Jairus Byrd reflection
By: Jake Rajala
Jairus Byrd was once one of the best ball-hawks in the NFL. He recorded nine interceptions as a rookie, which led the league. He was cherished by Bills Mafia for his performance. For some odd season, he notched one int in his second season. He was back on the upward of the roller coaster. He had a few ints in his fourth season. In 2012 and 2013, he made the Pro Bowls. He recorded four forced fumbles and five ints in 2012. He notched six pass deflections and four ints in 2013.
After his Bills career, he went to the Saints. Well, he went to the Saints to die.
He sufferd a brutal injury to his lateral meniscus in 2014, so he only played in four games. He couldn’t quite bounce back from the injury. He proved to be a massive bust for the Saints secondary. There was plenty of blame to go around, however. The former Seahawks legend, Brandon Browner, was also burnt toast in his Saints stint.
Byrd played for the Saints from 2014 to 2016. He moved on to the Saints nemesis, Carolina Panthers, in 2017. He didn’t have any spark left at that point.
In the end, the question is: Is Byrd remembered as an elite player, or a fluke? I wouldn’t say he did enough to be in the Bills Hall of Fame. If he had six Pro Bowls instead of three, I would say he deserves to be seen as a Bills legend. Of course, he would have a lot more respect if he won a Super Bowl, too.
If he chose to stay on an defense in Buffalo, where there was a better pass rush, and schemes tailored toward him, he may have had a richer career than his outcome with the Saints. I don’t believe the injury he suffered in 2014, completely held him back from having a gifted career.
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