Jarvis Landry puts on memorable show
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who might be representing the Dolphins this weekend for the last time in an NFL-sanctioned event, gave a dominant performance Wednesday in the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown in Kissimmee by winning the drone drop and dodgeball, the latter securing a 4-3 come-from-behind victory for the AFC. And Landry almost won the best-hands competition.
That means Landry, who participated in three of the five events, won two and finished as runner-up in the other.
Landry’s impressive showing in the spirited dodgeball event, the grand finale, was epic for the second consecutive year, and it sent the victorious AFC squad into a celebratory frenzy.
Landry, the last remaining AFC player in dodgeball, secured the victory by emerging from a 2-on-1 showdown against Carolina kicker Graham Gano and Green Bay defensive end Mike Daniels, the last remaining NFC representatives.
Landry eliminated Daniels hitting him with a thrown ball.
So it was Landry vs. Gano, and Landry by won by relying on (what else?) his hands.
After a few misfires by both men, Landry boldly dropped the final ball in his hand, knowing if he caught a ball thrown by Gano the kicker would be eliminated and the AFC would win the whole thing.
Gano, who held two balls, went low with his first ball as a distraction by and then quickly afterward threw the other ball. Landry sidestepped the low throw and then easily secured the thrown ball to deliver the 4-3 victory.
The AFC trailed the NFC, 3-1, going into the final event, dodgeball, which was worth three points. The AFC won the precision-passing event but the NFC won the Gridiron Gauntlet (obstacle course), Best Hands and KickTac-Toe. Landry, eligible to become a free agent in March, could have successfully defended his title in the best-hands competition but he couldn’t secure the last reception — a diving catch — quickly enough to beat the time posted by New Orleans wide receiver Michael Thomas.
The player who successfully made pre-determined receptions — one-handed, over-the-shoulder, sideline, etc… — in the fastest time was the winner. Thomas recorded a time of one minute, two seconds, while Landry failed to secure his reception with 56 seconds on the clock. He didn’t have time to attempt another reception.
“I lost to a good man today,” Landry said while standing beside Thomas. “He put up a good time… I’m passing the torch to the right man.”
On the drone drop, Landry caught a football dropped 120 feet from a drone. Landry had the ball initially bounce off his shoulder, but he chased the carom about five yards and secured the ball to complete the catch. Landry defeated Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson and won $10,000 for the charity of his choice.
The Pro Bowl, played in Orlando, is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday. Landry and safety Reshad Jones will represent the Dolphins. It will be Landry’s third appearance, and Jones’ second.
chperkins@sunsentinel.com or Twitter @Chrisperk