same discussion with Troy Polamalu's. Polamalu can deliver big hits but Polamalu can also cover, defend passes and intercept passes.

Landry is going to expect a payday at the end of this season that is commensurate with what the Redskins pay for players who are recognized in the NFL. Translation:

He is gonna want guaranteed money and not just a little of it.

The personnel decision(s) surrounding the retention or the jettisoning of Laron Landry in the next offseason by Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan will be very important in terms of the things they need to do to revamp the team for next year and the year after that.

Yup. Well said.

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

I do not think Landry and Arrington are similar at all.

Both are excellent natural athletes and both play defense. I think the similarity ends there.

Arrington was a guy who could play the defense called - - but often would not play the defense called. He chose to "free-lance" and that sometimes got him in the wrong place giving up a big play. The coaches - - most specifically Gregg Williams - - disliked that refusal on Arrington's part to be part of a team defense and that caused the rift that sent Arrington out of town.

Landry is different. Landry does not "free-lance". Landry simply has only one tool in his tool box. Remember the old saying:

When holding a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Landry can only deliver a huge bone-rattling hit to an offensive player - - if in fact he can get to that player before the whistle or before that player crosses the goal line with the ball in hand. He cannot cover any NFL caliber WR or TE; it is not that he chooses to do something else; he cannot do that. We have seen his inability to do that on the field for almost five years and it is not getting any better.

Landry ought not be compared to Arrington. And most certainly, his name should never be in the same discussion with Troy Polamalu's. Polamalu can deliver big hits but Polamalu can also cover, defend passes and intercept passes.

Landry is going to expect a payday at the end of this season that is commensurate with what the Redskins pay for players who are recognized in the NFL. Translation:

He is gonna want guaranteed money and not just a little of it.

The personnel decision(s) surrounding the retention or the jettisoning of Laron Landry in the next offseason by Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan will be very important in terms of the things they need to do to revamp the team for next year and the year after that.

Your assumption is that LL is not "free-lancing." I don't know whether he is or not, but in creating the thread I was at least posing that question, so thanks for a thoughtful reply.

It may be a fine line between "free-lancing" and simply consistently misreading plays. Lavar would bite hard on every play fake it seemed, was that free lancing or simply a consistent failure to see the ball & read the play? That may be what Fletch was upset about.

Another similarity; Lavar couldn't shed blocks. LL takes on blockers like they have the ball sometimes, puts his body into them w/a hit, basically takes himself out of the play.

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by freddyg12

Your assumption is that LL is not "free-lancing." I don't know whether he is or not, but in creating the thread I was at least posing that question, so thanks for a thoughtful reply.

It may be a fine line between "free-lancing" and simply consistently misreading plays. Lavar would bite hard on every play fake it seemed, was that free lancing or simply a consistent failure to see the ball & read the play? That may be what Fletch was upset about.

Another similarity; Lavar couldn't shed blocks. LL takes on blockers like they have the ball sometimes, puts his body into them w/a hit, basically takes himself out of the play.

Obviously, I cannot read Laron Landry's mind so I do not KNOW he is not freelancing. However, what I see from him is that he approaches developing plays in a single way. He runs headlong at the point of attack and when he arrives he tries to deliver a huge hit. That is what he does. And it is that singular intent that often gets him "beat deep". That is not a value judgement on Laron Landry as a person; it is just a conclusion drawn from what I have seen on the field for almost five years now.

Given the similarity of his play on the vast majority of offensive plays, I conclude that is not "freelancing"; it is the way he plays.

Arrington was easy to "diagnose" with freelancing. LaVar said that is how he preferred to play and felt "constrained" by the coaches when they got angry with him for playing like that.

[NC_Skins]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Landry is going to expect a payday at the end of this season that is commensurate with what the Redskins pay for players who are recognized in the NFL. Translation:

He is gonna want guaranteed money and not just a little of it.

I don't see how he has any leverage. What accolades does he have to back up any type of big money salary demands?