One view of Drew Brees’ passes goes something like this: The New Orleans quarterback drops his throws in the exact spot they need to be, often inches from the hand of a defender and safely into the arms of his target.
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Redskins free safety LaRon Landry prefers another view.
“Put it this way, he’s accurate and he’s putting the ball in great position for the receiver, but also for the defender,” Landry said. “It’s whose ball is it? He’ll give you a chance to make the play, or not, and those guys are making the play.”
But Landry’s point is this: If those passes are off even a little, and if the coverage is tight, those deep touchdowns could turn into incompletions or interceptions. Of course, Brees completes 68.8 percent of his passes and has thrown just nine interceptions in 343 attempts. So Brees doesn’t miss his target often.
And the other trick is always staying with his receivers. New Orleans has three wideouts averaging at least 16.8 yards or more; all have at least 21 catches and have combined for 16 touchdown receptions.
Brees, sacked just 14 times, also receives a lot of time to execute his pump fakes — sometimes two on one play — and to look off the safety without fear of getting hit.
Staying disciplined — especially the free safety — is even more important against him.
“He’ll pump fake one time, two times and then hit a big play,” Landry said. “That’s guys not being fundamentally sound. It’s happened to us on a lot of occasions.”
Secondary coach Jerry Gray said, “You have to be very disciplined. We have to make sure Drew is not throwing the ball on time. That’s where he does a lot of damage. There’s no one better right now in the league.”
And he’s even more dangerous because of that accuracy.
“He’ll just throw the ball in when the guy is covered,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said, “and when the ball arrives you have to have the best possible position and you have to be active when the ball gets there. He is playing really lights out and he’s an in-your-face quarterback right now.”
Making proper tackles is another key for the secondary — and Landry in particular. Some of Landry’s misses have resulted in big plays, like last week when a botched shoulder tackle led to a 46-yard pass play by Philadelphia.
“Sometimes I don’t make the best decisions out there and I go for the knockout,” he said. “But those come in the flow of the game. I feel kind of hyped, so enthused and I try to knock someone out. … [But] I’m going to play my game. That’s what I’m gonna do.”
Gray isn’t worried about Landry’s tackling.
“What he has to do is get there sooner,” Gray said, “before the guy makes the cut, and he’ll be a better tackler.”
If that doesn’t happen Sunday, the NFL’s No. 1-ranked pass defense could take a pounding. However, the bottom line for Landry is simple.
“We have great defenders, a great secondary, we match up well,” Landry said. “We just have to read our keys and play sound defense.”
