Landry named mid-season All-Pro

We have hit the halfway point of the NFL regular season and former Hahnville High School and LSU standout LaRon Landry is getting rave reviews for his play in 2010.

Three of the most prominent football magazines, including Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and Pro Football Weekly, have Landry on their 1st team All-Pro squads for the midpoint spot in 2010.

The 6-1 ½, 220-pound strong safety is second on the Washington Redskins in tackles with 76 and only one safety in the NFL at this point has more tackles than the heavy-hitting defender (Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whitner).

Landry has also totaled eight pass defense plays, one pass interception, one quarterback sack and he has forced one fumble.

Much has been expected of Landry since the Redskins selected him with the sixth overall choice in the 2007 draft and his play this year has gotten rave reviews by almost every NFL analyst.

Former two-time Super Bowl winning Dallas Cowboy head coach Jimmy Johnson, now an analyst for the Fox television network, says that Landry is the team MVP for 2010.

“LaRon has played like the guy I saw at LSU,” Johnson said. “They have finally found a system that he thrives in and I don’t know of another safety in the game through the midway point that has played better than him. He’s athletic, strong, real sharp and very aggressive out on the field.

“He takes this game seriously and a lot of young guys in this business don’t have that trait. He plays hard each and every week and he is a real force against the run, but he has also bettered his overall pass coverage skills. Right now he is playing like a defensive MVP-type player and he has been the Redskins most consistent and productive player.”

Hub Arkush, the publisher/editor of Pro Football Weekly magazine, also believes that Landry is the Redskins’ team MVP and credits new defensive coordinator Jim Haslett for putting in a system that suits the fourth year pro best.

“Laron has found a perfect home in Jim Haslett’s defense,” Arkush said. “He is up near the line of scrimmage more and this has freed him up some from some of the deep-half responsibilities he struggled with the past couple of seasons.

“Landry is a big-time striker with game changing ability, and playing in the box more has allowed him to play more loosely and it should be noted far better than in his first three seasons. He has really turned into the impact player they thought they were getting when they picked him coming out of LSU.”

 

St. Charles Parish Tigers contribute to 51-0 win over UL-Monroe

Three players from St. Charles Parish were heavily involved in the LSU Tigers 51-0 win over UL-Monroe Saturday night.
Former Destrehan High School quarterback Jordan Jefferson, splitting time with Jarrett Lee, completed 4 of his 10 passes for 51 yards.

True freshman halfback Alfred Blue saw considerable playing time against UL-Monroe and the former Hahnville High School star rushed for 31 yards on six carries and he returned a punt for 4 yards.

Jai Eugene, another prep standout from Destrehan High School, was in on 3 tackles against UL-Monroe. The senior safety is going to be asked to play a more prominent role on defense due to the Tigers losing starting safety Brandon Taylor for the season in the Alabama game.

The Tigers play Ole Miss this coming Saturday and a win against the Rebels would break a two-game losing streak against them and have them winning at least 10 games in 2010. The last time the Tigers posted a double-digit winning season was 2007.

A win against Ole Miss would give LSU and head coach Les Miles 10 wins or more in four of the six seasons he has been in Baton Rouge and keep their hopes alive for a BCS bowl game invitation.