Laron Landry - Redskin for life?

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

I believe there are 4 relatively well-known safeties who will be free agents after this season is over. If I missed a player, I am sure someone here will add him to this list.

In alphabetical order:

Tanard Jackson
Laron Landry
Jim Leonhard
Gibril Wilson

There are lots of factors that go into a decision to sign a free agent to a long-term deal including age, injury history, injury status, "off-field issues", clubhouse leadership, and more.

Nevertheless, a prime factor has to be "on field competence". Translation: Can he play well?

So, is Laron Landry the best safety on that list of four simply in terms of his play on the field? I would suggest he is NOT. My order would be:

1. Leonhard
2. Wilson
3. Landry
4. Jackson

FWIW...

I don't personally feel that Jim Leonhard is a better safety than LaRon Landry, but the only list where Gibril Wilson is a better safety than Landry is one where we are purely guessing on the order. There are no actual football grounds for that evaluation.

[NC_Skins]

The guy still hasn't even had his surgery yet. No idea what the hell he's waiting on, but the longer he waits, the longer it is before he's back on the field.

[SFREDSKIN]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

The guy still hasn't even had his surgery yet. No idea what the hell he's waiting on, but the longer he waits, the longer it is before he's back on the field.

He's hoping that it magically goes away Maybe he's afraid of needles and doctors.

[The Goat]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

The guy still hasn't even had his surgery yet. No idea what the hell he's waiting on, but the longer he waits, the longer it is before he's back on the field.

Well...it's not really the first indication LL is totally serious about football, is it?

[The Goat]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

I don't personally feel that Jim Leonhard is a better safety than LaRon Landry, but the only list where Gibril Wilson is a better safety than Landry is one where we are purely guessing on the order. There are no actual football grounds for that evaluation.

Disagree. Both guys are more consistent tacklers from the games I've watched...we need consistent tackling and coverage at safety more than anything. Landry struggles (consistently) at both.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by The Goat

Disagree. Both guys are more consistent tacklers from the games I've watched...we need consistent tackling and coverage at safety more than anything. Landry struggles (consistently) at both.

You haven't watched Wilson play defense in the last two years because he essentially hasn't played it. Wilson has been cut by each of the last three teams he played for and went from prized FA signing when he left New York to purely a special teams player in Cincinnati this year. I mean, suggesting that Wilson might be a solution at safety is simply a product of being unaware of his career since 2007. He's essentially Reed Doughty at this point, though perhaps the better tackler of the two. Wilson though is a distant backup or third stringer on a team that starts journeyman Chris Crocker at safety.

Leonhard is a different issue entirely. He's run into bigger injury issues than Landry has the last two years, and is one of the centerpieces of an (athletically lacking) Jets secondary. I think you could at least honestly make a good argument for him being an upgrade on Landry, that's just not an opinion I share.

I actually like Tanard Jackson as a player, but his off the field baggage is a serious issue that may prevent him from ever getting a contract longer than one year.

I think Tyvon Branch is the best safety on the market. Landry is a close second.