Jets vs. Jaguars features Landry vs. Landry showdown

Jets S LaRon Landry says he’s more boisterous than his older brother Dawan. (US Presswire)

They're brothers, just two years apart, and they play the same position. But, according to Jets coach Rex Ryan, S LaRon Landry and his older brother, Jaguars S Dawan Landry, are as different as night and day -- at least where their personalities are concerned.

LaRon concurred. "I like to take a lot of risks," he said. "Little bit more edgy. Sometime speak my mind a little bit too much. [Dawan's] a little bit more laid back."

Take this little nugget about how LaRon's football career started -- at the age of 4. 'It was a 5-to-7 age group," he said. "My dad was a Pee Wee coach. I had a fake ID and everything. I loved it."

There were height and weight requirements so his dad took the ID of a player who didn't show up. LaRon checked in under the name DeSean Brown.

And, how did 4-year-old LaRon do? "I was great," he said. "I was the starting linebacker. They called me Hammer."

Dawan went on to play for Georgia Tech, and LaRon headed to LSU the following year.

Dawan was a fifth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2006 and their defensive coordinator was Ryan. Dawan played for the Ravens through 2010 and then went to Jacksonville.

LaRon came into the league in 2007 with more fanfare -- the Redskins selected him with the sixth overall pick and so it was no surprise that he started for them as a rookie. He made the Pro Bowl that year as an alternate and was named the All-Rookie second team defense.

Older brother Dawan is the quiet type, but no less dangers as a Jaguars’ safety. (US Presswire)

Ryan recalls the draft where they selected Dawan, when he begged Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome for a safety and Newsome delivered. "This guy knows his stuff," Ryan recalled thinking about Dawan. "He practices like crazy." Then he added with a grin, "He just doesn’t smash his own guys like LaRon does." LaRon is known by all to be a tad ... aggressive.

"They’re both passionate," Ryan said. "They’re both great teammates. They love to play the game. They just approach it differently."

Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has his own take. "He’s very unique," Pettine said of LaRon. "The expectations were very different. We had his brother Dawan in Baltimore. He’s the exact opposite. Very quiet. He never said a word. You never knew he was in the meeting. You know LaRon’s in the meeting."

So, how have their stats compared over the years? Both have been starters since they were rookies and have been pretty much neck-and-neck.

Here's how their rookie years looked: 

•  Dawan -- played 16 games, 69 tackles, 3 sacks, 6 passes defensed, 5 INTs, including one for a touchdown.

•  LaRon -- played 16 games, 95 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 6 passes defensed, no INTs.

A look at their numbers for this season heading into Sunday: 

•  Dawan -- 12 games, 82 tackles, no sacks, 2 passes defensed, 1 INT.

•  LaRon -- 12 games, 79 tackles, no sacks, 5 passes defensed, 2 INTs,  including one for a touchdown.

The only concern might be a post-game fistfight between the Landry brothers. They are exceedingly close, unless they are competing. "We used to fight all the time," LaRon said. "We’re just so competitive we both wanted to win. Whoever loses, it started a fight."

Their coaches can only hope that cooler heads will prevail.