Saints' Payton speaks to injured Byrd as a parent, not as a coach
It was a seemingly benign moment during Saints practice Thursday in Metairie.
The Saints top free agent acquisition, safety Jairus Byrd, turned to try and catch a ball. Something seemed amiss though as the veteran safety crumpled to the ground. For an initial moment, Byrd and his teammates thought he had dinged his knee.
"It wasn't a contact play," head coach Sean Payton said. "He kind of tweaked his knee and then he got up. Obviously it was more significant than that."
Indeed. Byrd tore his lateral meniscus, which means he's done for this season. It's a bucket handle tear, which is a large rip around the rim of the meniscus. The center of the meniscus, or the bucket handle, displaces into the joint.
The good news is surgeons repair the meniscus versus removing it. Dr. James Andrews successfully operated on Byrd Friday morning. The bad news is the rehabilitation and recovery process takes longer.
"I spoke to him for a while yesterday," Payton said. "One of the things I mentioned to him was the type of injury. He is fully aware and he understands the repair and basically that it allows him to come back 100 percent."
That's not all Payton spoke to Byrd about. Normally the Sean-Payton-era Saints are one of the most tight-lipped teams in the NFL in regards to injuries and keeping details quiet until League rules dictate otherwise.
Usually, an injury to a starter of Byrd's magnitude is something Payton would keep under wraps for as long as possible, especially considering the consequences of the Black and Gold's next matchup. Sunday's faceoff in New Orleans with the Tampa Bay Bucs is a critical home contest for the 1-3 Saints, who next head into their bye week and then out on the road to tangle with the Detroit Lions in Week 7.
However, Byrd's father, Gill Byrd, is the cornerbacks coach for the Bucs. Ahead of Jairus Byrd's surgery, Payton says he spoke to the 27-year-old as a parent might, not as a head coach.
"I said to him that I thought it was important that he let his dad know," Payton said. "That was more important obviously than the opponent not knowing. I think as a father I would want to know."
Payton did not want to deny Byrd the comfort of parental support during his Friday surgery. Byrd is exceptionally close with his father, a 2-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the San Diego Chargers. Gill Byrd was also selected to 4 All-Pro Teams, received the Bart Starr Man of the Year Award in 1993 and still holds the Chargers all-time interception record with 42.
"It's terrible for the young man," defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said. "He worked so hard and was getting ready to play a game against his father. That's tough. I know that would have been special to see. In football, it's a tough part of this business."
