Sometime around age 5, LaRon Landry’s parents gave him an unusual gift: boxing gloves. They boughta pair for his older brother as well.
They figured they were spending so much time fighting, they might as well have the proper equipment.
“They used to go at it every day,” said their father, Frank Landry. “They used to battle and it was LaRon who was always the one who initiated the fight.”
LaRon Landry and his older brother Dawan no longer use the boxing gloves. But the lessons the younger Landry learned growing up turned him into the player Washington craved with the sixth overall pick.
The Redskins chose him in the first round Saturday. They ended the draft with four selections Sunday, taking two linebackers (USC’s Dallas Sartz and Pitt’s H.B. Blades), a quarterback (Jordan Palmer) and a tight end (Tyler Ecker).
And much of that starts with the physical Landry, who was helped by having a competitive older brother (entering his second year as a safety for Baltimore). His brother helps him now, telling him what he must do to succeed in the NFL (dig into the playbook immediately). But, way back when, they battled.
“It didn’t matter what we were doing,” LaRon Landry said, “it was competitive.”
Sometimes it was a big brother egging on a younger brother. Once, Dawan Landry bet his younger brother that he couldn’t jump out of their dad’s truck. The truck was moving. LaRon Landry was 6. He won the bet, though he lost some teeth.
“You know what that fool did? He jumped out of the truck,” said his dad.
But Landry also displayed toughness on the field. That toughness helped when Landry started his football career at age 5 in a Pee Wee League for 6-8 year olds.
“I used someone else’s ID,” Landry said. “I used to go out there looking like Ronnie Lott at linebacker; I had the arm pads on and played against the older guys.”
The older guys didn’t bother him, however, because of his sibling rivalry. Also, his father coached him until middle school and, according to his son, would “rip your head off [verbally].”
That, coupled with his brother, drove him.
Said Frank Landry, “As they got older, it started to be more like showing each other that I can play better than you. … You had to be hard on LaRon. He was the baby and he always wanted to prove something. He was just tough. Like nails.”
More moves?
» Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said there’s a chance they could still use some of next year’s draft picks to trade for a player. He did not specify a player, but linebacker Lance Briggs is one possibility. A Bears source said last week that a possible trade for 2008 draft picks remains a possibility. The Redskins currently have all but a fourth-round pick in 2008.
» The Redskins did not draft a defensive lineman, despite a unit that produced little pressure this past season. But coach Gibbs said the return to health of some players and a fortified secondary should result in improved pressure.
Local links
Local products selected in the 2007 NFL Draft.
CB Josh Wilson (Maryland/DeMatha), second round, 55th overall, Seattle
RB Tony Hunt (T.C. Williams), third round, 90th overall, Philadelphia
P Adam Podlesh (Maryland), fourth round, 101st overall, Jacksonville
CB Tanard Jackson (Silver Spring), fourth round, 106th overall, Tampa Bay
LB Chad Nkang (Hyatsville), seventh round, 251st overall, Jacksonville
