Landry: Sky's the limit

LaRon Landry has a message: once he's healthy, look out.

The Jets new safety is confident he'll show he's one of the league's best at his position, so much so that he signed a one-year deal rather than a long-term one to challenge himself.

"I wanted a one-year deal to prove to everybody and to show them that this injury is healed and I’m able to play to the best of my ability," Landry said today on a conference call. "When I’m healed and I can perform the way I know I can perform, sky’s the limit for me. Unstoppable."

Landry has played in only 17 games the past two seasons, battling an Achilles injury and trying to recover from bone spurs. He had said midway through the 2011 season, when the injury flared up, he was told by noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson -- the same doctor that operated on him in 2010 -- he needed surgery.

But instead of having a surgical procedure done that was recommended by Anderson and the team, Landry opted for an alternative treatment that's supposed to help the body naturally develop tissues to help in the healing process.

"The injury moved further down to a bone-type issue," Landry said. "It wasn't really an Achilles issue last year, and the reason why I opted out of surgery this past season was because it wasn't an Achilles injury, an Achilles issue. Coming to the Jets, they were well-knowledgeable about what was going on, and the second and third opinions that I got from different doctors after I was told to have surgery, that see exactly why I opted out.

"That was a big plus, me coming here to a medical staff being well-knowledgeable about the body and what’s going on -- and personally my body."

Landry said he hopes to participate in as much as possible in the upcoming OTAs as well as minicamp. GM Mike Tannenbaum, who mentioned the Jets haven't ruled our bringing Jim Leonhard back, expects Landry to be right where they want him when the season rolls around.

"I think this is a real challenge for us," Tannenbaum said. "But with that said, we feel really good about LaRon. We feel really good about our medical department and we are going to work as a partnership to get him ready for opening day. Barring something unforeseen, we think he’ll be ready to go."

"With Laron, it was an opportunity to get a dynamic player that can really help us. We are a gameplan-specific defense. I think sometimes, he’ll be asked to play man-to-man on a tight end. Other times, I think he’ll be an element in the run game, and a blitzer. He’s really a dynamic player.

"Obviously, he’s had some health issues. But we are going to work with LaRon and we expect him to be ready to go on opening day and give us a great year."