Skins safety is back at full-strength; Portis not improving fast enough
The hamstring bothered him enough that LaRon Landry knew what he should do: sit out for a game. One problem existed with that plan. The Redskins needed him to play.
A less-than-healthy Landry beat the alternative for them. And so he played.
“That was a battle,” Landry said. “I was communicating with [the coaches] like, ‘I don’t think I can go.’ And they were like, ‘Just see if you can push through to help the team.’ That’s what I did.”
But the bye week gave Landry, dealing with hamstring problems since training camp, the rest that he needed. That gives the Redskins (6-3) a potential playmaker optimistic that his finish will be much more productive than his start.
“I feel like my old self,” he said. “I feel I have the strength I need to make big plays.”
Unlike Landry, running back Clinton Portis has not improved, making it unlikely that he would play against Dallas on Sunday because of the sprained MCL in his left knee.
“I was hoping that there would be a little more optimism, and there’s not,” coach Jim Zorn said.
However, running back Ladell Betts looked good for a second day of practice and should be ready to start Sunday.
Meanwhile, Landry had a quiet first nine games. He intercepted no passes and recovered one fumble. He lacked a signature hit. But he also allowed few big plays downfield; Washington has allowed just three pass plays of 31 yards or more.
“He’s been quiet, but he’s been effective,” Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache said.
With Dallas quarterback Tony Romo returning after a three-game absence, and having receivers Terrell Owens and Roy Williams, the Cowboys will test Washington deep.
So it’s a good time for Landry to be, as he said, “97 percent.”
“He’s had his best week of practice,” Blache said. “He looks like the old LaRon as far as range and movement and attitude. He has a bounce to him. He has more burst, more confidence and his whole demeanor is upbeat.”
Landry only has two career interceptions, both in the January playoff loss to Seattle. But Landry said he hopes that changes with his improved hamstring.
“With the injury, in the back of my mind I thought I could re-injure it or it was hurting me too bad to run,” he said. “Right now it’s enabling me to be reckless and that’s my style. In the first half I was sitting back, not really being aggressive and just getting by. Now I can do my assignments and try to make plays.”
