LaRon Landry’s time with Indianapolis Colts ends in disappointment

By Brian Spaen | Feb 12, 2015

Indianapolis Colts safety LaRon Landry was released along with two other players on Wednesday. Suspensions, not living up to expectations, and not meshing with the team were some of the reasons why his time with the Colts ended in bitter disappointment.

When he first joined the team in 2013, Landry was already getting comparisons to Bob Sanders with his muscles. Here was a retweet from Landry’s profile back on July 10th, 2013, that shows Sanders flexing his muscles on the left and Landry working out on the right.

Landry wanted to be called the “Red Hulk.” That immortality started to fizzle when getting an Achilles’ tendon injury that held him back in his final seasons with the Washington Redskins. He was drafted as the sixth overall pick back in 2007, and missed a total of 15 games in his last two seasons with the team. As production dwindled, the Redskins wanted him to get surgery but he opted for other aid.

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After five seasons, they moved on from Landry, but it proved to potentially be a mistake. The safety had his best season when signing a one-year, $4 million deal with the New York Jets in 2012. He finished that season with 100 total tackles (76 solo), four fumbles, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections.

That would prompt the Colts to sign Landry with a four-year, $24 million contract beginning in 2013. First impressions were great. He debuted against the Oakland Raiders with 15 total tackles and followed it up with 11 tackles against the Miami Dolphins. He would never tally double-digit tackles in a game with the Colts after that, and things just continued going downhill for the rest of his tenure.

The biggest hit to his future with the Colts happened in Week 5 when he was caught with using performance enhancing drugs and smacked with a four-game suspension. It was a rough stretch after coming back November 16th against the New England Patriots, recording just 14 total tackles in the next five games before getting seven in the blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Chemistry was also not there with the team. Landry already rubbed veterans the wrong way by not participating in voluntary workouts and just skimped by doing the mandatory offseason requirements. However, he could prove to the team that doing things his way worked best for him by impressing everyone on Sundays.

Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu Jr (20) runs for a second quarter touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts safety LaRon Landry (30) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Wells of ESPN detailed Landry’s desire to go for big hits instead of making sure that his opponent was going down.

"He preferred to go for the big hit rather than the safe tackle. The Colts’ 43-22 loss to New England in the divisional playoff round after the 2013 season — when Landry whiffed on Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount’s 73-yard touchdown run after the Colts had pulled to within seven points in the fourth quarter — is one of several plays that comes to mind."

It didn’t happen. Landry never lived up to that incredible season with the Jets. After 23 regular season and five playoff appearances in two seasons, Landry finished with 165 total tackles (just 63 in 2014), six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and zero forced fumbles or picks.

Landry was expected to make over $10 million in his last two years of the contract, but general manager Ryan Grigson gave the safety the axe and will now gain $2.2 million in the salary cap. He joins Andrew Jackson and Xavier Nixon being released on Wednesday. Jackson had multiple DUIs in the last seven months and Nixon missed the plane for the AFC Championship Game, which obviously were the reasons they were leaving the Colts as well.

It’s an unfortunate conclusion for Landry’s time at the Colts, but it was the right move by the team. Now the sudden journeyman, who hit the age of 30 last October, will have a long way to prove that he belongs back on the NFL field.

Next: What went wrong for the Colts in 2015 NFL Playoffs?

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