Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills have signed veteran safety Jordan Poyer to their practice squad, and he was on the field for the team’s first regular season practice on Wednesday.
Near the end of last season, the Bills signed Micah Hyde to their practice squad, and his job was more to mentor the young talent. He never was activated to the 53-man roster.
Poyer is also here to be a mentor, but he has more of a chance to play than Hyde did.
The safety admits he is just happy to be back in Buffalo.
"This is where my heart is. There is where home is. This is where I grew up in this game on and off the field, my daughters have grown up in this town, and I feel like this is a way for me to be able to give back to the community, to this team," said Poyer on Wednesday after practice. "I feel like I can still give back to the game in many ways, whether that'd be on the field or off the field.
"I’m certainly thankful to be here. It’s surreal."
Despite being 34-years-old, Poyer certainly wants to still play.
"I’m not getting any younger, but at the same time, I still feel like I have gas left in the tank," he said.
Last season, Poyer played for the Miami Dolphins and struggled. The Bills took advantage of that when the two teams met over the course of the season.
"Last year, put asterisks by it. It was a tough year all around," Poyer admitted. "I’m not going to throw anything at what went down over there, but at the same time, it was a hard year. I still feel I have a lot left to prove to myself, to this game, people around me. I keep the receipts, so I’m coming in with my head down, I’m just going to work, help the guys, be an extra set of eyes and ears, and just be of service. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still here to play football at a high level."
It was safe to assume that before Poyer did this, he talked to Hyde.
"We’ve had plenty of conversations. We were actually on the phone two days ago, and he gave me his insight into how, and he wasn’t wrong," Poyer said of that conversation. "Today is very humbling, in the sense the ones go out there, the twos go out there and you’re not out there. You’re on the look squad, and it will be a very humbling experience. But this is a great opportunity for me as a person and a player, and it’s just be myself and help where needed."
Taron Johnson has already told Poyer that he has to pay for the next “DB” dinner.
"I don’t know how. I’m on the practice squad," Poyer joked with a laugh.
Poyer missed how head coach Sean McDermott does things, and how he’s built this team to be consistent year-in and year-out.
"It takes every day, every rep to continue to get better. And this culture has that identity to want to win every day. That’s an exciting thing to be part of," Poyer said. "We hold each other accountable, which is also a huge part, so it’s been awesome to see the love and support from everybody."
Poyer has been with McDermott since the success started, and believe many others want to play for him.
"That’s all you can ask from him is to continue to motivate your players, to want to play for him, to want to keep coming back," he said. "You get guys coming back - myself, Jordan Phillips, Tre’Davious White, Dane Jackson - there’s a reason why guys keep wanting to come back here, and Sean is a huge part of that.
"He’s a player’s coach. He holds you accountable, he holds you to a standard, and expects that out of you."
Poyer was hoping last year with the Dolphins wasn’t his last year in football. He says it was too negative.
"Last year put a super bad taste in my mouth, the way that season was, the way it could’ve been my last year in the league. I didn’t want to go out that way," Poyer said. "This is home, and this is where I want to be. I said this is where I want to retire, and I meant that. I was released from here, and this is a business. I understand that."
Poyer says he needed to sit down with general manager Brandon Beane to talk about being released. It needed to be hashed out, because he says he did feel some type of way after being released, because this is where he wanted to be. But Poyer says he understood where Beane was at and was OK with it in the end.
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