Mike in Syracuse Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 There's been a lot of debate recently over Jairus Byrd. Should the Bills have paid him?. Is he truly elite? Did he want too much money? My personal feeling is that I would have liked the Bills to retain him because he's a good player but I didn't want them to break the bank to do so. I don't view safety as a critical position (unlike QB and CB) and I don't think the delta between a good safety and an "elite" safety is the difference between a top 10 draft pick and the playoffs. One of the things that intrigued me is that a lot of people feel that Byrd's number of interceptions makes him "elite" so I decided to take a look at the numbers. Is seems logical to assume that an elite safety would be dramatically outperforming everyone around him. That he'd be a game changer an opposing offenses would have to account for him. So let's see what the numbers say. For purposes of discussion I've included anyone that was +/- one interception of Byrd! Here's the interception statistics for the last 4 years: 2013 Jairus Byrd 4 (*missed 4 games to injury) Jim Leonhard 4 (*missed 3 games to injury) Aaron Williams 4 Kiko Alonso 4 2012 Jairus Byrd 5 Bryan Scott 4 2011 George Wilson 4 Jairus Byrd 3 Nick Barnett 3 Drayton Florence 3 2010 Drayton Florence 3 George Wilson 2 Leodis McKelvin 2 Jairus Byrd 1 2009 Jairus Byrd 9 George Wilson 4 It's clear from the numbers that Byrd's 2009 season was off the charts. From 2010 on though he's numbers are very much in line with the other safeties on this team. So, if Byrd is truly "the top safety in the NFL' as some has suggested, what do you think of these numbers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMannn Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Let it go................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maury Ballstein Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Who ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 (edited) Youre right, hes not elite. Im convinced now. No matter how you slice it to your view: most INT by a safety in the NFL since 2009. 3x pro bowler and 3x all pro But yeah, not elite. Edited March 17, 2014 by bobobonators Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Who cares at this point? He's gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Why concern yourselves with whether New Orleans safety is elite or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 The market says he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
....lybob Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 22 ints 11 FFs and a very good tackler is that enough? not a speed demon and not a hitter that makes WRs afraid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Syracuse Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 The market says he is. That's an excellent point! Although one team doesn't necessarily reflect the market as a whole it only takes one team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yard Monkey Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 See, that's just it. If he were truly "elite" there would be no question. There would be no dispute for Polamalu or Ed Reed, but for Byrd there is plenty of dispute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Front Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Byrd's a plantar wart. I barely noticed he was on the field most games. He's definitely no Polamalu. I'm soooo glad the Bills didn't resign him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 [This is an automated response] This subject matter is being currently being discussed or has already been discussed in a previous thread. Please consider using the "search" function before starting new topics. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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