Entering Third NFL Season, Jarvis Landry Viewed As Veteran Leader
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DAVIE (CBSMiami) – Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry is entering just his third season in the NFL but the veteran label is already being applied to him.
Miami has a very young receiver group, and nobody has been with the team longer than Landry.
"He is really a leader by example for the most part," head coach Adam Gase said of Landry. "Everything he does, you can tell how much he cares about what his job is. If he can help another guy, usually some of the young guys, he'll lend a hand."
On most teams Landry would still be considered one of those young guys, but only two Dolphins receivers have been in the league longer than he has.
Griff Whalen is entering his fifth year in the NFL, but first with the Dolphins, and Kenny Stills is beginning his fourth year and second in Miami.
Every other receiver in that room is either a rookie this year or was one last year.
Despite only playing two seasons in the league, Landry doesn't shy away from being someone that other players look to for leadership.
"I embrace it. We talk about leadership all the time," said Landry. "I think I'm one of those guys that lead by example, and just try to go out there and be a pro every day."
Winning games is the number one objective for anyone in an NFL locker room but Landry takes it to another level.
There are few players around who are more competitive than Jarvis, and he's not afraid to admit it.
"I hate losing. It goes without saying," Landry explained. "Until I get a win, until that next Sunday, it's really just stuck in my mind. Everybody says the 24-hour rule and let it go and whatnot; but for me, as competitive as I am, I want to win every game."
It doesn't hurt that when Landry isn't working with his Dolphins teammates, he surrounds himself with some very successful wideouts.
During the offseason, Landry works out with some top-tier talent which he hopes will only elevate his game further.
"It's pretty much me, Odell [Beckham Jr.], Antonio Brown and that's about it," Landry said.
"Us three against a couple of DBs. We go down to North Miami and go against each other and try to just compete against each other. That's what I did all last season and I'm probably going to do it all this offseason too."
Though the sample size is small, Landry has shown great improvements since coming into the league.
As a rookie he caught 84 passes for 758 yards and five touchdowns.
That was followed up by a Pro Bowl season in 2015 in which Landry hauled in 110 receptions for 1,157 yards and four touchdowns. He also returned a punt for a touchdown.
It will be difficult to top those numbers during the upcoming campaign but Landry is always up for a challenge.
"The thing with the league is it's never easy," he said. "Going into my second year, I just found guys to latch onto and help me evolve as a pro. And honestly, as the years go on, and Bobby McCain can speak to this, the game starts to slow down a little bit and you're not really running around out there, not sure of your assignments. Going into my second year, I was a lot more confident. It didn't matter who was across from me. I just had to make a play."
