NFL

Jets’ Landry going against brother Dawan in Jacksonville

The Jets’ clash with the Jaguars on Sunday is a nondescript matchup of losing teams.

The game, however, has extra meaning for the Landry family: It’s the first time safeties and brothers LaRon, who plays for the Jets, and Dawan, who is with the Jaguars, will meet in a regular season game.

“It’s going to be fun,” LaRon said.

It hasn’t been an easy season for either brother, both of whom have dealt with more losing than winning. As always has been the case, they have been there for one another, talking about the tough times on two teams with a combined 7-17 record.

“We’re kind of the same way, we stay in high spirits, just go out there and compete,” LaRon said.

The similarities end there. LaRon was a first-round draft pick of the Redskins in 2007 (the sixth overall pick) while Dawan is a late-round success story, having been taken in the fifth round in 2006 by the Ravens. The outspoken LaRon is the outgoing one, louder and “edgier,” he said.

“I like to speak my mind a little bit too much,” LaRon said.

Dawan, LaRon said, is laid-back. On the field, LaRon is the bigger hitter, while Dawan is more of a ballhawk, with 13 career interceptions.

“They both are great players and they go about it differently.” said Jets coach Rex Ryan, who coached Dawan at Baltimore.

LaRon credits Dawan, the elder brother by 21 months, with his own success. LaRon got by on god-given talent growing up, until his brother instilled his relentless work ethic in him. The two would lift weights together and Dawan wouldn’t ease up on LaRon, placing weights he knew his brother would struggle to lift.

“He developed me into a gym rat who just wanted to work out all the time,” LaRon recalled with a smile.

Like most brothers, much of their childhood consisted of competing with each other in everything they did. LaRon began playing football at the same time as Dawan, getting into Pee Wee league even though he was technically too young to play.

“I don’t know how it happened,” he said. “I had a fake ID and everything.”

The relationship blossomed once they went their separate ways in college, Dawan to Georgia Tech and LaRon to LSU. The two spent every Monday and Tuesday together — off-days in the NFL — when Dawan was in Baltimore and LaRon was in Washington. They still talk often over the phone and are offseason work-out partners.

They have kept in contact with one another this week leading up to Sunday’s game. There has been trash-talking, but not about which team will win.

“We’re going to compete against each other, who makes the most tackles, who makes the most plays,” LaRon said. “That’s going to be our trash-talking.”

Dawan said the two still argue a lot, and said it would increase if they were ever a safety tandem.

“We’d be fighting about [blitzing] a lot,” Dawan said.

Though both have enjoyed NFL success, Sunday will be a first. They will rarely be on the field at the same time, other than special teams.

“I play gunner. I hope he jams me and I show off my speed,” LaRon said. “He can’t catch me.”