Odds Against Landry Returning To Ravens

by Bruce Raffel on Apr 3, 2011 6:00 AM EDT

KANSAS CITY MO - JANUARY 09: Safety Dawan Landry #26 of the Baltimore Ravens runs back an interception of quarterback Matt Cassel #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the third quarter of their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9 2011 in Kansas City Missouri. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Looking back at the history of the Baltimore Ravens over the past decade, if you are a free agent safety playing next to All-Pro Ed Reed, odds are you will wearing the jersey of another team the next year. Many a player has looked real solid starting next to Reed, as opposing defenses focus on the ball-hawking free safety and ignore the strong safety, allowing him to make plays s a result.

That happened with Will Demps and more recently, with Jim Leonhard, both who left the team for "greener" pastures than the Ravens would have been willing to offer. It also happened when the Ravens free safety was Rod Woodson during the Super Bowl 2000-01 season and they let Kim Herring walk for the same reason.

With both Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura on the roster with considerable playing experience in this system, it is fairly obvious that the team will not be willing to lay out the big bucks that Dawan Landry would command on the open market. Once free agency is finally opened as a result of a resolved Collective Bargaining Agreement, Landry is sure to draw a lot of interest from teams who want to inject a bit of the Ravens "mojo" into their defense.

Landry has had an up and down career with the team,but since he sustained a season-ending concussion in 2008, he has not been the fierce hitter that the team expected him to be when they drafted him in 2006. Do not expect to see Landry wearing #26 in 2011, at least not for the Ravens.

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Comments

most of us here are probably pretty comfortable with Zbi or Ruki starting at SS.

whatup yalls. all is well ghere at fort vbenning. This weekend was my first chance to go off-post since arriving on Jan 19. just 5 more weeks of advanced infantry training, then airborne school, then i should be able to make it home for some O’s games

"If you come at a man hard and fast enough, he stops thinking about how many of 'em there are and starts thinking about himself, and the wrath that's about to set down on him."
--Rooster Cogburn; "True Grit"

FILL YOUR HANDS YOU SONS OF BITCHES!

by jackmca on Apr 3, 2011 9:39 AM EDT reply actions

oh cool Jackmca its really been awhile since I seen you post but I hope you are

enjoying your experience i the military and also hope you have safe good trip back home. oh i hope that Dawan Landry wont leave the ravens because him and Ed Reed really have chemistry with each other plus he is a good safety.Chemistry is really important and Ruki or Zbi may be good but if they cant be on the same page as Ed Reed then that will suck

by jazz20 on Apr 3, 2011 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions

Landry

I don’t know.. I think we can find another safety who struggles in pass coverage and making tackles in the open field. Right player, right price, and I am guessing he’s good as gone.

by 60minuteassassin on Apr 3, 2011 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed.

by JoshuaStein on Apr 3, 2011 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Nice to see you back, jackma

and thanks for the sacrifice you’re making for the USA on behalf of The Beatdown. Serve and return home safe!
Peace.

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Apr 3, 2011 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions

There are more important FA’s on our squad that need to be signed (Carr and Wilson quickly come to mind). Unfortunately Landry has been adequate but never lived up to his potential (neck injury noted). I would not be surprised to see us draft a safety if the right value is available.

by Ngata 92 on Apr 3, 2011 12:36 PM EDT reply actions

Zbi > Landry

Real G's move in silence like lasagna

by Mr MaLoR on Apr 3, 2011 12:41 PM EDT reply actions

Yerp

FILL YOUR HANDS YOU SONS OF BITCHES!

by jackmca on Apr 3, 2011 1:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Yerp

seconded.

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Apr 3, 2011 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I am not mad at all. Zbi would be up for the job. Zbi is faster, with coverage skills. Tackling may not be away good but I will take him.

by Raven_all_day on Apr 3, 2011 12:42 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

I would love to get Shiloh Keo, safety out of Idaho, late in the draft. I don’t know if you guys saw him at the Combine, but he was awesome in his drills. He’s a playmaker…

by JoshuaStein on Apr 3, 2011 1:43 PM EDT reply actions

At this point I really would like to give Zbi the chance to start. Landry has shown to be a liability at times in pass coverage and Zbi is a lot better in that area. Landry makes a lot of tackles, but have also seen him miss quite a few as well. Wouldn’t mind bringing him back for cheap, but he likely will be looking to get paid.

by AV23 on Apr 3, 2011 3:15 PM EDT reply actions

I just think that Landry just had a bad year he was really good in coverage in 2009

and really overall if he continue to have had success like he did in 2009 we probably would be still talking about Zbi and Ruki taking his spot or looking for another another safety in the draft because Landry would probably be expensive.its still possible that Landry could be back with the team but it all depends on what he is asking for

by jazz20 on Apr 3, 2011 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Other teams love to sign our defensive players

and then usually find out that they looked great playing next to Ray or Ed but were only average on another team, if that. A few exceptions, but usually not. Chemistry and playing next to an All-Pro certainly makes you look a heck of a lot better and Dawan will not do any better anywhere else.

Good uck to him, as he is a great guy, but is just not high on the team’s priority list with the depth we already have there.

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Apr 3, 2011 4:06 PM EDT reply actions