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The Redskins' Lone Ranger
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Said secondary coach Jerry Gray, "I think we're doing a good job now, but can you imagine us with [Taylor] back there?"
After Taylor sprained his right knee during a 33-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Nov. 11, the secondary was unsettled until Landry was moved to free safety in the last few weeks of the season. Down the stretch, opponents were reluctant to challenge Washington with deep balls, in part because of Landry's range and hitting ability. By the end of the season, Landry, who had two interceptions in a 35-14 playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, was being compared favorably to Taylor.
Landry would rather not discuss comparisons. He still wonders about what could have been had Taylor not been killed. "That question, that one right there, it always sticks with me," he said. "I think about how great we could have been as a tandem. You hear all the hype around the league [from TV commentators] about, 'This is the best safety tandem, or that's the best.' We hadn't even started yet.
"We were on the path to greatness, I believe that, so I always think about it. I always try to bring that to Chris and Kareem, to just let them know what it was like with Sean. They couldn't throw a deep ball on Sean. They'd throw a deep ball, Sean [would] be back there for an interception. Or if he's not getting an interception, he's back there laying the guy out. It was crazy. Just crazy."
Horton, a seventh-round pick, was credited with a team-leading nine solo tackles, including three for losses, in Sunday's stunning 19-17 loss to the formerly winless St. Louis Rams. Horton has been out of position at times, making typical rookie mistakes, but he has emerged as a key member of the group. Moore, a sixth-round pick, made a major mistake late in the fourth quarter against the Rams, failing to blitz during a third-down play in which quarterback Marc Bulger and wide receiver Donnie Avery teamed on a 43-yard pass. Later on the drive, place kicker Josh Brown made a game-winning 49-yard field goal as time expired.
"It's different this year," Landry said. "Chris and Kareem are just starting out. The way you have to look at it is, Reed was the starter. Reed was the guy who was out there, and Chris and Kareem were going to get a chance to learn, but that changed.
"It's nobody's fault, it happens like that, and we're working on some things. These guys are making some rookie mistakes, put it that way, and they've got a lot to learn, but they're working hard and going in the right direction. I'm still learning things."
With Doughty out for the season, the Redskins plan to increase Moore's duties in relief of Landry, Blache said. "I have no options. I mean, it's one of those things where you have no choice," he said. "It's a situation where we're going to be forced, that he's going to have to do it. In a lot of ways, really in my mind, I believe he can, and I think he will. But we won't know 100 percent until we do it."
It is the responsibility of Gray and Jackson to help the safeties perform at their best, and the coaching staff is committed to the development of Horton and Moore, but even they wonder about how Taylor and Landry would have grown together.
"I'm sure every coach in the National Football League, who's ever coached the secondary position, has dreams or fantasies at night about having a Sean Taylor and a LaRon Landry back there," Jackson said. "All the possibilities that the mind can conceive, you could do with them. I don't think there's another team that will have that mix in the foreseeable future. You can't manufacture that with a sixth-round pick and a seventh-round pick, I don't care how good they play.
"You get drafted in the top six, like Sean and LaRon, because you can do the things: You can run, you can hit, you can cover, you can cover wide receivers, you can blitz, you can do everything. Chris is good, and Chris is going to be even better, but he can't do everything that those two guys could do coming straight out the box. And Kareem is going to be out there, too. They can be serviceable. But with Sean and LaRon, we just caught lightning in a bottle."
Staff writer Barry Svrluga contributed to this report.
