Jairus Byrd's turn to shine for improving Saints defense, and other practice observations (1 Viewer)

[Dome50]

Sunk cost isn't limited to money. Forget how he got here, and who deserves any blame for the situation.

Did he play at an acceptable level for a starting free safety last year? Yes. Is he looking more like the player he was in Buffalo so far this training camp/preseason? Yes. Will it carry over to the regular season? Who knows really.

But how he got here and what he cost and our expectations as fans and how they were not met really shouldn't factor into what we are seeing at the moment. Whether or not this player can help win football games is really all I care about. The rest is inconsequential in my mind.

I don't understand this logic. Perhaps its inconsequential to you but I gauruntee it factors into how the coaches/front office evaluate players. How a player got here and cost absolutely play into expectations, both from fans and from the team's perspective. The team invested heavily in Byrd, just as they invested heavily in Peat (with where he was drafted). Both, to date, have underperformed. That's disappointing. I also disagree with the folks that say Byrd played well or acceptable last year. He was brought here to provide a spark, to be a ball hawk, to create turnovers. He has not done that. Period. He is also out of position at times whiffing on deep balls, despite playing deep center. Byrd will be gone next year unless he shows up in a big way and makes the plays that were expected from him, the reason we made him one of the highest paid safeties in the league.

 

[Meachemdat]

I don't understand this logic. Perhaps its inconsequential to you but I gauruntee it factors into how the coaches/front office evaluate players. How a player got here and cost absolutely play into expectations, both from fans and from the team's perspective. The team invested heavily in Byrd, just as they invested heavily in Peat (with where he was drafted). Both, to date, have underperformed. That's disappointing. I also disagree with the folks that say Byrd played well or acceptable last year. He was brought here to provide a spark, to be a ball hawk, to create turnovers. He has not done that. Period. He is also out of position at times whiffing on deep balls, despite playing deep center. Byrd will be gone next year unless he shows up in a big way and makes the plays that were expected from him, the reason we made him one of the highest paid safeties in the league.

You don't do that Period when the defensive line is playing like a high school junior team and one of your starting corners has the worst year ever by a CB and the other is in his first year.

Name me one FS in the entire league that has the best season in the league playing for the worst defense in the NFL two years running?

What on earth are you people expecting him to do, completely give up his assignments and make plays at the ball every down?

So you want the opposing team to win by 80?

 

[Nightshade]

we definitely just see this differently because to me that all matters. It's the reason you pay big money to a free agent. You expect a certain amount of performance for dollars paid. If that wasn't the case then the worst players would be equally valuable to the best players. When you give that big contract and the player grossly under performs then some mistakes were made somewhere. Can Byrd turn it around? I do think he probably could if he can stay healthy but at this point that seems like a long shot to me. Right now our best case scenario is he performs well enough to draw some value on the market so we can get some of our investment back assuming Bell is going to be the player I think he is.

A free safety is only going to be as successful as the frontline is pressuring the QB and not to mention having to spend more time having to assist Browner than being able to focus on making plays.

 

[Nightshade]

On another not what about Edabali realizing Lewis wasn't covered and broke up the pass. He is going to 've a household name before the season is over.

 

[JWDtrey3]

On another not what about Edabali realizing Lewis wasn't covered and broke up the pass. He is going to 've a household name before the season is over.

What he did on that coverage is giving me real hope that Edabali will turn it on this year and be a force.

 

[crosswatt]

I don't understand this logic. Perhaps its inconsequential to you but I gauruntee it factors into how the coaches/front office evaluate players. How a player got here and cost absolutely play into expectations, both from fans and from the team's perspective. The team invested heavily in Byrd, just as they invested heavily in Peat (with where he was drafted).

My point is that you can’t change the past. The pick was made. The free agent contract was signed. Analyze it and learn from it all that you can, but it cannot affect the staff’s evaluation of the players as they currently fit into their roster plans for this season. We as fans focus too much on it as well. We want the team to win games plain and simple. How high of a pick Peat was or how big of a signing we all thought Byrd would be don’t really factor into their ability to help or hinder the team’s prospects for a playoff berth. Going a different route in those situations in the past may have, but that ship has sailed. The team will win or lose based almost entirely on players that are in the building right now. How they got there really doesn’t matter at this point. To me, anyway.

Both, to date, have underperformed. That's disappointing.

It is, but what do we do about it? Payton has settled on Peat being on the right side of the line, so he has two preseason games and weeks’ worth of practice to focus on getting better at one position. Byrd has finally been healthy, and has looked much better with a competent system around him. Here’s hoping for solid years from both players to help ease that feeling.

I also disagree with the folks that say Byrd played well or acceptable last year. He was brought here to provide a spark, to be a ball hawk, to create turnovers. He has not done that. Period. He is also out of position at times whiffing on deep balls, despite playing deep center. Byrd will be gone next year unless he shows up in a big way and makes the plays that were expected from him, the reason we made him one of the highest paid safeties in the league.

Look, he played well considering the circumstances. He had as many turnovers as this year’s All Pro safety Eric Berry. He had as many sacks as the other Pro Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu, albeit fewer turnovers. Both had more passes defensed and tackles, but he’s never been a high volume guy where either of those stats are concerned, and they both were on much better units that played to their strengths much better than Ryan’s did to Byrd’s.

I’m not saying Byrd was playing at an All Pro level by any stretch, but he certainly wasn’t a problem area for last year’s defense. I mean, he was tied for seventh in sacks, was fourth in tackles, second in interceptions, third in forced fumbles, and eighth in passes defensed. That to me shows a pretty decent player on a really bad squad. And gives me some hope that he’ll be much better with a competent unit around him.

 

[TheSaint619]

It's crazy how even when he has a great practice people still are quick to bash him left and right. Can you give the guy props for once? Dang, it's not his fault we gave him such a huge contract and he's had injury problems. I hope he makes every single hater eat crow this season.

 

[0rion]

It's crazy how even when he has a great practice people still are quick to bash him left and right. Can you give the guy props for once? Dang, it's not his fault we gave him such a huge contract and he's had injury problems. I hope he makes every single hater eat crow this season.

I hope he does but I'll keep plenty of chicken wings around just in case

 

[0rion]

A free safety is only going to be as successful as the frontline is pressuring the QB and not to mention having to spend more time having to assist Browner than being able to focus on making plays.

I don't understand this excuse and that's exactly what it is....an excuse. Either you can play safety or you can't. The INT's aren't always going to be gift wrapped....sometimes you have to beat the QB.

 

[Geaxsaints]

I don't understand this excuse and that's exactly what it is....an excuse. Either you can play safety or you can't. The INT's aren't always going to be gift wrapped....sometimes you have to beat the QB.

I'm no expert but I feel like it'd be pretty tough to guard a reciever for 8+ seconds. They gave the quarterback all day to find wide open recievers.

Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk

 

[StudioSaint]

I don't understand this excuse and that's exactly what it is....an excuse. Either you can play safety or you can't. The INT's aren't always going to be gift wrapped....sometimes you have to beat the QB.

A safety's primary responsibility is right there in the name of the position. The primary role is to be a safety net and the last line of defense against big plays. Last year Byrd was having to focus on that primary responsibility of not giving up deep plays, because of the poor pass rush and poor coverage. If Byrd would have tried to fool or rob the QB last year, the Saints would have been blown out in every game. He didn't have the luxury of taking risks, he had to play it safe and be the safety net for everyone else.

He did that job admirably last year all things considered.

 

[CitySaint]

It will be interesting to see the ceiling for Byrd in a Gregg Williams style defense, not expecting Dome Patrol level pressure or shutdown corners but if Allen has a reasonable cast around Byrd what is the potential?

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

I don't understand this excuse and that's exactly what it is....an excuse. Either you can play safety or you can't. The INT's aren't always going to be gift wrapped....sometimes you have to beat the QB.

It appears you expect a FS to be able to freelance and jump routes.

Hard to do that when every routes open either by bad coverage or lack of PassRush..which one do you jump George?

He's only as good as the defenders around him...and those guys haven't been good since he got here