INDIANAPOLIS – There were signs that LaRon Landry’s time with the Indianapolis Colts would come to an end after the 2014 season – poor play was the biggest giveaway – but it became even more obvious when he was suspended in Week 5 for four games for using performance-enhancing drugs.
It took Landry, the player the Colts envisioned as the next Bob Sanders, five weeks to get his starting job back from Sergio Brown, who has spent the majority of his career as a special-teams player.
Landry’s unimpressive two seasons with the Colts officially came to an end Wednesday when general manager Ryan Grigson acknowledged the vision he had for Landry was no longer doable and released the veteran safety.
Landry was scheduled to make $3.5 million in 2015 and $4.5 million in 2016, which would have been the final season of his four-year deal with the Colts.
The Colts have had their share of off-the-field issues over the past year. Landry was part of those problems. He was released along with linebacker Andrew Jackson and offensive lineman Xavier Nixon.
Landry also preferred to do his own thing instead of fitting in with his teammates in the locker room.
While veterans typically make occasional appearances during voluntary offseason workouts, Landry showed up at the team’s practice facility only during the mandatory three-day minicamp.
That didn’t sit well with the front office and coaching staff. Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano both acknowledged last summer that it would have been good for Landry to attend at least some of the voluntary workouts. Landry ended up missing last year’s mandatory camp and part of training camp because of a groin injury.
The Colts wouldn’t have had a problem with Landry doing his own thing if he produced on the field, because the result is what counts.
Landry didn’t produce.
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.
Landry's two-season total with the Colts: 133 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two passes defended.
Landry’s release shortens up an already thin safety position for Indianapolis. Brown, Mike Adams and Colt Anderson are all free agents. Adams is at the top of the list of players the Colts should re-sign. The 33-year-old veteran made his first Pro Bowl and tied for the league lead in takeaways last season with seven (five interceptions and two fumble recoveries).
“Mike is the quarterback of the secondary back there,” Pagano said late in the season. “He does a great job as a communicator, getting guys lined up and making sure everybody is on the same page.”
The Colts will use free agency, trades and the draft to address their needs at safety.
Landry, meanwhile, will be remembered more for his selfie pictures with no shirt on, showing off his muscular physique on Twitter and Instagram -- and getting caught using performance-enhancing drugs -- than his production on the field for the Colts.