ALL HAIL DIRTY 30!!!

Aside from Aaron Rodgers being beaten to pulp yesterday, he looked good.  But, Donovan McNabb should be given props for sticking to it and pulling out an ugly win against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. I am not happy with him having to throw the ball 49 times, but if I want someone to throw the ball that much, he is one of very few I would trust. But I want to talk about a player who everyone had something negative to say about last year. I heard people call him worthless and a waste. Some comments walked a fine line of criticism and racism. Those I wont acknowledge in my space. But I am one of very few who knew that LaRon Landry was being played out of position for the past 3 years and always said, move him back to Strong Safety and let’s see what happens. Um, are you seeing what’s happening? Landry is tops in the league for tackles. So much for him taking bad angles and/or being a poor tackler.

Sean Taylor, for one season, had to play Strong Safety and looked like a fish out of water. You are closer to the line to the line and lot of things happen so fast that you can’t really react the way that you’d like. That is, if you have never played that close to the line before. The next season, although shortened by his untimely death, was arguably the best of his career. Why? He was moved back the position that he is best at playing, Free Safety. Now we can utilize his intelligence, range and speed. All of which are his strengths. Enter LaRon Landry, STRONG SAFETY!!! It is true that Landry has all of the physical tools to play Free Safety. But if you have ever listened to this man in an interview, he couldn’t care less about an interception. Landry wants to hit. Find ways to utilize is talents. Thank goodness for Jim Haslett, otherwise Landry would have probably gotten away from us in Free Agency or a trade and that would have gone down as one of the top 5 Boneheaded moves in NFL history.

Where are all of the people who claimed that Landry was a bust? Where are all of the people who said that Landry was worthless? Where all of the people who claimed that Landry was a bad tackler? Show your faces and claim your madness. Landry through Week 3 of this season was Top 5 in tackles. Through two weeks of football he led the league in tackles. Am I a genius or is it that I pay attention to details. In one of my earlier posts I had a player spotlight on LaRon Landry go read it here (Player Spotlight: LaRon Landry). This was from last season. And just so you know, I wrote that blog on December 10, 2009. Tell me what you think about that article. But I digress. Landry currently has 52 tackles after five games, which currently ranks him #2. No, that is not a typo people!! And Landry came up with a timely Interception to give the Redskins a chance to win against the Green Bay Packers. This brings me to a point that I stressed last season and I will continue to stress until I am blue in the face. Good Defensive Backs don’t grow on trees. You’d better have a staff in place that knows how to coach them up or you can have a stud and not know what to do with them.  I mean Charles Woodson got away Oakland and looks fantastic playing for the Packers.  Same player, different coaching staff, different results.

People are still going to have a problem with Landry, but stats don't lie.  The man is a beast.  He's always been a beast and soon enough he'll be a Pro Bowler.  If he keeps playing the way that he has this season, it will be this year.  I really don't like acknowledging stupid comments, but when those comments are as harsh as what I heard about Landry, it is very hard to ignore.  Most of the people who made those comments never played organized sports let alone football, at a high level so I should have just taken it with a grain of salt.  I hope now people will pay more attention to deails as it relates to the ins and outs of football.  But, I guess that 's a pipedream, huh?  In any event, LaRon Landry is making a case for himself to be considered the best Safety in the NFL.  I am sure Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu will have something to say about that, but they will be the only two.  Hey if Landry is considered third that's not bad considering there are 64 starting Safties in the league.  That would make Landry pretty good.