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I really don't understand the people who want to protect Ralph's wallet over extending one of the most dynamic defensive backs in the NFL. Byrd is extremely productive and hasn't had much help over the last few seasons. Before posting a rage-reply, let's take a look.
Since entering the NFL in 2009, Byrd is 3rd in INTs over that span with 18, behind Asante Samuel at 24 and Charles Woodson/Aqib Talb at 19. Among DBs, he sits 3rd in FFs with 10, behind Charles Tillman with 23 and Charles Woodson at 11. Among all players he is tied for 8th in the same category. 28 Turnovers created in 4 seasons says playmaker. He can cover, he can hit, he can come up in run support. To be sitting just behind guys like Tillman, Woodson, and Samuel when it comes to creating big plays at just 26 years old is very impressive. I'm having a hard time thinking of a safety as impactful as Byrd at his age among current players.
Aaron Williams, Da'Norris Searcy, and Jim Leonhard have all exceeded expectations so far this season, so a lot of fans are souring over the idea of giving Byrd big money.
Williams has played mosty at CB (his previous position in college and his first two seasons as a pro) but looks like he's made a huge jump in productivity. It looks like a combination of development, coaching, and scheme that has allowed him to flourish so far this season. The last game against the Ravens looked to be his coming out party, with 4 passes defensed and two INTs. He played well in the first 3 games outside of the stupid personal foul, holding down the #2 CB spot admirably despite the fact that his focus in learning this scheme has been at safety. Remember that this kid is still only 23 and wasn't 100% in his first two seasons. Williams is signed through 2014.
Searcy played decently as a reserve/rotational safety in his first two seasons playing behind Byrd and Wilson. He has kicked it up a notch this year with him seeing more NFL action than in previous years, though he has had a few ugly plays. Like Williams, he also came up big against the defending champs with some clean run support as well as 4 passes defensed. Searcy is still relatively young. He turns 25 in a month and a half. Searcy is signed through 2014.
Leonhard. A lot of us are familiar with him from his days coming up with Buffalo. He has been a part of some very good defensive squads between the Ravens, Jets, and Broncos. While very undersized, his experience has allowed him to make some big plays for the Buffalo D so far this season. The most impressive part about his season so far is the fact that he was signed days before the opener. Leonhard is on a one year deal.
With that being said (even though I know my words will be interpreted differently by different people) you have to look at the greater context of the team's situation. I don't think what appears to be the emergence of Williams, Searcy, and even McKelvin happened by pure chance. Pettine's scheme looks to be the best the team has had in a long time. It seems like he maximizes the strength of each player over trying to put a square block into a round hole. Look at what he has done with Lawson, Dareus, K. Williams, M. Williams, Kiko, and so on. We obviously haven't seen it yet, but with how productive Byrd was in some pretty bad defensive schemes, I would love to see what he could do under the current regime. I say pay the man.
Since entering the NFL in 2009, Byrd is 3rd in INTs over that span with 18, behind Asante Samuel at 24 and Charles Woodson/Aqib Talb at 19. Among DBs, he sits 3rd in FFs with 10, behind Charles Tillman with 23 and Charles Woodson at 11. Among all players he is tied for 8th in the same category. 28 Turnovers created in 4 seasons says playmaker. He can cover, he can hit, he can come up in run support. To be sitting just behind guys like Tillman, Woodson, and Samuel when it comes to creating big plays at just 26 years old is very impressive. I'm having a hard time thinking of a safety as impactful as Byrd at his age among current players.
Aaron Williams, Da'Norris Searcy, and Jim Leonhard have all exceeded expectations so far this season, so a lot of fans are souring over the idea of giving Byrd big money.
Williams has played mosty at CB (his previous position in college and his first two seasons as a pro) but looks like he's made a huge jump in productivity. It looks like a combination of development, coaching, and scheme that has allowed him to flourish so far this season. The last game against the Ravens looked to be his coming out party, with 4 passes defensed and two INTs. He played well in the first 3 games outside of the stupid personal foul, holding down the #2 CB spot admirably despite the fact that his focus in learning this scheme has been at safety. Remember that this kid is still only 23 and wasn't 100% in his first two seasons. Williams is signed through 2014.
Searcy played decently as a reserve/rotational safety in his first two seasons playing behind Byrd and Wilson. He has kicked it up a notch this year with him seeing more NFL action than in previous years, though he has had a few ugly plays. Like Williams, he also came up big against the defending champs with some clean run support as well as 4 passes defensed. Searcy is still relatively young. He turns 25 in a month and a half. Searcy is signed through 2014.
Leonhard. A lot of us are familiar with him from his days coming up with Buffalo. He has been a part of some very good defensive squads between the Ravens, Jets, and Broncos. While very undersized, his experience has allowed him to make some big plays for the Buffalo D so far this season. The most impressive part about his season so far is the fact that he was signed days before the opener. Leonhard is on a one year deal.
With that being said (even though I know my words will be interpreted differently by different people) you have to look at the greater context of the team's situation. I don't think what appears to be the emergence of Williams, Searcy, and even McKelvin happened by pure chance. Pettine's scheme looks to be the best the team has had in a long time. It seems like he maximizes the strength of each player over trying to put a square block into a round hole. Look at what he has done with Lawson, Dareus, K. Williams, M. Williams, Kiko, and so on. We obviously haven't seen it yet, but with how productive Byrd was in some pretty bad defensive schemes, I would love to see what he could do under the current regime. I say pay the man.
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