Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 1, 1993 TAG: 9309010090
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Long
On Byner's biographical page in the NFL club's media guide, the running back's birthday is listed as March 26, 1960. That would make him 2 1/2 years older than the age 31 he will reach on Sept. 15.
Then, there's another position the 'Skins are taking with Byner - or taking away. When Richie Petitbon replaced Joe Gibbs as Washington's coach in March, a decision was made to add versatility to the club's offense. That includes a two-back set.
Suddenly, after three seasons in which he has averaged 1,088 yards rushing, Byner was being moved to fullback - where he primarily will be a blocker and pass receiver for unproven NFL rushers. Byner, who ranks 22nd on the all-time NFL rushing list, took the news just as he has handoffs from Mark Rypien in recent years - aggressively.
"You do what you have to do," said Byner, a former East Carolina star who is arguably the Redskins' most valuable player over the last three seasons. "I have a job. I have pride, and I still think I'm the No. 1 guy. I have to look at it that way. If you let your pride get in the way, what good does it do you or anyone else?
"I know I can still run the ball. They know I can still run the ball. Still, it's my 10th year, and I probably can't continue to run the ball like I did for years. A guy can't continue on and on. They've got to start looking at some other people to take my place."
Byner ranks third on the Redskins' career rushing list - behind John Riggins and Larry Brown - with 3,845 yards in four seasons. He likely won't run for 1,000 in a season again, but that isn't to say he will be less productive. Byner is a superb receiver, and no one will be surprised if he catches 60 passes this season.
As for his blocking ability?
"My technique in blocking is to get people free," Byner said, laughing. "That's about all I'll say about that."
Despite Byner's self-deprecating remarks, the Redskins figure he may be even more valuable in his new spot than as the primary ball carrier. In the NFL, his position often is referred to as "complementary back." To call Byner that would be understating his role.
"I've got my opinions about some of what they're thinking, but I've got to do what I've got to do, regardless of those feelings," he said. "While I say that, I also know it's going to be exciting. It's going to be a change. Don't they say change is good for everybody?
"A good player deserves respect, and I think I have that. I had some injuries last year, but my numbers [998 rushing yards, 39 receptions for 338 yards] were good. I can't say to myself that it's anything I did that brought about the change. If I look at this as a penalty, that will deter me from doing this job and being successful."
When the Redskins open the regular season Monday night against Dallas at RFK Stadium, Byner will be blocking for Brian Mitchell, Reggie Brooks and Ricky Ervins. It also may be the beginning of the end of the 5-foot-10, 218-pounder's pounding.
"There's part of me that says I don't want to play that much longer," said Byner, whose draft-day trade from Cleveland to the Redskins in 1989 jump-started his career. "I figure I'll only play a couple of more years, if that. If I can see a way to walk away after this year, I will. If I feel my family [wife and three daughters] is financially secure, I may go.
"Then, I may not."
Byner's emergence in a leading role for the Redskins increased his reputation. When he was acquired from the Browns for running back Mike Oliphant on April 22, 1989, it wasn't even a big deal for one day. Washington traded first- and second-round draft picks to Atlanta for running back Gerald Riggs on the same date.
Riggs was supposed to be the big back in Gibbs' attack. Byner was seen as a third-down specialist, an H-back who would catch passes, a quasi-tight end. Byner's toughness won him the starting job, and he was elected to the Pro Bowl in 1990 and '91. Riggs became a goal-line bull. He got the touchdowns. Byner got 937 carries in the last three seasons, including the playoffs.
"Nobody said I have to be happy about the decision," Byner said of this year's change. "However, it's a decision they're making. I can still be a viable runner. With me, you get consistency. It's more of a boom, there's 8 yards, and boom, there's 10 yards. I'm not a guy who's going to break a 40- or 60-yarder very often.
"I've never been a person who has talked a lot about what I've accomplished. I've always tried to have fun and tried to be successful. I haven't set out to be one of the key guys. I've just tried to be me."
That's what's refreshing about Byner. He's one of the most accessible Redskins to the media. When he's asked a question, he usually gives a very candid and thoughtful response. He plays and talks as if he really appreciates where he is, but then he's worked hard to get there.
Instead of grousing about his move to fullback, Byner went stronger on the weights in the off-season. His chest is much more muscular than others who have a 5 handicap in golf, which is his second-best game.
"I've basically been looked at as an overachiever my whole career," said Byner, a 10th-round draft pick out of ECU in 1984. "That used to upset me, but as I've gotten older with more maturity, I've quit worrying about it. My high school coach [in Milledgeville, Ga.] talked this summer and he said he never thought I'd make it this long.
"I never figured it as a 10- or 12-year career. I first thought four years, then six years, and then I decided, `Let's just see what happens.' Here I am."
Byner hadn't talked about it publicly until training camp in July in Carlisle, Pa., but he allowed himself to consider how realistic his chances to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame could have been. With 6,558 career rushing yards, he likely needs another couple of 1,000-yard seasons to even see the suburbs of the Canton, Ohio, shrine.
Still, despite the geography, that's quite a distance from Cleveland, where the running back's accomplishments were caught in the undertow from what Browns' fans still call "The Fumble" - Byner's drop late in the 1987 AFC championship game loss to Denver. The trade that followed a year later was inevitable if Byner was to prosper again as a player.
He is one of only 11 players in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in single seasons with two clubs. The only backs who have gained more yardage in fewer or as many seasons as Byner are Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, George Rogers and Herschel Walker.
Still, he prides himself as much on his adaptability as his success. That's why he's the right man for the Redskins' fullback job.
"There's an old saying about the more you can do, the more you will do," Byner said. "Being multitalented is one thing that has helped me be around as long as I have and be competitive as long as I have.
"I'd like to run the ball. I want to be in the game. But if the coaches decide to go with other guys and they come through, that's life. You accept it. I've had a great career. I've run for a lot of yards, I've caught a lot of passes, I've scored a lot of touchdowns [66, including the playoffs].
"Obviously, I'd still like to be the guy to run that sucker."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB