LaRon Landry back at practice for Colts
Sep 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety LaRon Landry (30) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
A familiar No. 30 is back on the football field; that’s right, LaRon Landry was reinstated by the NFL yesterday and can resume play with the Colts.
On Thursday, he joined the team in practice and looked good running around and batting down balls. Landry had been serving a four-game suspension from the league for violating the league’s PED policy. Now, Landry will have to fight his way back into the starting lineup as reserve Sergio Brown has played extremely well in his absence.
For Colts fans, this should be an interesting competition to keep an eye on. For the few games that Landry played this year, he blew several coverages down the middle of the field and allowed some big time plays against the Broncos and Eagles. He’s one of the best pure-hitting safeties in the league but has a tendency to try more than he can do and miss jump balls. With only one defensed pass in four active games, Landry may have to wait for an injury to Brown or over-achieving strong safety Mike Adams.
On the other hand, Sergio Brown is not without his faults. He’s quite conservative with his coverages and doesn’t play full-zone or cover two zone nearly as well as his counterpart, Mike Adams. As the season continues, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has been resorting to a zone scheme (to the chagrin of several Colts fans). It could be a battle of who fits Manusky’s scheme better and who can play to the coach’s preferred style of play.
Against New York, Sergio Brown definitely will get the starting nod. Being away from a team and not practicing for four weeks can be incredibly debilitating to a player’s performance, especially at the safety position. He’ll need at least a week to wean himself back into football. There’s a possibility that head coach Chuck Pagano activates Landry for depth and fresh-legs in the secondary.
Regardless, it’s good that the Colts have some depth at the safety position.