Dawan Landry earned every penny of his paycheck last season. No one can dispute that.
The Ravens safety took the league by storm as a fifth-round pick and ousted veteran Gerome Sapp for a spot in the starting lineup. He finished with 89 tackles, five interceptions, 13 pass deflections and three sacks. Those numbers earned Landry $366,017 in performance-based pay bonuses, which exceeded his $275,000 base salary. The former Georgia Tech star was the top recipient of the NFL?s bonus system, which began as part of the 2002 collective bargaining agreement.
“Going from last year?s training camp to this year?s training camp, a lot has slowed down for me,” Landry said. “I know the plays now. Last year I was learning on the run. This year I?m more laid-back. I communicate with the guys better.”
The 6-foot, 220-pound Landry gets to show off that greater understanding of the Ravens defense during Saturday?s scrimmage with the Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium. He also gets to play against his brother, LaRon, a safety and the sixth overall pick in this year?s draft.
Ravens linebacker Bart Scott is among those players who expect Landry ? nicknamed “Puffy” for his muscular arms ? to show he is just as good as his more famous sibling.
“[Last year] we didn?t know who was going to step in and be that next safety,” Scott said. He stepped in and did a tremendous job and he can piggyback off what he did last year.”
Landry?s rise from being the 146th player taken in the 2006 draft to a potential Pro Bowler came five years after playing safety for the first time. He was originally recruited as a quarterback out of Hahnville High School in Boutte, La. He said that experience aided his transition since he understands how a quarterback reacts to different situations.
“Having the quarterback mindset when I first switched over, it helped me feel out routes more,” Landry said. “I felt where the guys were going, and it has been a tremendous help for me.”
Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said Landry?s presence can be measured not only through the plays he makes, but also by how teams must account for him, which leave others free to make plays.
“[Landry is] smart, he wants to get better, and he?s a true pro,” Ryan said. “He studies his tail off, and he conditions himself tremendously. We expect his game to keep going up.”
LANDRY NOTES
» Landry?s 89 tackles were the second-most ever by a Ravens rookie. Linebacker Ray Lewis is tops with 142 tackles in 1996.
» Landry?s five interceptions were the most by rookies last season and second on the Ravens.
» Landry passed for 1,291 yards, rushed for 1,575 yards and accounted for 25 TDs as a quarterback during his senior year at Hahnville High in Boutte, La.
