Commentary
Sullivan: Humility is in the blood for Byrd
Gill Byrd played 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the San Diego Chargers. He was a cornerback, a two-time Pro Bowler. He holds the Chargers' career record with 42 interceptions. Byrd knows a thing or two about playing defensive back. The first requirement is an ability to put the bad plays behind you.
You need to have a short memory to survive as long as Byrd did as a cornerback. But he doesn't remember ever having to tell his son, Jairus.
"But I know he got it," Byrd said from Chicago, where he is a secondary coach for the Bears. "A lot of the things you convey to your kids aren't taught. They're caught. It's not what you say directly, but how you live your life, the way you treat other people.
"Jairus caught it, because he was so inquisitive and wanted to eat up everything and learn everything."
Evidently, Jairus is a quick learner. He has caught everything thrown his way lately. The Bills' free safety has intercepted five passes in three weeks, becoming the first rookie in 19 years to pick off five passes in a calendar month. Last week, he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for October.
Still, unless he's leaping for a downfield throw, the kid's feet are firmly on the ground. His coaches and teammates keep him grounded. "They're showing me tough love," he said.
And then there's the man he has idolized and emulated for all his 23 years.
"A lot of it comes from my father," Jairus said. "He's done this before. So I've got to follow what he's done. He's been a great example to me growing up on how to be a man, and how to carry myself, the things a man does.
"Oh, I wanted to do everything he did! Every little thing. When I went with him to camp, I'd wear his helmet. I wanted to be just like him."
Gill Byrd gives a lot of the credit to his wife, Marilyn, the faithful football wife who raised their two sons. His eldest son, Gill Jr., played defensive back at New Mexico and is now working in the hotel industry in Salt Lake City. Jairus, two years younger, was born in San Diego. The family lived for a decade in Green Bay, where Gill Sr. worked in player development, and then in Clayton, Mo., where he began his coaching career in 2003 with the Rams.
Marilyn, an accomplished softball player in her youth, comes from an athletic family. Her brother, Richard Rodgers, was a safety and special teams captain at California in the early 1980s. Rodgers was credited with calling the five-lateral play that beat Stanford on the final play in 1982, with the Stanford band marching on the field.
She saw something special in her second boy. The Byrds are deeply religious people. Marilyn got the name "Jairus" from the Bible. Jairus was a man who asked Jesus to raise his daughter from the dead. Marilyn said it means "trusting and believing in the unbelievable."
Jairus was a precocious sort, blurting out outrageous statements at a young age. He was never lacking for confidence. When his dad coached Gill Jr. in youth football, Jairus would sneak into games and have to be kicked off the field. He was always playing against older kids. "I have to tip my hat to my wife, and to my other son," Gill Sr. said. "He never babied Jairus. It was, "Either you keep up with me or you get left behind.' He was always trying to keep up. He was two years behind, so there was always a lot of competition."
"He would ask how big things were," Marilyn said Friday by phone. "Like our swimming pool. I'll never forget the time he asked me how big it was, how many feet in the deep end. "Well, mine is going to be 10 times as big,' he said. There was always competition. He always said, "I'm going to be better than Dad.'
"He never wanted to be like, he wanted to be better than."
Marilyn says her son wasn't cocky or arrogant. He simply expected to be good, in school and sports. Jairus wrote down his academic goals for motivation. One time, he asked why kids on the other team were crying. He had no real experience at loss. He couldn't understand why it meant so much.
So there's a seeming contradiction here. The super-confident child with the humble foundation. Really, that's why playing defensive back requires a rare mixture of humility and confidence, an unwavering self-belief in the face of periodic, inevitable failure. As Jairus discovered, everyone gets beaten, especially defensive backs.
Gill Sr. didn't push his sons into football. Far from it. Do what makes you happy, he said. He told Jairus to consider baseball. Longer career. Less chance of injury. Jairus was a promising shortstop. Marilyn was shocked one day when a Cardinals scout took them to lunch to discuss his future.
But Jairus, who played every key position at Clayton, including punter, wanted to play football. "I guess I'm hardheaded," he said.
"Maybe subconsciously, he wanted to measure himself in football," Gill Sr. said. "He never shied away from competition, from having the bar set high. That's one thing that is special about him.
"Some players will run from being the son of an athlete, or a person that's famous or in the limelight. They don't want to be compared. But Jairus, that's been the fuel to his fire. He wants to be better than Dad, to have more interceptions, to leave no doubt who is the best Byrd."
Jairus went to Oregon and became one of the top defensive players in the Pac-10. Before his first game, against Oklahoma, he was switched from safety to cornerback. The Sooners beat him deep for a TD, but the play was negated by a penalty. They went after him on the very next play. Jairus broke it up.
That's when Gill Sr. knew his boy had it. The short memory, the knack for putting a bad play behind him. His kid had it. Over his three years at Oregon, Jairus intercepted 17 passes.
Byrd, who is 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, was projected by most teams as a safety. The Bills loved his ballhawking skills and took him in the second round.
Byrd got his first interception against Cleveland. By chance, the Bears were on their bye week, so Gill Sr. was here to witness it. Jairus had two picks in each of the next two games, the first rookie to do that since Everson Walls in 1981. He's second in the NFL in interceptions, one behind Darren Sharper.
Funny, when Byrd was in high school, he would work out with Aeneas Williams, then closing out a great career as a defensive back in St. Louis. The Byrds refer to Williams, who was a church minister in Clayton, as "Uncle Aeneas." Jairus says Williams has been "a huge influence" in his life.
Williams was one of the great ballhawks. He had 55 career interceptions and tied for second in the NFL with six as a rookie in 1991. So Jairus, who wants to beat his dad's mark of 42 interceptions, is also trying to match the rookie feat of his "uncle."
He has a gift, a nose for the ball. But Jairus knows he has a lot to learn. His run defense leaves a lot to be desired. He missed most of minicamp because of his college exams, and got to training camp three weeks late after hernia surgery. He's caught up fast, though.
"That's what the tough love was about," said fellow safety George Wilson. "His preparation and approach to the game. These last few weeks, he's responded phenomenally. He's controlled his position on the field. He's made plays for us. I think everybody in man coverage feels comfortable knowing Jairus is protecting us over the top."
There are no assurances Byrd will even remain the starter. But he was drafted as the long- term answer at free safety. It's hard to imagine them taking him out now.
"I know I've got to keep working and I can't take things for granted," Byrd said. "Because it's a privilege and not a right. Hopefully, God blesses me with a whole bunch more. You never know. I'm just enjoying the moment and I can't keep looking ahead. I've got to enjoy where I am now.
"I love being here in Buffalo. I thank God I'm here. I just want to build on this momentum and get some wins. I think we have something special here, we really do."
One rare Byrd, anyway.
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