The Redskins spent top-10 draft picks on All-America safeties Sean Taylor and LaRon Landry in a span of four Aprils, selecting Taylor fifth overall out of Miami in 2004 and Landry sixth overall out of LSU in 2007.
Taylor already had carved out his spot among the NFL’s elite, earning a Pro Bowl berth in 2006, and the Redskins expected Landry to join him in Hawaii soon. Landry started alongside Taylor on opening day in 2007.
“There was a lot of hype when I got here,” Landry said, “and we bought in. We knew we could be the best ever – and we were looking forward to it. It was up to us. We were so much on the same page and so much the same type of player that we could have done anything. Anything.” But the dream tandem lasted only nine weeks.
Taylor suffered a sprained knee in the ninth game of the season against Philadelphia that knocked him from the lineup. Less than three weeks later, Taylor was fatally shot in Miami in a home invasion.
Landry is now teamed with Reed Doughty – a safety pairing the Cowboys will see Sunday when the Redskins visit Texas Stadium. Fate deprived Landry of the chance to play with someone he idolized. “I grew up with two role models – Ronnie Lott and Sean,” Landry said. “I watched Ronnie as a kid.
When I watch tape of the Skins defense, I am amazed at Landry’s play. He has great range and plays the game with incredible toughness. He is all over the field and has the instincts to anticipate the throw. He is best when he is coming on the blitz. When the Skins put him in the box, he plays the game like a linebacker.
What people forget about Ronnie Lott was his ability to play corner and the athletic skills he possessed. Lott was a rare one-of-a-kind player and although Landry does not have Lott’s man-to-man skills, he does play with the same type of physical intensity.
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