When the Washington Redskins made LSU safety LaRon Landry the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, they did so at the expense of landing such standouts as Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Darrelle Revis and Dwayne Bowe.
And yet, the move was universally praised by 'Skins fans because it meant the burgundy and gold would now feature one of the most gifted and physically imposing safety tandems imaginable — with Pro Bowler Sean Taylor already on board.
Pairing a ballhawk like Taylor with a hard hitter like Landry meant offenses would have to think long and hard about sending receivers over the middle. Should a quarterback mistakenly hang a pass just a second too long and leave his wideout out to dry, it was a safe bet one of the two Washington safeties was ready and willing to make them pay.
Taylor might have been a bit of an introvert and a loner away from the game, but he was absolutely the ideal player for Landry to learn from as he transitioned from college to the pros.
As fate would have it, the dynamic duo played just nine games together before Taylor suffered a knee injury against Philadelphia in Week 10. As you all know by now, Taylor never stepped onto the playing field again because of a senseless tragedy that affected each and every person associated with the Washington Redskins.
While it was heartwarming to see the entire organization rally together at the end of the '07 season to make the playoffs, the players were clearly emotionally spent by the time they got to Seattle and fell to the Seahawks 35-14 in head coach Joe Gibbs’ final game of his second stint.
Landry, to his credit, stepped up his game when his teammates needed him most and even intercepted a pair of Matt Hasselbeck passes in the playoff loss. But there’s no denying the untimely loss of Taylor changed his career trajectory.
Think back to Taylor’s early days when he was, at times, reckless and seemed to relish delivering the kill shot more than making the safe (or even the smart) football play. Now think about the player Landry went on to become.
While Taylor continued to play with a mean streak throughout his career, he also evolved into more than just a one-trick pony. He did the little things to position himself to make plays without hitting anyone.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe that had Landry had more time to learn from Taylor, he would have become a more well rounded player who was capable of so much more than just trying to demolish an opposing player.
Taylor was absolutely a game changer who could tilt the balance of a game without delivering a single hit, and that transformation is what made him such a fan favorite.
Unfortunately, Landry went from “apprentice learning from an elite player” to the guy attempting to fill the void left by Taylor’s death. Rather than playing near the line of scrimmage while Taylor played centerfield, the second-year player was suddenly asked to expand his game on the fly and fill a role that was clearly out of his comfort zone.
And, without question, his game suffered.
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