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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2015)
7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2015 Photos by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Jordan Poyer gives his gloves to his mom, Julie Poyer, after the game. See more photos of Poyer online at www.dailyastorian.com. Poyer: ‘He will compete to win’ Continued from Page 1A Howard Rub, Poyer’s high school coach, made the trip to see his former player perform live at the highest level Poyer is the ¿rst Astoria High School graduate to play in the NFL since Del Bjork, who played for the Chicago Bears in 1937-38. Competitive nature What makes Poyer able to com- pete in the NFL is his competitive nature mixed with his natural abil- ity, Rub said. Rub recalls the same competitive spirit in Poyer during his high school days. “He is as competitive as anyone you will ever meet,” Rub said. “If you play him in checkers, he’s go- ing to want to win. He will com- pete to win.” Although the current high school football players may have been too young to appreciate Poy- er’s time in Astoria, Rub said, his players know Poyer and his legacy well. “It’s certainly great to have a local kid who did make it, and to have someone that everyone local- ly can aspire to be like,” Rub said. Visits to the Northwest are few and far between for Poyer. He Àew into Seattle with the team Saturday and Àew back to Cleveland Sun- day night. He said it felt good to spend time away from the snow in Cleveland and play under familiar cloudy skies. Being in Seattle, the closest NFL city to Astoria, made for a good opportunity to see his fami- ly, who cannot make it to all of his games. “I love the support I get from back home. I will always be play- ing for the town. That’s why I love the game, I like making people back home proud,” Poyer said. “I’m going to keep grinding, I’m going to keep ¿ghting and hope- fully this isn’t the last time you see me playing around here.” ‘It would be a lot more fun if we were winning’ SEATTLE — In his return to the Pacif- ic Northwest, Jordan Poyer did not have a tackle or sack in the Cleveland Browns’ 30-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Overall this season, the Astoria native has 37 total tackles (23 solo, and 14 as- sists) in the 14 games played so far. Poyer also has one sack on Dec. 13 against San Francisco and one interception that came Nov. 15 against Pittsburgh Steelers’ quar- terback Ben Roethlisberger. Poyer is playing his third season in the NFL after being drafted by the Phil- adelphia Eagles in April 2013 in the sev- enth-round of the draft. He joined the Browns in October 2013. The Browns are 3-11 this season. “It would be a lot more fun if we were winning,” Poyer said. “The city is behind the football team huge. The fans out there are great. We want to win for them. I’m upset we can’t win for the city. It’s tough.” — Kyle Spurr Jordan Poyer, center, walks along the sideline with teammates during the game against the Sea- hawks at CenturyLink Field in Seattle Sunday. ‘I love the support I get from back home. I will always be playing for the town.’ Jordan Poyer Former Astoria Fisherman and current Cleveland Browns safety A proud father Before the game, Fa’aleao Poy- er, Poyer’s father, stood along the front row of the stadium watching his oldest son warming up on the ¿eld. Fa’aleao Poyer described how proud he is of his son and how well Poyer represents Astoria. Poyer’s father was looking forward to catching up with his son after the game. “Above everything, I love watching him, but it’s also an op- portunity for me to just give him a hug and just say, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ and look him in the eyes and see how he is really doing,” Fa’aleao Poyer said. “It’s a more personal thing for me.” ABOVE: Jordan Poyer smiles as he talks with family and friends after the game. LEFT: After the game, Jordan Poy- er poses for a photo with his uncle, Chris Crooker, while meeting with friends and family. Jordan Poyer blitzes during a play in the third quarter of the football game. Jordan Poyer hugs his aunt, Jac Crooker, after the game against the Seattle Seahawks. Jordan Poyer stretches on the sideline before the game.
