How good was Dawan Landry in 2006?
The NFL media-hype coverage seemed to have glanced over the impressive rookie season of Ravens safety Dawan Landry until March 27, when pay for performance incentives were announced.
In the fourth paragraph of an nfl.com article that focuses upon this topic, Landry is featured as having exceeded all other players by raking in $366,017. This says two things: First Landry played a substantial amount of time at a high level in the 2006 season; and secondly, the Ravens were the best in the league in 2006 for paying in proportion to performance. Each team distributed $3 million into a pool this past year and the system then pays out based on playing time and base salary. This is explained quite well in this NFL.com article.
Aside from a brief paragraph outlining his compensation, how good was Landry in 2006?
The sports media locked on to Texans’ middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, Bears defensive end Mark Anderson, Browns outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley. Landry was seemingly an afterthought. Three things stand out as explanations: middle linebacker is a glamour position; sack numbers are massively overvalued by voters; tackle numbers are unofficial statistics.
Terrell Suggs won the award with play similar to that of Anderson, both playing in reserve as pass-rushing specialists while recording 12 sacks. Ryans put up big tackle numbers and that certainly explains some of his notoriety but without an official record how much weight does that statistic deserve? Given those numbers can’t be entirely trusted and a middle linebacker puts up lots of tackles, depending on the system, it seems a legitimate question. Urlacher, for example, always has a higher numbers of tackles because the Bears defense is designed to funnel plays in his direction. Even so, Ryans was second in the league to Zach Thomas which is something that can’t be ignored.
So what might be a better way to compare statistical merit of a player’s rookie year?
Why not compare a rookie’s statistics to Pro Bowl players at their respective position?
Hey, good idea…
Outside Linebackers
|
Player
|
Solo
|
Assists
|
Sacks
|
INT
|
INT-Yds/TD
|
PD
|
FF
|
FR
|
Fum-Yds/TD
|
|
K. Wimbley
|
44
|
18
|
11
|
0
|
0/0
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
1/0
|
|
A. Thomas
|
64
|
19
|
11
|
1
|
7/0
|
6
|
0
|
1
|
57/1
|
|
S. Merriman
|
48
|
14
|
17
|
1
|
10/0
|
7
|
4
|
1
|
0/0
|
|
T. Suggs
|
46
|
18
|
9.5
|
0
|
0/0
|
8
|
3
|
2
|
0/0
|
|
D. Ware
|
57
|
14
|
11.5
|
1
|
41/1
|
5
|
5
|
1
|
69/1
|
|
J. Peterson
|
71
|
18
|
10
|
1
|
-4/0
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
25/0
|
|
D. Brooks
|
96
|
25
|
0
|
3
|
51/1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0/0
|
|
L. Briggs
|
109
|
21
|
1
|
2
|
18/0
|
8
|
4
|
1
|
0/0
|
Inside Linebackers
|
Player
|
Solo
|
Assists
|
Sacks
|
INT
|
INT-Yds/TD
|
PD
|
FF
|
FR
|
Fum-Yds/TD
|
|
D. Ryans
|
125
|
30
|
2.5
|
1
|
10/0
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
0/0
|
|
Z. Thomas
|
103
|
62
|
3
|
1
|
-4/0
|
9
|
2
|
0
|
0/0
|
|
B. Scott
|
78
|
25
|
9.5
|
2
|
31/0
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
0/0
|
|
A. Wilson
|
78
|
23
|
1
|
0
|
0/0
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
0/0
|
|
L. Tatupu
|
91
|
31
|
1.5
|
1
|
19/0
|
6
|
2
|
1
|
0/0
|
|
A. Pearce
|
107
|
30
|
1
|
1
|
6/0
|
8
|
1
|
2
|
0/0
|
|
B. Urlacher
|
92
|
49
|
0
|
3
|
38/0
|
6
|
1
|
1
|
0/0
|
Defensive Ends
|
Player
|
Solo
|
Assists
|
Sacks
|
INT
|
INT-Yds/TD
|
PD
|
FF
|
FR
|
Fum-Yds/TD
|
|
M. Anderson
|
23
|
5
|
12
|
0
|
0/0
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
0/0
|
|
J. Peppers
|
48
|
9
|
13
|
0
|
0/0
|
6
|
3
|
2
|
0/0
|
|
W. Smith
|
31
|
18
|
10.5
|
0
|
0/0
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
0/0
|
|
A. Kampman
|
59
|
30
|
15.5
|
0
|
0/0
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
0/0
|
|
J. Taylor
|
40
|
20
|
13.5
|
2
|
71/2
|
7
|
9
|
2
|
33/0
|
|
A. Schobel
|
53
|
18
|
14
|
0
|
0/0
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
0/0
|
|
D. Burgess
|
43
|
7
|
11
|
0
|
0/0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0/0
|
Safeties
|
Player
|
Solo
|
Assists
|
Sacks
|
INT
|
INT-Yds/TD
|
PD
|
FF
|
FR
|
Fum-Yds/TD
|
|
D. Landry
|
48
|
21
|
3
|
5
|
101/1
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
0/0
|
|
E. Reed
|
51
|
8
|
0
|
5
|
70/1
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
32/1
|
|
T. Polamalu
|
57
|
19
|
1
|
3
|
51/0
|
7
|
1
|
0
|
0/0
|
|
J. Lynch
|
58
|
25
|
0
|
0
|
0/0
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
7/0
|
|
A. Wilson
|
74
|
8
|
5
|
4
|
146/1
|
7
|
4
|
2
|
99/2
|
|
R. Williams
|
52
|
10
|
0
|
5
|
33/0
|
9
|
5
|
0
|
0/0
|
|
B. Dawkins
|
71
|
22
|
1
|
4
|
38/0
|
9
|
5
|
0
|
0/0
|
After looking at the numbers a few things stand out. First, Gregg Easterbrook (ESPN Page 2 TMQ) is absolutely right in bashing John Lynch. Outside of forcing and recovering a fumble Lynch is really more of a jacked-up highlight reel and recently he has been on the receiving end a bit too frequently. In that category, can Landry be ignored? Even Sports Illustrated’s Peter King noticed the hit (seen here) on the Raiders’ Alvis Whitted but incorrectly attributed it to free safety Ed Reed and then later removed any mention of the hit.
As for analysis of the rookies compared to Pro Bowl players at their respective positions, it is clear that Ryans and Landry statistically belong with their Pro Bowl brethren, but Anderson’s limited playing time and Wimbley’s comparative lack of other significant statistics indicate the pair of sack specialists might not be ready for all-around play. Of course that is only to be expected given the fact that they are playing solely to rush the passer and aren’t on the field for any substantial time outside of those situations.
To give them a fair assessment, they should be compared to another Defensive Rookie of the Year in similar circumstances, Terrell Suggs.
How does that match up?
|
Player
|
Solo
|
Assists
|
Sacks
|
INT
|
INT-Yds/TD
|
PD
|
FF
|
FR
|
Fum-Yds/TD
|
|
M. Anderson
|
23
|
5
|
12
|
0
|
0/0
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
0/0
|
|
T. Suggs
|
19
|
8
|
12
|
0
|
0/0
|
1
|
6
|
4
|
7/0
|
|
K. Wimbley
|
44
|
18
|
11
|
0
|
0/0
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
1/0
|
Wimbley got more playing time than his two counterparts, but Suggs is a bit more statistically impressive than the 2006 rookies.
Moving on to Ryans and Landry, it seems both of them are in a class with those at the top of their game statistically speaking. By the numbers Ryans seems to have done fairly well for himself, even if tackles are completely ignored. There is no doubt that the Texans’ star deserves consideration and the award received. What is appalling, however, is that Landry was barely mentioned as a top contender. Outside Adrian Wilson’s monster year for the Cardinals, Landry and Ed Reed are arguably the second and third best safeties based on statistics with Brian Dawkins close on their heels.
What possible reason could there be to gloss over such an impressive season?
The answer is that there really is a reason, simply too much cooperation and talent on the league’s number one defense. The Ravens were so deep in talent and statistics in 2006 that Trevor Pryce could have his most impressive season since 1999 and 2000 racking up 13 sacks and barely sniff media recognition or Pro Bowl candidacy. After all, how many Ravens defenders can an announcer mention in a game? The whole defense can’t start the Pro Bowl, though amazingly many seem to deserve that recognition. The “Baltimore Ravens†frame of reference claimed another two players this season and it is truly unfortunate.
Further, since 1967 only two safeties have won the defensive rookie of the year award compared to 19 linebackers, 9 defensive ends, 5 defensive tackles, and 6 cornerbacks. The position was formerly one of the lowest paid in the NFL with the cover-two scheme to thank for its recent emergence. Even now it doesn’t carry the glory of a sack master, defensive quarterback, or suffocating corner.
The good thing is that one of the steals of the 2006 NFL draft is receiving a bonus bigger than his contract; a bonus that is upwards of $90,000 more than the next highest bonus awarded. Congratulations Dawan Landry!
The awards and recognition might be a long time coming, but fortunately the pay for play system that provides a mild balm to the sting of national under appreciation.
