TenandSix:Unacceptable
04-19-2007, 07:44 PM
My first question is, would you trade the six pick in the draft for Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed? Because those are the types of comparisons Landry is drawing:
"The total package and a great all-around football player who will remind some of Ed Reed." -Scott Wright, NFLcountdown.com
"He'll be better than Roy Williams, no question" - Mel Kiper, ESPN
Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins -- three of the best playmakers in the NFL who all happen to be safeties. Based on his career with the Tigers, Landry is primed to etch his name along with those elite athletes in 2007. -Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange
Scouting Reports-
LaRon Landry may be the best pure free safety in the nation right now. His coverage skills in center field are virtually second to none, and he hits surprisingly hard for his light size. He's also one of the few safety prospects in recent years who is a total ball hawk, flowing to the ball and the play better than the majority of defenders in the nation. -About Football
Productive safety with a complete game. Instinctive, plays heads-up football and remains disciplined with assignments. Efficient, takes good angles to the action and goes for the knockout blow. Patrols centerfield, displays top sideline-to-sideline range and has a terrific break to the action. Displays speed in a straight-line or laterally. Wraps-up tackling. -scout.com
-There's more I'm sure, but I think you get the idea.
Now, on to the ubiquitous idea that the draft is a crap shoot. We'll let's take a look at the only safties taken in round 1 since 2002.
2002: Roy Williams- #8, Ed Reed- #24
2003- Troy Polamalu- #16
2004- Sean Taylor- #5
2005- none
2006- Michael Huff #7, Donte Whitner #8
I don't know much about the latest two additions to this ridiculously elite list of players, but both Huff and Whitner were key contributors to their teams in their rookie seasons. I would have to do more research, but both seem to be leaning in the "stud" direction, not the "bust" direction. But taking those two off the list for the sake of having more info on last years rookies to determine where they ultimately stand...
hmmmmm.....
Where are the busts? There are none. Elite safties haven't been busting, they've been leading their teams to the Super Bowl (Polamalu) and the playoffs, (Ed Reed, Roy Williams, Sean Taylor). They've been going to Probowls after a couple years in the league, not to Division III coaching staffs.
Based on recent evidence, and scouting reports, LaRon Landry has a bust factor as close to zero as you can possibly hope for in a first round pick. Combine that with our need to play someone by Taylor who is better at coverage, because no one on our roster is a long term solution young or old, and you have the safest and BEST player for the Redskins in the entire draft, save perhaps CJ, who will go first. Landry fills a need, is projecting to be the best player available, and has the lowest risk in terms of bust v. potential. Would you really NOT want to have a Reed/Taylor/Polamalu/Dawkins player playing next to Sean Taylor. Does it seem at all bad?
To steal the line of someone who disagrees with my wish to add Landry to the fold:
"No, no, no".
And finally, what about the other guys we could pick? -Names like Branch, Okoye, Adams, Carriker. Not one of these players is a sure thing. They each have question marks. Now, obviously there are a lot of us who want to trade down, get another pick or two, and take one of these guys. One or two of these guys, if not all of them, are going to be a really good, or even great football players. Which one? Nobody knows.
Ultimately, the Redskins might be a couple of DL from contending. Because of our lack of players there, we might find it hard to compete. If we draft Landry and don't address the DL, next year very well might not be our year. It's hard to tell. Kind of like picking a draft pick with potential but who has serious holes. We could bust, or we could be a hit.
On the other hand, LaRon Landry is going to be a great player, and he's not going to be available if we trade down more than a spot or two. You know why? I do, too. In his career he's going to help lead the team he's on to the playoffs, and perhaps to the Super Bowl. He's going to have an immediate positive impact to the team that gets him. He will not receive a huge bonus and salary and be unworthy. If I am wrong you can PM me in three years. But I am right, and that's why the team he should be leading is none other than your very own Washington Redskins.
Flame away.
"The total package and a great all-around football player who will remind some of Ed Reed." -Scott Wright, NFLcountdown.com
"He'll be better than Roy Williams, no question" - Mel Kiper, ESPN
Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins -- three of the best playmakers in the NFL who all happen to be safeties. Based on his career with the Tigers, Landry is primed to etch his name along with those elite athletes in 2007. -Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange
Scouting Reports-
LaRon Landry may be the best pure free safety in the nation right now. His coverage skills in center field are virtually second to none, and he hits surprisingly hard for his light size. He's also one of the few safety prospects in recent years who is a total ball hawk, flowing to the ball and the play better than the majority of defenders in the nation. -About Football
Productive safety with a complete game. Instinctive, plays heads-up football and remains disciplined with assignments. Efficient, takes good angles to the action and goes for the knockout blow. Patrols centerfield, displays top sideline-to-sideline range and has a terrific break to the action. Displays speed in a straight-line or laterally. Wraps-up tackling. -scout.com
-There's more I'm sure, but I think you get the idea.
Now, on to the ubiquitous idea that the draft is a crap shoot. We'll let's take a look at the only safties taken in round 1 since 2002.
2002: Roy Williams- #8, Ed Reed- #24
2003- Troy Polamalu- #16
2004- Sean Taylor- #5
2005- none
2006- Michael Huff #7, Donte Whitner #8
I don't know much about the latest two additions to this ridiculously elite list of players, but both Huff and Whitner were key contributors to their teams in their rookie seasons. I would have to do more research, but both seem to be leaning in the "stud" direction, not the "bust" direction. But taking those two off the list for the sake of having more info on last years rookies to determine where they ultimately stand...
hmmmmm.....
Where are the busts? There are none. Elite safties haven't been busting, they've been leading their teams to the Super Bowl (Polamalu) and the playoffs, (Ed Reed, Roy Williams, Sean Taylor). They've been going to Probowls after a couple years in the league, not to Division III coaching staffs.
Based on recent evidence, and scouting reports, LaRon Landry has a bust factor as close to zero as you can possibly hope for in a first round pick. Combine that with our need to play someone by Taylor who is better at coverage, because no one on our roster is a long term solution young or old, and you have the safest and BEST player for the Redskins in the entire draft, save perhaps CJ, who will go first. Landry fills a need, is projecting to be the best player available, and has the lowest risk in terms of bust v. potential. Would you really NOT want to have a Reed/Taylor/Polamalu/Dawkins player playing next to Sean Taylor. Does it seem at all bad?
To steal the line of someone who disagrees with my wish to add Landry to the fold:
"No, no, no".
And finally, what about the other guys we could pick? -Names like Branch, Okoye, Adams, Carriker. Not one of these players is a sure thing. They each have question marks. Now, obviously there are a lot of us who want to trade down, get another pick or two, and take one of these guys. One or two of these guys, if not all of them, are going to be a really good, or even great football players. Which one? Nobody knows.
Ultimately, the Redskins might be a couple of DL from contending. Because of our lack of players there, we might find it hard to compete. If we draft Landry and don't address the DL, next year very well might not be our year. It's hard to tell. Kind of like picking a draft pick with potential but who has serious holes. We could bust, or we could be a hit.
On the other hand, LaRon Landry is going to be a great player, and he's not going to be available if we trade down more than a spot or two. You know why? I do, too. In his career he's going to help lead the team he's on to the playoffs, and perhaps to the Super Bowl. He's going to have an immediate positive impact to the team that gets him. He will not receive a huge bonus and salary and be unworthy. If I am wrong you can PM me in three years. But I am right, and that's why the team he should be leading is none other than your very own Washington Redskins.
Flame away.