Jets bring in Dennis Byrd for pregame speech tonite - New England Patriots Forums

SVN · 01-15-2011, 10:47 PM

via twitter.

OfficialBraylon:As God is my witness I have never been more ready to perform in my life. Dennis Byrd I respect, salute, and honor you

Sorry i havent known/followed this game long enough to know about him

Keyser Söze · 01-15-2011, 10:49 PM

OfficialBraylon: Gettin my drink on, then driving back to the hotel. Ready for the ass kicking we're going to get.

Patspsycho · 01-15-2011, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVN

via twitter.

OfficialBraylon:As God is my witness I have never been more ready to perform in my life. Dennis Byrd I respect, salute, and honor you

Sorry i havent known/followed this game long enough to know about him

Byrd broke his neck in a collision with a teammate trying to sack Kreig (KC's QB). I think in 1990 something- he could not walk again for a while and his football career was over.

I'm willing to bet that his speech had something to do with "you never know when your career is gonna end, so leave it all on the field."

ScottieC · 01-15-2011, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVN

via twitter.

OfficialBraylon:As God is my witness I have never been more ready to perform in my life. Dennis Byrd I respect, salute, and honor you

Sorry i havent known/followed this game long enough to know about him

Career ending neck injury. Defensive lineman for the Jets back in the day. Late 80's I think.

TX_Patriot · 01-15-2011, 10:51 PM

My guess is he's pitching the comeback story. He busted his neck in 1992 and I don't think he was given much of a chance to walk again.

Nice story, I can see what Rex is trying to do here, but his team is filled with Baffoons that just won't get it.

***ausbacker*** · 01-15-2011, 10:51 PM

I feel compelled to make some sort of invalid comment but that would be in poor taste given the beat down the Jets will get tomorrow.

Patpartizan · 01-15-2011, 10:53 PM

So I'm guessing Jack Tatum wasn't available.

karguy85 · 01-15-2011, 10:54 PM

Not gonna lambast the guy or this move. I just hope that the Jets get as much out of this as they did out of the symbolic Coles signing prior to week 13...

Hoodie · 01-15-2011, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patpartizan

So I'm guessing Jack Tatum wasn't available.

I don't think so. Tatum died a few years ago. Though his speech might have been even more inspirational.

RayClay · 01-15-2011, 11:06 PM

Am I the only one that wondered why the Jets would bring in a former failed #1 pick of the Patriots? With all respect, they couldn't apparently, he died this past July.

From Will McDonough's ten wackiest patriots stories...

Quote:

The Patriots hope to get defensive lineman Dennis Byrd of North Carolina State, and he is still on the board when the Patriots are up. Holovak tells the writers he is going to call Byrd at home to give him the news that the Patriots have chosen him. The writers listen in on the call, which went approximately like this:

Holovak: "Is Dennis there, please?"

Answer: "He's not."

Holovak: "This is Mike Holovak, the coach of the Boston Patriots, and I'd like to get in touch with him. Do you know where I can reach him?"

Answer: "The hospital."

Holovak: "Hospital? What's he doing in the hospital?"

Answer: "He's just had a knee operation."

At this point, Holovak wanted to strangle McKeever, his alleged chief scout. Things get even better later in the day when McKeever tries to draft a wide receiver. Slight problem. The kid is dead. He was killed in an accident a month earlier.